Community, Friendship and Fun at the Maya Beach Clean Up

 

maya beach cleanup

If you live in Belize or if you’re visiting our beautiful country, make sure you set aside time for the annual Maya Beach Clean Up. We’ll be making the Placencia Peninsula proud when we clean up the trash on this quiet, picturesque stretch of beach.

The Maya Beach Clean Up is sponsored by Oceana Belize, the Chabil Mar Villas and YouTube stars Wandxr Bus.

Be a Hero for Our Environment

We Belizeans understand the importance of preserving the natural beauty that surrounds us. Almost half of Belize is protected in a sanctuary, preserve or national forest. We appreciate the rare, exotic beauty of our country.

Now, you can share that love in a community event that joins people of all ages and from all walks of life. Start your morning with an activity that feeds your soul and lets you meet some new friends.

  • What: The Maya Beach Clean-Up
  • When: Saturday, June 1, 2019
  • Time: 7:30AM to 9:30AM

We provide:

  • Bags.
  • Gloves.
  • Snacks and drinks.
  • Please bring your own reusable water bottle.

Be a Winner

Cleaning the Maya Beach is a rewarding experience, but we want to reward our volunteers even more. That’s why everyone who participates has the chance to win a raffle.

You could win one of these great prizes:

  • One free night at the luxurious Chabil Mar Villas.
  • $50 gift card for the Barefoot Beach Bar.
  • An Oceana swag bag.

Where to Stay

If you’re joining us to clean the beach and enjoy a Belize getaway, make sure to stay at the Chabil Mar. Our award-winning, full-service resort is located on the beautiful Placencia Peninsula just steps away from Maya Beach. Contact us for an unforgettable Belize vacation.

Unstoppable Belizean Team Wins World Pok-a-Tok Cup

World Pok-a-Tok Cup

Ever since Greek runners launched the foot races that morphed into the Olympics events held today, individual nations have sought to make their international mark on sports by reclaiming their own traditions. 

For the people of Central America, an ancient Maya competition that’s as much historic as it is physically punishing has grown into a near-obsession: Pok Ta Pok is a sport that consists of moving a rubber ball around a field by players who are only permitted to use their hips and thighs to control the ball. 

During heyday of Maya domination throughout the region, this life-and-death game had dire consequences for losing teams, and while today’s version has the capacity to leave participants feeling humiliated and depressed, at least nobody loses their lives in the process. 

Who are the victors of the 2019 games? Belize, of course. This tenacious team beat out El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Guatemala and Honduras handily on the 5th of May with their “take no prisoners” attitude and a big helping of national pride. In fact, Belize’s Ek’ Balam (Black Jaguars) elevated the world’s longest, continually-played competition to new heights, saluting the ancient teams who invented this sport. 

That Belize is proud of this outcome would be an understatement! There was a lot riding on an Ek’ Balam victory and every one of the 10-member team was willing to take their A Game to opposing teams throughout the competition that started on April 29th under the sponsorship of The Central American and Caribbean Association of the Ancestral Sport of Maya Ball.

Since the Black Jaguars also took first place at this event in 2017, the team is building a reputation for excellence that is going to be hard to beat in the years ahead. For this reason and so many more, the management and staff at Chabil Mar Villas in Placencia applaud this feisty team for bringing the win home to Belize and for showing how team spirit and love of country can make all the difference.

7 Uniquely Beautiful Places in Belize to Add to Your Bucket List

Belize has a cornucopia of intriguing attractions from stunning islands to ancient Maya ruins but here are 7 unique and beautiful places in Belize that you need to add to your bucket list:

Placencia Belize

placencia belize vacations 2014

Photo by Jeff Monuszko

Placencia is an elegant peninsula in southern Belize and has 16 miles of some of the very best Caribbean beaches in the country. Here, the coastlines are a favorite for numerous divers and fly fishermen. Once a sleepy fishing community, Placencia has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belize.

SEE ALSO: 15 Instagram Photos of Placencia Belize Everyone Needs to See

 Victoria Peak

victoria peak

Amongst the Maya Mountains is the second tallest mountain in Belize, Victoria Peak. It is positioned in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated in the Stann Creek District of Belize. In 1998, Victoria Peak was declared a natural monument. The peak is located in a broad-leaved willowy forest and many of the plants are used for medicinal practices.

Mountain Pine Ridge

Mountain Pine Ridge in Belize

Photo by Gaby Silva

The Mountain Pine Ridge Nature Reserve is the oldest of Belize’s natural parks and is comprised of 300 square miles of dirt roads and wildlife trails. The most prevalent fascinations in the area are Rio Frio Cave, Rio on Pools and Big Rock Falls, which echo through the valley.

Laughing Bird Caye

Laughing_Bird_Caye,_Belize_2

Laughing Bird Caye is a gorgeous Belizean island located on the western side of the Victoria Channel and is the southernmost atoll in the central lagoon of the Belize Barrier Reef. It has deep channels on both sides with an abundance of different kinds of coral habitats and marine life.

Hopkins Village

Almond_Beach_Hopkins_Stann_Creek_Belize

Hopkins Village is a coastal fishing settlement in eastern Belize that is known for their tourist hospitality and drumming celebrations. Hopkins is believed by many Belizeans to be the cultural center of the Garifuna population. The Belize First Magazine voted Hopkins as “The Friendliest Village in Belize.”

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Often referred to as a “magical place,” the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize is a spectacle of natural splendor and diversity. It is a perfect nature reserve to learn about plants, animals, natural history and so much more.

Blue Hole

great_blue hole of belize

The Belize Blue Hole is a sinkhole cave that is also a part of the UNESCO site. It’s a popular magnetism of divers throughout the world and is a geographical marvel that is part of the Lighthouse Reef System. It’s 480 feet deep and one of the most astonishing natural phenomena on earth.

SEE ALSO: The Best Diving in Belize

For more information about the traveling to Belize or Placencia, feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge@chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at: reservations@chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.

Love Chocolate? Don’t Miss The Belize Chocolate Festival This Year

belize chocolateOne of the most exciting food festivals in the world is going to kick off in the southern Toledo District of Belize in May. From Friday, May 24 to Sunday, May 26, 2019, the Belize Chocolate Festival will feature three whole days of celebrating this miraculous food in all its various formats. Local farmers will showcase their finest chocolates, and wines in between hosting trips to cacao farms and dancing the night away as local musicians fill the air with the sweet sounds of their indigenous heritage.

The cacao fruit, the seeds of which produce the world-famous food known as chocolate, is a local plant originally from Central America, and Belize’s Toledo District is renowned for having some of the best cacao in the world. Alongside a mind-boggling array of chocolate desserts and treats, the festival will feature other chocolate flavored products like chocolate beer, chocolate barbecue, and chocolate soap.

The town of Punta Gorda, capital of the Toledo District, will host a lively street fair during the three-day festival with plenty of live music, arts and crafts, games and activities for children, and a wide range of cultural displays from the region’s rich blend of indigenous peoples.

For chocolate lovers, there’s simply no better place to stay than the lovely Villas at Chabil Mar on the Placencia Peninsula in the Stann Creek District. Popular because of its lovely seaside setting and close proximity to all the fun in Punta Gorda and the Toledo District, rooms are rapidly filling up.

“I thought I loved chocolate before but now I am totally in love,” said one American visitor. “This is truly the best chocolate in the world down here in Toledo District. It has a taste that’s simply sublime.”

Known around the world as a superfood, chocolate in its pure raw form is extremely high in antioxidants as well as essential minerals like copper, manganese and iron. Chocolate was considered the elixir of life by the ancient Maya and the king was reputed to have drunk up to 50 cups a day of chocolate.

Held every year since 2007, the Chocolate Festival of Belize is rapidly becoming one of the most popular events in the country. Local growers enjoy showing off their premium products while getting a chance to promote the natural beauty of Toledo District which has long been overlooked by some tourists. All workers at the fair are local volunteers eager to show off their heritage and culture while welcoming visitors to the agricultural products and unspoiled natural landscapes in Toledo District.

For more information about all of the activities and scheduled events, see the festival’s official website here or feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge@chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at:reservations@chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.

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Placencia Belize Is An Angler’s Paradise

fishing in Belize

Due to a combination of mangrove-lined lagoons, nutrient-rich flats, and warm tropical currents, the waters in and around the Placencia Peninsula in Belize are some of the best fishing grounds in the world. Whether you’re interested in fishing for grouper, bonefish, permit, tarpon, snapper, jacks or snook, the Placencia Peninsula is truly an ideal spot for anglers.

The luxury resort of Chabil Mar on the Placencia Peninsula is an ideal base for enjoying an unbeatable fishing vacation in Belize. Both spin casting and trolling is possible just minutes from the resort while more adventurous fishing opportunities are available in the waters immediately offshore. For a complete list of amazing fishing vacations, click here. Each fishing package is individually tailored to suit your needs to make sure that you get a truly amazing experience in pursuit of the gamefish that are the most thrilling.

Day and half-day fishing opportunities are also available. Simply contact our knowledgeable staff and we can recommend the best spots as well as provide all of the necessary gear and permits to land some truly amazing specimens. Day and multi-day charters for deepwater fishing or transportation to the nearby atolls in the Belize Barrier Reef can also be arranged.

If other members of your party would rather skip out on your fishing adventures, we offer a number of relaxing options at the resort, including a luxurious spa offering professional massages, a gorgeous infinity pool, and a stretch of private beach to enjoy. The charming village of Placencia, complete with restaurants, shops and cafes, is only a short five-minute walk down the beach. Feel free to bring in your catch to the resort’s chef and have him prepare a gourmet dinner for everyone in your party.

With so many gamefish abundant in the rich waters off the coast of Placencia, the peninsula is truly an angler’s paradise. Fishermen from all around the world come to Placencia to enjoy fly fishing, open cast fishing, trolling, fishing from shallow skiffs, and deep water fishing. If you’re looking for a thrilling fishing vacation, the Placencia Peninsula in Belize is the place to be.

For more information about fishing in Placencia Belize, visit https://chabilmarvillas.com/ or call (011 501) 523–3606. If calling from the U.S. or Canada, use Chabil Mar’s toll-free number: 1-866-417-2377.

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