On April 24, 2017, the influential news channel CNN published a list of UNESCO World Heritage sites to visit. Published on the travel section of its popular news site CNN.com, the article written by Jen Rose Smith presented a snapshot of eight of the 55 UNESCO World Heritages currently classified as being “in danger,” including the Belize Barrier Reef.

Seven of the sites featured in the CNN article are on dry land, including the Everglades area of southern Florida and areas in Central and South America devastated by war and civil unrest. The Belize Barrier Reef is unique in that it is the only marine World Heritage site to be included in the article, a vast chain of beautiful islands, crystal clear water, coral reefs, and sandy atolls.

The Belize Barrier Reef is part of the second-largest barrier reef in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Measuring more than 200 miles from north to south, the Belize reef includes picture-postcard-perfect islands with palm trees, white sand beaches, and tranquil lagoons that are ideal for stand-up paddling, kayaking, swimming, scuba diving, and snorkeling.

Other world-class destinations on the Belize Barrier Reef include Shark Ray Alley, a section of the enormous Hol Chan Marine Reserve that is a natural cut in the reef where vast schools of harmless nurse sharks and stingrays transit from the deep ocean to the gentler interior side of the Caribbean. The reef is also home to several protected nature areas, including Laughing Bird Caye National Park, one of the top places to snorkel and bird watch in the country.

Another famous feature of the reef is the Belize Blue Hole. Measuring some 300 meters across (985 feet), the Belize Blue Hole was created more than 10,000 years ago when rising waters at the end of the Ice Age submerged a vast series of caverns and caves. Famed French marine biologist Jacques Cousteau declared the Belize Blue Hole to be one of his top 10 favorite diving spots when he explored the area in 1971.

Chabil Mar

Chabil Mar is an award-winning resort located on the Caribbean coast of the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize. Chabil Mar features elegantly appointed villas, a gourmet restaurant, a lush tropical garden, and a seafront pier ideal for enjoying meals under the stars.

The resort is conveniently located just a few miles from the Belize Barrier Reef and offer guests Belize vacation packages that include scuba diving and snorkeling on the reef. Chabil Mar also organizes diving and snorkeling tours during the springtime to see migrating whale sharks that visit Belize each year near Gladden Spit on the reef.

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.

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Although Aurelio Martinez was born and raised in Honduras, he has become one of Belize’s lasting icons due to his iconic blending of traditional Garifuna music with more modern styles like rock, soul, blues, and New Orleans style jazz. On April 10, 2017, Martinez returned to the Bliss Stage in Belize City to celebrate the launch of his latest album with a live concert featuring a 15-piece band that included the Garifuna Collective.

Thirty years ago, Aurelio Martinez made his professional debut on an album that featured his signature style of blending traditional Garifuna music with modern genres. Martinez’s latest album called Darandi, which means 30 in Garifuna, contains 12 tracks, including a cover of the classic Paul Nabor song “Naguya Nei.” According to Martinez, Darandi represents the closing of one chapter of his musical life and celebrating his moving on towards new beginnings and experimentations with different musical styles.

The album Darandi was partly mixed in Belize in studios in Benque Biejo and Dangriga by Al Obando, a celebrated Belizean producer. According to Martinez, the album is a tribute to his close friend Andy Palacio, a native of Belize who recently passed away. Martinez met Palacio in Honduras and the two musicians collaborated on several projects. The album is also dedicated to Paul Nabor, whom Martinez has referred to as his musical “grandpa”, the Belizean musician who helped popularize Garifuna music worldwide.

Martinez has been a musical prodigy since childhood. At age 6, he fashioned his first guitar out of fishing line and driftwood. At age 15, Martinez received his first guitar, leading him to a lifetime of producing, writing, and performing music. Although he is primarily known for his singing, guitar playing, and percussion work, Martinez is also a skilled dancer, often performing traditional Garifuna steps during his musical performances.

Perhaps the most popular track on his latest album is Yalifu, the Garifuna word for pelican. Martinez has described how the lyrics “Pelican, lend me your wings so that I can fly,” refers to his childhood separation from his father when he was left behind in Honduras while his father went to work in the United States. Martinez has stated that he wants the song to represent bigger issues as well, dedicated to anyone separated from a loved one and longing to be reunited.

Chabil Mar

Chabil Mar is an award-winning resort located on the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize and is close to many Garifuna centers such as the town of Dangriga and the villages of Hopkins and Seine Bight where visitors can experience the rich musical heritage of the Garifuna people.

If you close your eyes and imagine the ultimate fantasy wedding in a Caribbean setting, you can practically feel the lovely sea breeze, hear the gentle crash of the sparkling blue waves, and see the pure white sand, tropical flower bouquets, and the face of your beloved beaming with love under a clear blue sky. If you’ve ever imagined getting married in such a place, then Chabil Mar is for you.

Quite simply, Chabil Mar is the ideal destination wedding resort in Belize. Whether you’re planning on an intimate elopement for just the two of you or a gorgeously chic wedding for your closest friends and family, Chabil Mar and its team of wedding professionals will make sure that your special day goes off perfectly. You and your guests will love staying in one of the luxurious villas, strolling through the tropical garden, swimming in the infinity pool, relaxing at the spa, and enjoying gourmet meals on the resort’s seafront piers.

Chabil Mar’s wedding planners have years of experience in arranging ceremonies customized precisely to each guest’s needs. Chabil Mar will assist you with every detail of your special event, including assistance with your marriage documents, filing fees, gourmet catering, floral arrangements, music, and officiants for the ceremony. Chabil Mar will work with you to ensure that your wedding is customized to your exact preferences, letting enjoy one of the most important moments of your life.

When you get married at Chabil Mar, you will be met at the Placencia Airstrip by your valet who will convey you to the resort. Your wedding planner will consult with you to arrange for the bridal bouquet, corsage, boutonnière, wedding cake, photographer, videographer, and other details according to your wishes. You and your spouse will enjoy a special candlelit dinner for just the two of you, and the resort can provide concierge, music, reception, and bar services for your wedding as needed.

After you’re married, you can enjoy a fabulous honeymoon in Belize. Chabil Mar is just a few minutes’ stroll down the beach from the idyllic fishing village of Placencia, famous for its eco-friendly “barefoot ready” environment. Chabil Mar is also the perfect place to head out for fun on the Belize Barrier Reef, a stretch of the Caribbean filled with coral reefs, sandy atolls, and beautiful islands surrounded by clear blue water teeming with colorful fish and marine fauna. The sandy white bottom and richly biodiversity make the reef the perfect place to enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, and sailing.

And there’s much to see and do on the mainland as well, including boat safaris into the jungle, hiking in nature parks, exploring ancient Maya cities, visiting animal sanctuaries, picnicking at waterfalls, horseback riding in the rainforest, zip lining through the jungle canopy, and participating in the uniquely Belizean sport of cave tubing where you float down an underground river on an inner tube.

Your wedding is your special day, one that you will never forget. Begin the rest of your life in an unforgettably beautiful setting with a perfect destination wedding at Chabil Mar.

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on getting married in 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 wedding.

The credit card company American Express recently featured Belize as one of the best places to visit for its cardholders. In a video posted on the company’s Facebook account entitled “Golden Travel Tips,” American Express described how its members can double the number of countries that they visit by taking advantage of stopovers, brief trips taken in between journeys to other destinations. American Express specifically recommended that its North American customers take advantage of special pricing and discounts to make a stopover to Belize when traveling to Argentina or other destinations in South America.

The American Express video received a lot of positive attention, garnering more than 24,000 views and a lot of supportive comments about the idea. With more than 6 million fans, it is likely that the American Express video will do a lot to raise awareness about the benefits of visiting Belize and exploring all of the wonderful attractions in the country.

Belize is located in Central America between Mexico and Guatemala. With hundreds of offshore islands, 200 miles of coastline on the Caribbean, and a diverse interior of rainforests, waterfalls, and jungles, Belize is known for its beautiful nature, warm and friendly locals, and a relaxed approach to life. Thanks to airlines like American, United, Southwest, WestJet, and Delta, it’s easy and affordable to find non-stop flights to Belize from major cities in the United States and Canada. Once in Belize, the small size of the country makes it easy to get around and explore a bevy of attractions, including offshore islands, nature reserves, ancient Maya ruins, and beautiful national parks.

American Express customers who want to see the very best that Belize has to offer should consider staying at the lovely Chabil Mar resort on the Placencia Peninsula. A multiple award-winning resort and a TripAdvisor favorite, Chabil Mar is a quiet oasis of luxury located right on the Caribbean. With a lush tropical garden, gourmet restaurant, open air dining on a beachfront pier, professional spa services, and upscale villas, Chabil Mar guarantees American Express customers a truly “UnBelizeable” experience.

Guests of Chabil Mar are warmly invited to attend Placencia’s popular Lobsterfest in June, a combination street party and cooking combination to come up with the most unusual and savory ways to incorporate the world’s favorite crustacean in a dish. Other popular attractions near Chabil Mar include diving with whale sharks that visit the nearby Gladden Spit each spring.

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.