When you consider what you want in a family vacation, your list probably includes lots of fun outdoor activities, opportunities to see animals, great food and a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. You can get all that and more when you choose Placencia, Belize, as your tropical family vacation spot.

Where Is Placencia?

When Belizeans talk about Placencia, they’re referring to the 18-mile coastline of the Placencia Peninsula. Belizeans have long known that Placencia has Belize’s most beautiful beaches. These include the quiet, secluded stretches of Maya Beach in the north, the sleepy fishing village of Seine Bight and the beaches of Placencia Village in the south.

Placencia Village is the main hub of the peninsula. It’s a laid-back, colorful village where you’ll find shopping, dining, nightclubs, adventure outfitters art galleries, and world-class luxury resorts like Chabil Mar.

Things to Do in Placencia

In addition to the wonderful beaches, Placencia has family-friendly outings that all ages will enjoy.

Get On the Water

Belize offers world-class snorkeling, scuba diving and sea kayaking in the waters around the Belize Barrier Reef. Placencia is a short boat trip across the water to the reef or the many uninhabited islands. Spend a day surrounded by an amazing array of fish and sea mammals including sea turtles, whale sharks, stingrays, and manatees.

If you like fishing or want to charter a boat to tour the islands, you can find many great charter services with experienced guides. Take a scenic daytime tour under the tropical sun or a romantic evening cruise.

Get Close to Nature

As a largely untouched expanse of jungle, rainforest and savannah, Belize has rich biodiversity and an abundance of exotic flora and fauna. Almost half the country is protected by a national park, marine reserve or wildlife sanctuary.

Placencia is close to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, a spectacularly scenic jaguar preserve that is home to jaguars, ocelots, coatimundi, tropical birds, monkeys, deer, foxes and Belize’s national animal, the mountain tapir.

If you’re into bird watching, Belize will fill your days with sightings. Belize is a nesting and breeding sanctuary for dozens of tropical bird species including scarlet macaws, hummingbirds, herons, and keel-billed toucans.

Learn About History and Culture

For a small country, Belize enjoys incredible cultural diversity.

Spend a day at Hopkins or Dangriga to discover the history of the Garifuna. Take a cooking class or a class in drumming to experience their traditions first-hand.

Visit a Maya village to tour a cacao plantation where you’ll watch how cacao beans are harvested, roasted and processed into world-renowned Maya chocolate.

Belize boasts some of the most important Maya ruins and temples in Central America. Visiting these impressive remnants of a once powerful empire is like a living history lesson.

Stay at the Family-Friendly Chabil Mar Resort

If you want a great Placencia location and all-inclusive family vacation packages, stay at the award-winning, family-friendly Chabil Mar Resort. Our beachfront location and top-ranked tours will help your whole family experience the wonders of Belize.

Belize is home to a unique landmark known as the Great Blue Hole. This place, with its rather on-the-nose name, is an underwater sinkhole that delves 125 meters into the earth. What’s more, this place has been a go-to spot for anyone looking to snorkel or dive for quite some time.

Back in the winter of 2018, one crew from Aquatica Submarines began a descent to the bottom. Their goal was to generate a 3D map of the interior, making sure to enjoy whatever amazing visuals they would run into. While the trip began with plenty of encounters with reed sharks, turtles, and giant branches of coral, things change 90 meters in. It seems that there is an entire layer of hydrogen sulfide around 90 meters, making it an incredibly hostile “force field” for marine life.

That layer of hydrogen sulfide means that the only signs of life the crew encountered were the remains of conchs and hermit crabs that had slipped beneath and suffocated from the oxygen-free zone. Another 30 meters deeper and stalactites begin to show up, giving a clue to the Great Blue Hole’s past. Stalactites are formed from water droplets that dibble down stone, meaning that the Great Blue hole was once a cavern.

See also: 10 Fascinating Facts About The Belize Blue Hole

An estimate of the cave’s lifespan pins its formation around some 14,000 years ago in the past. As sea levels rose, the cave flood and then collapsed, leaving the Great Blue Hole behind. This research has lead marine researchers to consider how other marine sinkholes, like those in the South China Sea and the Bahamas, have come into being. Further analysis of the area revealed a layer of silt over a graveyard of conchs.

Silt serves as a good assessment of when the various ecological phenomenon occurred, revealing that there was a great deal of storm activity around the time of the Maya collapse. Amazingly, the team also discovered a 2-liter soda bottle, a lost GoPro camera containing vacation shots, and two of three individuals known to have been lost within the Great Blue Hole. The remains were left where they were found.

If the Great Blue Hole has you eager to plumb its depths and see what dwells within, consider booking a stay with Chabil Mar. Not only is Chabil Mar a prestigious luxury resort in Placencia Belize, but it also offers excellent snorkeling and diving packages to locales like the Great Blue Hole and Glovers Reef Atoll.

For more information about Belize, 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 or or WhatsApp us at +501-633-7547.

Belize is a tropical destination that has always been an option for many travelers across the world. And for those who have been yearning to visit the Placencia Placencia, here is some good news for you. The awaited Placencia Municipal Airport is finally reopening. The airport has been undergoing some renovations since September 2020, and the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation announced its successful completion this week. Flights resumed on December 1, 2020, and the airport’s inauguration was held yesterday, December 4.

Hon. Andre Perez, the Minister of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, said that this a unique project that will see the tourism industry flourish in the area. Some of the new features to expect for the newly renovated Placencia Municipal Airport include:

• A runway strip that is 2,775 feet in length and 40 feet in width: It is evenly asphalted with hot mix, making it more durable and safe for everyone. Its load-bearing shoulders on both sides have an average width of 10 feet.
• Improved drainage system
• Proper and additional fencing to enhance security
• Modern lighting and thermoplastic markings system — these were all made per ICAO standards. Its lighting includes the displaced threshold, runway edge, and taxiway lights.
• Finally, there is a shore protection system put in place to improve the appearance and stability of the runway.

With the improved lighting and security, late-night and emergency flights in the peninsula can now be scheduled without a hitch. The new air aerodrome is also a significant improvement to facilitate air traffic to Placencia and southern Belize at large. The Minister says that the people of Placencia and neighboring communities deserve this enhanced infrastructure, and it is a remarkable milestone for the whole country.

Placencia is renowned for its popular tourist attractions, including spectacular beaches, gourmet restaurants, and beach bars. It is also an ideal destination for fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and sailing experiences. There is something fun for everyone. You can choose numerous accommodation options when you visit the place ranging from hotels, waterfront apartments, or villas, among others.

And if you are not sure of the best place to stay, Chabil Mar could serve you well. It is a luxurious Belize resort that offers a wide variety of vacation packages and adventure tours. The good thing is that it is located on one of the beautiful beaches in Placencia Village.

Now, suppose you have been holding that trip to Placencia for a long time. In that case, this is a perfect time to visit and be among the first people to use the newly renovated airport.

For more information about Belize, 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 or WhatsApp us at +501-633-7547.

What’s the point of taking a vacation if preparing for it ties you up in knots and stresses you out? Some overseas destinations call for learning a new language, applying for visas, shopping for special garments and sitting on planes for so many hours, you wind up jet lagged and exhausted by the time you arrive. Take a deep breath. You’ve got Belize. Not only is it easy to reach this laid-back Caribbean destination but your stay won’t cost you a fortune, either.

Vacation Belize Style

If you’re feeling skeptical and need proof that Belize is the easiest place you’ll ever visit, we offer this proof:
-No French, Spanish or Italian lessons required. Belize’s first language is English.
-Ten hour plane rides? Nope. Belize is just a couple of hours by air from southern states.
-A valid passport is your entry documentation because no visas are needed.
-Special clothing? That’s true. If you haven’t updated your flip-flop and swimsuit wardrobe, consider it.
-Worried that you’ll feel isolated and lonely? Impossible. Belizeans love tourists and you’ll feel welcome.
-In the mood for luxury and variety? Book a stay at a resort that is dedicated to taking care of all of your needs and requests: Chabil Mar Beach Resort.

The Chabil Mar distinction

What separates Chabil Mar from other resorts in Belize? For starters, it’s located on the Placencia peninsula, the area that has become the trendiest area of Belize because it gives visitors easy access to everything Belize has to offer: The world’s best beaches, a scenic lagoon, proximity to the great barrier reef and this finger of land is loaded with things to that are a bike ride or walk away.

But according to plenty of frequent Chabil Mar visitors, it’s just not that easy to leave the place they call paradise once they arrive and get the lay of the land!

From upscale designer accommodations that feature local art, Caribbean décor and touches you expect from a world-class resort, sea-facing villas range up to 2,000 square feet, so forget about being crammed into a tiny room during your stay. Explore nearby Placencia Village or take advantage of sports equipment every guest can borrow (think kayaks and paddleboards). Even dining is elegant, thanks to Chef Daniels whose culinary skills are legendary.

Easy does it, relaxed visitor

Having created the relaxed state of mind that leads to your vacation, the fact that packages are available at Chabil Mar that save money could possibly leave you giddy with joy. Who says discounts and pre-paid vacations can’t add to the perfect vacation experience?

Once you see how much value you enjoy by booking a Belize vacation package, you will understand why Chabil Mar is as close to heaven as it gets. In fact, we have it on good authority from folks who wouldn’t think of staying elsewhere when they vacation that Chabil Mar has re-defined the word easy. For the best stress-free experience under the sun, you know where to come, right?

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.