Placencia Belize: The Best Beach Destination To Visit This Summer

Summer in Belize

Don’t laugh when you read this, but are you aware of the fact that some travelers spend the entirety of their leisure time searching for “the perfect beach”? It’s true. Imagine their despair in 2020 when Covid-19 dashed their travel plans and interrupted their missions.

Fortunately, long-awaited news that vaccines and eased travel restrictions are energizing people who have dedicated themselves to this quest, especially since they had plenty of time to research beaches while sequestering. Belize’s Placencia peninsula has grabbed the attention of these folks because – according to travel experts, reviewers and editors – the best beaches in the Western Hemisphere can be found here.

What’s unique about Placencia that beach lovers find compelling? This 16-mile-long stretch of land offers two distinct types of beaches, so visitors can play in the ocean’s surf or explore beaches along the lagoon side. Both offer variety, fun and beauty that make choosing a favorite hard, so make sure you experience both this summer.

Make Chabil Mar your beach mission headquarters

Best Beach Destination To Visit This Summer
Affectionately referred to as “the island you can walk to,” Placencia has few hotels or resorts that compare to Chabil Mar Villas. The resort is nestled into gardens that are so lush, guests compare the property to Eden – if Eden had private beaches. The resort’s emblem is the Ceiba tree, an ancient Maya symbol that pays homage to the nation’s ancient, but it’s the accommodations, award-winning onsite restaurant and amenities that turn an ordinary holiday into an extraordinary one at Chabil Mar.

Check in to any of the villas on site and enjoy a private veranda that faces the sea and beach, while environs within each accommodation are thoughtfully lavished with rustic furnishings featuring hardwoods, lush textiles, Belize handicrafts, art and more. Air conditioning and fans keep things cool after long days at the beach or while touring the nation’s most impressive attractions.

To tour or not to tour? That is the question

Plenty of guests prefer to stick around the resort because there is so much to do that leaving their preferred hammock is just not worth the effort. Others are fascinated by the variety of tours arranged by Chabil Mar staff that showcase Belize’s most popular marine activities: boating, sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing and island hopping.

If you prefer to stay dry, you can stick to land-based tours that explore ancient Maya temples, ceremonial caves, jungles, forests and wildlife sanctuaries and you’ll have your fill of excitement and awe.

Best Place To Go In Belize This Summer
One of the most efficient ways to enjoy your Chabil Mar stay is by booking a Belize vacation package so you enjoy dining, touring and amenities included with each package. View this Belize vacation menu for package options and while you’re there, consider specials that save you money on your entire vacation.

Summer is on the horizon, so it’s time to make up for that year of missed beach visits right now. Grab your swimsuit, sun blocker and sunglasses. Bring a camera. Your lifelong quest to find the world’s best beaches may come to an end once you spend time on the beaches of Placencia.

Where the Whale Sharks Are: Placencia, Belize

For many divers and snorkelers, the Holy Grail is to encounter a whale shark in its natural environment. As big as a school bus, whale sharks are not whales but sharks. Unlike other sharks, however, whale sharks have no teeth, which is why they are simultaneously the largest creatures in the oceans as well as some of the gentlest.

In order to protect whale sharks, contact is strictly limited, but lucky divers can sometimes get the chance to touch and interact with the massive creatures. Whale sharks only exist in tropical waters and follow plankton blooms seasonally across the lower latitudes. The largest whale shark ever recorded was 41 feet (12.5 meters) long and weighed 47,000 pounds (21 tons).

One of the best places to see whale sharks is in the waters of the Gladden Spit Marine Reserve. Located on the outer reaches of the Belize Barrier Reef just a few miles from Placencia, the Gladden Spit Marine Reserve is one of the most diverse environments in the ocean. The shallow waters, mangrove forests, and tides bringing in a rich stream of nutrients make for a perfect breeding site for fish and other marine creatures.

Whale sharks consume several tons of plankton and fish spawn per day, which is why they are drawn to the food-rich waters of the Gladden Spit Marine Reserve. Arriving every spring from their annual circumnavigation of the globe, whale sharks can be seen around Gladden Spit for a few months. Normally feeding at depths unavailable to divers, whale sharks rise to the shallower waters during the 10 days following a full moon in order to feed.

Recently, Afar Magazine profiled whale sharks and encouraged its readers to avail themselves of this truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at Gladden Spit Marine Reserve. One of Afar Magazine’s top recommended resorts to stay in Placencia Belize is the luxurious Chabil Mar Resort. With elegantly appointed villas and its own gourmet restaurant and two infinity swimming pools, Chabil Mar is an award winning resort renowned for providing world-class service.

Located in southeastern Belize, Placencia is the gateway to the Belize Barrier Reef, including the Gladden Spit Marine Reserve where whale sharks visit every spring. Chabil Mar operates diving and snorkeling tours to Gladden Spit as well as other top destinations on the reef.

If you’d like to snorkel or dive with whale sharks, be sure to book your vacation with Chabil Mar Resort.

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