Month: December 2016

With more and more people looking for hidden getaways and exciting travel destinations off the beaten path, it’s no wonder that Belize has garnered a strong focus lately.

A recent travel article on a Canadian news site highlights a number of exotic attractions and destinations to visit in Belize in 2017.

A lush and pristine country, Belize is one of the last remaining corners of the earth where visitors can marvel at an abundance of wildlife both on land and on the offshore Belize Barrier Reef, the second-largest coral barrier reef in the world.

The barrier reef is also home to the Blue Hole rated by Jacques Cousteau as one of his top 10 favorite diving spots.

Although Belize is a relatively small country, approximately the same size as the American state of Vermont, it is an oasis of misty mountains, green hills, tumbling waterfalls, gorgeous beaches, and wild wetlands meet the sapphire waters of the Caribbean. Visitors can choose between exploring the endless bounds of nature or investigating ancient Maya ruins such as Xunantunich, Altun Ha, and Caracol, built more than a thousand years ago. Other attractions include visiting the lively market in Belmopan, the capital of Belize.

One of the best places that travelers can get introduced to the local plants and animals that inhabit the country is at the Belize Zoo. Less of a traditional zoo and more of an educational center, the Belize Zoo was started as a wildlife refuge for animals that were abandoned or mistreated. Today, all of the more than 100 residents of the zoo are native species to Belize, and the Belize Zoo is the country’s first completely handicap-accessible facility open to the public.

Chabil Mar

Located on the sunny shores of the Placencia Peninsula in southeastern Belize, Chabil Mar is an award-winning resort featuring luxurious villas, a lush tropical garden, and an onsite gourmet restaurant in a location just steps away from Placencia Village. Chabil Mar offers guests Belize jungle & sea packages so that travelers can experience the best of both worlds in Belize.

“With WestJet now offering non-stop service from Toronto to Belize, we look forward to welcoming more Canadians to explore the beauty and nature of Belize,” said Larry France, Marketing Manager at Chabil Mar. “We’re also very pleased to see Canadian  news programs that feature Belize as a top travel trend in 2017.”

In response to the growing number of Canadians who were traveling to Belize, WestJet began offering non-stop service from Toronto’s Pearson Airport (YYZ) to Belize City (BZE) in October 2016.

WestJet joins Delta, American Airlines, United, and Southwest in offering non-stop service from top cities in North America to the largest city in Belize.

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on  Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.

Multiple gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles will be the recipient of a motorcade in Belize City. The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) made the announcement on their Facebook page, declaring that the motorcade will begin in Biltmore Plaza in Belize City at 4:00 pm on December 22, 2016. The motorcade will then continue down Orange Street, Albert Street, and Regent Street before concluding at Battlefield Park.

Simone Biles made international headlines in the summer of 2016 after winning four gold medals at the Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro. Biles is a dual citizen of the United States and Belize, and has often spoken to the press of her fondness for Belize and how much she enjoys visiting friends and family in the country. Biles is currently scheduled to attend the motorcade and the BTB is encouraging friends, family, and well-wishers to join the public in celebrating the heritage and accomplishment of one of Belize’s greatest athletes.

Biles was a member of the Final Five women’s gymnastics team that participated in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Biles is a three-time world all-around champion, four-time United States all-around champion, and won an individual bronze medal for the balance beam in addition to her four gold team medals at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1997, the third of four children. Her biological mother, Shannon Biles, became unable to care for her children and Simone and her siblings were eventually adopted and raised by their grandfather Ron and his wife, Nellie Cayetano Biles, a citizen of Belize. Biles spent her childhood education as a homeschooler, graduating in 2015. Biles has been training as a gymnast since she was 6 years old.

Placencia Peninsula

With 16 miles of white sandy beaches, the Placencia Peninsula would be a great place for Simone Biles to visit when she’s in Belize. The multiple award-winning resort of Chabil Mar offers guests luxuriously-appointed villas, a lush tropical garden, and a delicious onsite restaurant complete with pier seating for an unobstructed view of the turquoise Caribbean Sea.

Chabil Mar is the ideal place for travelers like Simone Biles to enjoy the top attractions on the mainland like the Cockscomb Basin Nature Reserve and Maya sites like Nim Li Punit and Lubantuum as well as all of the fun and excitement of the nearby Belize Barrier Reef, home to world-class scuba, snorkeling, sailing, and fishing sites.

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on  Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.

Today Belize is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Barrier Reef System being inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

To commemorate the momentous occasion, a World Heritage Site Forum will be held at the Bliss Institute of Performing Arts in Belize City from 7:00-9:00 p.m tonight.

The Belize Barrier Reef System was dubbed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1996. The Belize Barrier Reef System is the largest barrier reef complex in the Northern and Western Hemisphere and is also  the second largest barrier reef system in the  world. It provides habitat to a plethora of migratory birds and threatened marine species such as the West Indian manatee, the American crocodile and marine turtles.

Belizeans  in the Tourism and Fisheries Sector have relied greatly on the reef for their livelihood. Comprised of seven marine protected areas which make up 12 percent of the entire reef  complex of Belize, the seven sites include: Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve, the world famous Blue Hole Natural Monument, Half Moon Caye Natural Monument, South Water Caye Marine  Reserve, Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve, Laughing Bird Caye National Park and the Sapodilla  Cayes Marine Reserve.

Larry France, Marketing Manager of Chabil Mar Resort on the scenic Placencia peninsula said the 20th anniversary of Belize’s Barrier Reef being designated a World Heritage Site is a cause for celebration.

“Chabil Mar takes great pride in promoting sustainable eco-tourism practices and contributing to the welfare of the Belize’s Barrier Reef, he added.

Chabil Mar offers a variety of tours and packages that includes snorkeling and scuba diving the pristine barrier reef and has partnered with the award winning dive centers of Placencia village to provide a bountiful combination of luxury accommodations, resort amenities and dive services.

Travelers who wish to enjoy the beauties and wonders of Belize will definitely enjoy a stay at Chabil Mar.

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize barrier reef vacation.

Destination Wildlife, a publication focusing on promoting the responsible tourism, has recently published an article featuring travel to Gladden Spit and the Silk Cayes in Belize. The article noted that the Belize Barrier Reef, of which both Gladden Spit and the Silk Cayes are a part, are home to endangered sea turtle species as well as an important migratory destination for whale sharks.

The Destination Wildlife article focused on a number of different reasons why sustainable tourism to the region is so popular. Visitors can marvel at more than 30 species of reef fish that use the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve for spawning. This large-scale agglomeration of juvenile fish species is the main reason why migrating whale sharks visit the area every year, rising from the depths to feed on this abundance of food. Destination Wildlife also noted that the protected sandy beaches of the Silk Cayes serve as nesting sites for endangered species like the hawksbill turtle.

Destination Wildlife highlighted the fact that a collection of conservationist individuals and organizations are responsible for having the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes area declared a protected marine reserve in the year 2000. A number of residents from Placencia in Belize formed a group called The Friends of Nature (FoN) in 1993 in order to protect the area from long-term human impact. After successfully lobbying to have Laughing Bird Caye declared a national park in 1996, the FoN then convinced the Belize government to designate Gladden Spit and the nearby Silk Cayes a protected marine in 2000.

Destination Wildlife is an adherent of the guidelines and ideas of the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism. Destination Wildlife believes that a holistic cooperation between private and individual stakeholders is the best way to preserve cultural heritages and conserve the environment. The Cape Town Declaration was formulated during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002, a global conference attended by 280 delegates from around the globe.

The award-winning resort of Chabil Mar on the Placencia Peninsula offers guests a number of comprehensive scuba diving packages that include diving with whale sharks for visitors who want to explore the natural wonders found at Gladden Spit and the Silk Cayes. Chabil Mar also offers guided tours of the Monkey River, scuba diving packages of the Blue Hole, and trips to other top attractions on both land and sea in Belize.