Chimole or locally known as “Black Dinna” in Belize is a succulent and delicious black soup that is enjoyed by many Belizeans throughout the country. The soup is easy to make and the black recado that is used in the preparation gives the food its black color. Once you have tasted it, you will always crave it.
Below is the recipe brought to you by our very own Chef Daniel.
Chimole / Black Dinna
Ingredients:
1/4 cup black recado
1 chicken (cut into parts)
2 tablespoons cilantro ( chopped)
2 tomatoes (diced)
2 tablespoons malher ( chicken bouillon)
3 potatoes in cubes
3 to 4 fresh tomatoes
1/2 onion (sliced)
3 garlic cloves (mashed)
Salt and pepper
6 boiled eggs
Method:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown in a hot pot with little oil. Once browned, add enough water to cover the chicken and then add the onions and garlic and potatoes, Cook, over low heat for 30 minutes. Dissolve the recado and the malher (chicken bouillon)and add it to the chicken. Add diced tomatoes and cilantro. Add more water if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Served hot with boiled eggs and corn tortillas.
If you are visiting Chabil Mar and want to learn about our dining experience, click here: Dining at Chabil Mar.
January, a month often synonymous with cold and dreary weather in many parts of the world, is transformed into a time of vibrant celebration and warmth in Belize. Placencia, a stunning peninsula known for its pristine beaches and rich cultural experiences, emerges as a perfect escape from the winter blues.
For those visiting Placencia in January 2027, there are numerous fun things to see and do, offering an ideal blend of relaxation and adventure. From exploring the colorful marine life through snorkeling to enjoying local festivals, the activities are endless. As we venture into the heart of this paradise in January 2027, we find ourselves wrapped in an experience that is both invigorating and relaxing, filled with unique opportunities to explore and enjoy.
Welcoming 2027 in Placencia Style
The new year in Placencia is not just a change of calendar; it’s a festive, joyous affair that sets the tone for the rest of your visit. As 2027 dawns, the air is electric with excitement. The beaches come alive with sparkling lights and music, creating a festive atmosphere that is both exhilarating and uniquely Belizean. The New Year’s Eve celebrations here are a delightful mix of local traditions and modern festivity, offering a memorable way to ring in the new year under a canopy of stars.
Relax on Placencia Beaches
While much of the world is bundled up against the cold, Placencia’s beaches offer a sunny respite. Recognized as the best in the country, these stretches of sand are more than just a picturesque setting; they are a haven for relaxation and rejuvenation. Imagine lounging on soft sands, listening to the gentle waves, and feeling the warm sun melting away the stress of the previous year. The beaches here are not just beautiful; they are therapeutic.
Tours Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey River
For nature enthusiasts, Placencia is a gateway to some of the most breathtaking natural wonders in Belize. A nature tour in January is a refreshing adventure. The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, a haven for jaguars and a myriad of other wildlife offers an immersive experience in Belize’s lush jungle. The Monkey River tour, meanwhile, is a delightful journey through mangroves, where curious howler monkeys and diverse bird species captivate visitors. These tours are not just excursions; they are vivid stories written by nature itself.
Snorkel or Scuba Dive the Belize Barrier Reef
Placencia’s proximity to the Belize Barrier Reef makes it an ideal spot for snorkeling and scuba diving. The reef, teeming with marine life, is a world waiting to be explored. Sites like Laughing Bird Caye and the Silk Cayes are underwater sanctuaries where divers can swim alongside a rainbow of fish, graceful rays, and perhaps even gentle sea turtles. Each dive is a discovery, and each snorkel trip is an encounter with the miraculous beauty of the underwater world.
Explore The Vibrant Life of Placencia Village
No visit to Placencia in January is complete without exploring the heart of its community: Placencia Village. This charming community buzzes with life, offering a glimpse into the soul of Belizean culture. A stroll through the village in January is a feast for the senses, with beach bars and restaurants offering an array of culinary delights. Each establishment, from the quaint to the sophisticated, tells a story, inviting visitors to become a part of Placencia’s vibrant community, even if just for a meal or a refreshing drink.
Chabil Mar – Your Dream Stay in Placencia
As you plan your unforgettable January 2027 getaway to Placencia, consider making Chabil Mar your home base. Our stunning beach resort, nestled near all the attractions mentioned above, is more than just a place to stay. It is an experience, a part of your journey. With a variety of Belize vacation packages, Chabil Mar ensures that your visit is not just a trip but a tapestry of memorable moments. In Placencia, every day is an invitation to explore, relax, and celebrate the joy of life, especially in the warmth of January.
Don’t miss out on this exceptional experience; book your stay at Chabil Mar now and transform your January into a story of adventure and relaxation.
For more information about 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.
There is a moment that happens to almost every first time snorkeller at the Belize Barrier Reef. You put your face in the water, adjust to the mask, take a breath through the tube, and then the world beneath you simply opens up. Coral formations in colors that have no business existing in nature. Fish moving in formations so precise they look choreographed. Light filtering down through clear Caribbean water in ways that make the whole scene feel slightly unreal.
It is one of those travel experiences that people describe inadequately for years afterward, not because they lack the words but because the words genuinely fall short. And for guests staying at Chabil Mar on the Placencia Peninsula, that experience is minutes away by boat.
If you have never snorkelled before, or if the Belize Barrier Reef is your first serious reef experience, here is what you need to know before you get in the water.
What the Belize Barrier Reef Actually Is
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second largest coral reef system in the world, stretching approximately 190 miles along the Caribbean coast of Belize. It is part of the broader Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which extends from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico down through Honduras, making it one of the most significant marine ecosystems on the planet.
In 1996, the reef was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a recognition of its extraordinary biodiversity and ecological importance. It supports hundreds of species of fish, dozens of species of coral, and a marine ecosystem that includes nurse sharks, southern stingrays, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, moray eels, and an abundance of reef fish that makes every snorkel a genuinely different experience from the last.
What makes the Belize Barrier Reef particularly accessible for first time snorkellers is its proximity to the shore and the condition of the water. Visibility in the waters around Placencia is consistently excellent, often ranging from 30 to 100 feet depending on conditions. The reef sits close enough to the coast that a boat ride from Chabil Mar’s private dock puts you above it in a matter of minutes, and the shallow sections of the reef are calm, clear, and navigated comfortably by snorkellers with no prior experience.
What to Expect on Your First Reef Snorkel
First time snorkellers often arrive with a mixture of excitement and low-level apprehension, and both are completely reasonable. The reef is a genuinely wild environment, which is part of what makes it extraordinary, but it is also a safe and welcoming one for anyone who goes in prepared and with a good guide.
The basics of snorkelling are simple enough to pick up in minutes. Breathing through a snorkel mouthpiece feels unusual at first but becomes natural quickly. Floating face-down at the surface requires almost no physical effort once you are comfortable with the mask and tube. Modern snorkel equipment is designed to minimize leaking and fogging, and fins do most of the work of moving you through the water. Most first time snorkellers find their comfort level within ten to fifteen minutes of entering the water and spend the rest of the session simply exploring.
What tends to surprise first timers most is how much is happening directly below the surface. The Belize Barrier Reef is densely populated with marine life in a way that feels almost theatrical. Brain coral, staghorn coral, and fan coral formations create an architecture that fish use as both shelter and territory. Parrotfish graze on coral. Damselfish defend small patches of reef with comical aggression. Barracuda hover at the edges of visibility in a way that looks alarming and is entirely harmless. Nurse sharks rest on the sandy bottom between coral heads, often close enough to observe clearly from the surface.
The Best Snorkel Sites Near Placencia
The waters around Placencia offer a range of snorkel sites suitable for first timers and experienced snorkellers alike, and our team at Chabil Mar is well placed to recommend the right site for your ability level and what you most want to see.
The Silk Cayes, a cluster of small islands sitting on the outer reef, offer some of the most visually spectacular snorkelling in southern Belize. The coral formations are dramatic, the fish life is abundant, and the clarity of the water on a good day is exceptional. For first timers who want a genuinely memorable introduction to reef snorkelling, the Silk Cayes deliver it reliably.
Gladden Spit is one of the most celebrated marine locations in all of Belize, a deep-water site where the reef wall drops dramatically and aggregations of large marine species occur throughout the year. It is a site that rewards experienced snorkellers and divers particularly, though the boat ride out offers first timers a sense of the scale and remoteness of the outer reef that is impressive in its own right.
Closer to the peninsula, shallower reef sections offer calmer conditions ideal for complete beginners, with plenty of coral and fish life to reward an unhurried first experience without the exposure of the outer reef.
Going in With the Right Guide
The quality of a reef snorkel experience is shaped significantly by the guide who leads it, and this is something first timers in particular should pay close attention to when booking. A knowledgeable guide does not simply drive the boat and point at the water. They brief you on what to expect, help you with equipment if needed, identify marine life as you encounter it, manage the group to ensure nobody disturbs the coral, and read the reef and the conditions well enough to choose the best spot on a given day.
At Chabil Mar, we work with trusted local operators whose guides have deep knowledge of the reef and genuine passion for sharing it. When we recommend an excursion, it is because we have confidence in the experience it delivers. For first time snorkellers especially, that confidence translates directly into a better time in the water.
A Few Things to Know Before You Go
Reef etiquette is worth understanding before your first snorkel. The single most important rule is simple: do not touch the coral. Coral is a living organism and even brief contact can cause lasting damage. Sunscreen can also harm reef ecosystems, so reef-safe sunscreen is strongly recommended and widely available. Staying horizontal in the water and using your fins gently reduces the chance of accidentally disturbing the reef or kicking up sediment that reduces visibility.
Wearing a rash guard or light wetsuit provides sun protection during a snorkel and can make a significant difference on a long session under a tropical sun. Staying hydrated before and after your time in the water is equally important, particularly during warmer months.
None of this is complicated. It is simply the difference between a snorkel that leaves the reef as you found it and one that contributes to protecting it for the guests who come after you. Belize takes its reef seriously, and its visitors are encouraged to do the same.
Ready to See It for Yourself?
The Belize Barrier Reef does not require experience, expertise, or exceptional fitness to enjoy. It requires a boat, a mask, and a willingness to put your face in the water. Everything else follows naturally.
At Chabil Mar, we make it easy. Our team can arrange snorkel excursions suited to any experience level, brief you on what to expect, and ensure that your first time at the Belize Barrier Reef is the kind of experience you come back to repeat. Reach out to our reservations team today and let us help you plan it.
Visit our website Chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize and Chabil Mar, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call & chat with us via WhatsApp Free Worldwide: +501-633-7547, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.
The Yucatan is beautiful. Nobody is arguing otherwise. But for first time international travelers weighing their options in the broader Caribbean and Central American region, there is a comparison worth making honestly, and Belize comes out of it looking considerably more accessible than its more famous neighbor to the north.
The reasons are practical, cultural, and logistical, and they add up to something meaningful: a trip to Belize, anchored at Chabil Mar on the Placencia Peninsula, is one of the most genuinely frictionless international travel experiences available to North American visitors. Here is why that matters, and why it should factor into your decision.
The Language Barrier Is Not a Small Thing
Travel publications tend to minimize the language barrier in Mexico by pointing out that tourism infrastructure in places like Cancun and Tulum has adapted to English-speaking visitors. That is true, up to a point. Resort corridors and tourist zones operate in English out of commercial necessity. But step outside those zones, navigate a medical situation, handle a logistical problem, read a menu at a local restaurant, or simply try to have a genuine conversation with someone, and the language gap becomes real in ways that matter.
Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. It is not a secondary language adopted for tourism. It is the language of government, education, commerce, and daily life. When you arrive at Philip Goldson International Airport, every sign, every form, every interaction is in English. When you reach Chabil Mar, every conversation with our team, every activity description, every restaurant menu, every local recommendation is in the same language you think in.
For first time international travelers who are already managing the unfamiliarity of a new country, a new culture, and a new environment, the removal of a language barrier is not a minor convenience. It is a fundamental reduction in cognitive load that allows you to be present, relaxed, and genuinely engaged with where you are rather than perpetually anxious about what is being communicated.
Navigating Belize Is Genuinely Straightforward
The Yucatan, particularly the corridor between Cancun and Tulum, has developed a reputation for complexity that is not entirely undeserved. Navigating transportation between resort zones and authentic local areas, understanding which operators and services are trustworthy, managing the gap between the tourist economy and the real one, these are challenges that require either prior experience or significant research to handle well.
Belize operates at a scale and with a culture that makes navigation considerably more intuitive. The country is small by regional standards, which means distances are manageable and logistics are rarely overwhelming. Placencia itself is a peninsula village with a genuine community feel, where the relationship between visitors and locals is warm, direct, and uncomplicated by the layers of tourist infrastructure that can make larger Mexican resort destinations feel transactional.
At Chabil Mar, we bridge any remaining gaps. Our team knows the destination intimately and is entirely fluent in helping guests plan excursions, arrange transportation, identify authentic local experiences, and navigate anything the trip requires. For a first time visitor, that kind of on-the-ground support in your own language from people who genuinely want your trip to go well is worth more than any travel guidebook.
The Tourism Scale Works in Your Favor
One of the defining characteristics of the Yucatan’s major tourism corridors is scale. Cancun alone receives millions of visitors annually. Tulum, despite its reputation for boutique travel, has developed an infrastructure of resorts, restaurants, and tourist operators that can feel overwhelming and impersonal to someone experiencing it for the first time.
Belize receives a fraction of that traffic, and the difference is felt immediately. Tourism here is measured, intentional, and built around protecting what makes the destination valuable rather than maximizing short-term throughput. The Belize Barrier Reef, the wildlife sanctuaries, the ancient Maya sites including Nim Li Punit, Lubaantun, and Xunantunich, the rainforest reserves, all of these are managed with a care and a consciousness that larger, more saturated destinations often sacrifice at scale.
For a first time visitor, this means arriving somewhere that feels genuinely welcoming rather than relentlessly commercial. It means interacting with tour operators and local guides who have real relationships with the places they show you. And it means experiencing a destination that rewards curiosity and exploration rather than penalizing visitors who wander outside the designated tourist zones.
Chabil Mar Makes the First Time Experience Exceptional
For someone visiting the Caribbean or Central America for the first time, the choice of where to stay shapes everything. A boutique property with engaged, English-speaking staff who understand what first time visitors need removes the uncertainty from the equation entirely.
At Chabil Mar, we have welcomed countless guests who were experiencing Belize, and in many cases international travel, for the first time. We know the questions that come up before arrival and the moments of uncertainty that can arise once you land. We know which excursions are genuinely accessible for first timers and which ones are better suited to experienced adventurers. We know how to help a guest who wants structure and one who wants freedom find exactly what they are looking for.
Our property sits on the Caribbean Sea on the Placencia Peninsula, with 400 feet of private beachfront, infinity pools, al fresco dining, and a level of personal attention that makes navigating a new destination feel supported rather than stressful. The reef is minutes away by boat. The village is walkable. The country is English speaking, warmly hospitable, and built around the kind of travel experience that leaves first time visitors wondering why they waited so long.
The First Trip Sets the Standard
First time international travelers remember their first trip. It shapes their confidence, their appetite for further travel, and their sense of what is possible. A trip to Belize, done well, from a base like Chabil Mar, tends to produce travelers who come back, bring others, and evangelize the destination for years.
The Yucatan will always have its appeal. But for a first time visitor who wants beauty, adventure, culture, and a destination that speaks their language in every sense of the phrase, Belize is not the consolation prize. It is the right answer.
Reach out to our reservations team today and let us help you plan a first trip to Belize that sets the standard for every trip that follows.
Visit our website Chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize and Chabil Mar, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call & chat with us via WhatsApp Free Worldwide: +501-633-7547, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.
There’s an undeniable energy that comes with escaping the everyday, embracing adventure, and soaking up endless sunshine. If you’re searching for a destination that perfectly embodies this spirit, look no further than Placencia, Belize, and the guest-exclusive haven of Chabil Mar. This beachfront resort flawlessly blends luxury and laid-back vibes, making it the ideal spot to create unforgettable memories during your sun-drenched escape.
Unwind and Unplug in Your Own Private Paradise
Chabil Mar prides itself on creating an environment where you can truly disconnect from the daily grind and soak in the beauty of Belize. The resort’s beautifully appointed villas offer ample space and privacy. Imagine starting your day with a cup of coffee on your veranda overlooking the Caribbean Sea, the gentle waves providing a soothing soundtrack. As the day unfolds, the choice is yours – do you lounge by one of the infinity pools, nap in a beachside hammock, or set off to explore the vibrant world surrounding the resort?
Adventure Awaits: Explore Belize Your Way
One of the most captivating things about Chabil Mar is its prime location on the Placencia Peninsula. Whether you dream of diving the world-famous Belize Barrier Reef, venturing deep into lush rainforests teeming with exotic wildlife, or exploring ancient Maya ruins, the opportunities are endless. The resort’s knowledgeable staff is always on hand to help you plan excursions that are perfectly tailored to your interests and activity level. Seeking something more low-key? Stroll into Placencia Village and mingle with friendly locals while discovering quirky shops and charming cafes.
Savor the Flavors of Belize and Beyond
Chabil Mar understands that a great vacation isn’t complete without exceptional cuisine. The on-site restaurant celebrates the fresh, vibrant flavors of Belize using locally sourced ingredients. From succulent seafood to exotic fruits and vegetables, you’ll embark on a delightful culinary journey. In the evenings, make your way to the beachside pier for a romantic dinner under the stars – the perfect finale to a day in paradise.
Your Unforgettable Placencia Vacation Starts Here
Chabil Mar is more than just a place to stay; it’s an experience designed to rejuvenate your spirit. Spring break and summer are all about carefree days and unforgettable adventures, and few destinations embody this more than Placencia. The guest-exclusive setting of Chabil Mar ensures you’ll relish a balance of privacy and the opportunity to mingle with other guests, while the impeccable service and array of amenities create a truly luxurious experience. This season, give yourself the gift of a Placencia getaway, and discover why Chabil Mar is the ultimate choice for your sun-soaked escape.
For more information about 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.
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