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Placencia was settled by the English Puritans who were originally from Nova Scotia in the 17^th Century; however the settlement died out during the Central American wars of independence in the 1820’s.

The closest village to Placencia is Seine Bight, a historic Garifuna settlement.

Placencia is a former fishing village.

The Placencia Peninsula is sixteen miles long.

The name “Placencia” is actually a distortion of Punta Placentia, the name the Spaniards gave to the peninsula in the 1800’s.

The average temperature in sub-tropical Placencia is 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average humidity is 83%.

Placencia’s Main Street sidewalk has earned the distinction as the World’s Narrowest Street in the Guinness Book of World Records!

At the tip of a 16–mile peninsula, sits the quaint seaside Village of Placencia -the only place on mainland Belize that offers unspoiled white sand beaches and which is locally known as “Barefoot Perfect.”

Miles of natural sandy beach, a virgin mangrove–fringed lagoon, a wonderland of coral–studded cayes just off-shore, nearby jungle rivers (home to the howler monkey) and pristine rainforests, Garifuna, Creole and Maya cultures and ancient ruins, all within a short tour away, make Placencia Village the ideal location for the adventure traveler.

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.

One 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 17 to Sunday, May 29, 2024, 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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If your dreams include diving into vats of chocolate, being left alone with a fork and a mile-long sweet table or if you can’t pass a candy counter without tossing a chocolate bar into your cart, you’re probably addicted, and that’s a good thing! The darker the chocolate, the better this sweet (and sometimes savory) treat is for your health, so no worries about your doctor begging you to swear off the stuff. Adding chocolate to your life can keep you healthy and happy.

It’s all a matter of nutrients: flavonoids in cocoa beans fight toxins and repair cell damage and anti-oxidants in cocoa beans help your cells fight free radicals that attack your body and even cause low-density lipoprotein (LDL) to clog your artery walls. There’s more: flavanols lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the heart and brain and aid in the clotting process when you suffer a skin break. Who wouldn’t fall in love with the cocoa bean after finding out how much it does for your body?

Given this bounty of health benefits, you might want to make a pilgrimage to Chocolate Mecca. We call it Belize. You’ll call it heaven. Here, the cocoa crop has been king since Belize’s Toledo Cacao Growers Association (TCGA) was formed in 1984 to take advantage of Belize’s superior soil and weather. As a result of this large-scale emphasis on cultivating cocoa beans, Belize has become something of a chocolate capital.

Given your passion for chocolate and Belize’s reputation, you owe it to yourself to make a pilgrimage here. Nibble on chocolate as you book a stay at Chabil Mar Resort, one of the most glamorous accommodations in Belize, where complimentary chocolates are always part of a sweet stay.

Make time for the beach. Set off on adventurous water activities. But your sweet tooth won’t be satisfied unless you spend a majority of your time in country exploring the history, versatility and benefits of chocolate. Chabil Mar’s transport service and concierge desk can send you off on delicious, chocolate-focused tours like these:

-Travel to a farm to see how cacao crops are grown in an agricultural setting
– Learn how cacao is processed and used in recipes and products that are putting Belize on the map
-Learn to use a stone tool to make chocolate during a chocolate tour
-Sample unusual foods—everything from decadent desserts to wines!

Stop at specialty shops where homemade candies, wines, souvenirs and even chocolate-themed clothing will tempt you, but don’t be surprised by the amount of stamina you enjoy during your Belize vacation. After all, you’re giving your body big hits of flavanols and antioxidants throughout your stay, so keep indulging!

Think there’s nothing else to get excited about once you undertake your pilgrimage? Au contraire, chocolate lover. Start making plans immediately to return to Belize next May. That’s when the nation pulls out all stops to honor its most successful cash crop by staging a three-day bash known near and far as the annual Chocolate Festival of Belize. Your Chabil Mar hosts will be happy to welcome you back when you return for those three days of insanity. Sweet insanity, of course!

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on traveling to 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.

Ever dreamt of completing your own Caribbean Grand Slam? Or maybe enjoying some fly-fishing from the flats of a gorgeous, uninhabited island? Whatever your idea of amazing fishing, there’s no better place to be an angler than Belize.

Here are some great reasons why you should book your 2023 fishing trip to Belize right now:

1 – Fishing Season 

It’s always warm in Belize, and the varying tides up and down the coast and along the reef make for great fishing all year round. All you need is a fishing license ($20 for a week or $50 for a month) which you can purchase online ahead of time. Even on a “bad” day, the fishing is always good or excellent in Belize.

2 – Beautiful Nature 

Tranquil, mangrove-lined lagoons, white-sand beaches, verdant flats, sandy atolls, spits of dry land on the reef, and a huge network of freshwater rivers and estuaries mean that Belize is home to a myriad of beautiful spots to enjoy fishing. Lagoons compromise five percent of the mainland, and there are over 400 offshore islands, so you’ll never run out of gorgeous places to fish. And because Belize is so uncrowded, you’ll always be able to find a tranquil spot.

3 – Fantastic Fly-fishing 

Many people consider Belize to be the fly-fishing capital of the world. There’s even an island called Tarpon Caye, which should tell you just how prevalent species like permit, bonefish, snook, and tarpon are in the waters of Belize. Many anglers have achieved the coveted Super Slam (catching all four species in a single day) because the fly-fishing is just that good in Belize.

4 – Deep Sea Fishing 

Not to be outdone, the deeper waters on the outer edge of the reef are home to some really amazing fishing, too. Unlike the overfished waters of Mexico, the reef in Belize is teeming with some truly big specimens of sailfish, mahi-mahi, bonito, wahoo, king mackerel, blackfin tuna, and marlin.

5 – So Many Species 

A partial(!) list of sport fishing species that thrive in Belize includes Jack Crevalle, snook, grouper, snapper, marlin, great barracuda, tarpon, amberjack, snook, permit, bonefish, wahoo, sailfish, and lionfish. So many choices!

If you’d like to enjoy some fishing in Belize, the ideal fishing resort to stay in is Chabil Mar. Located steps from the beach on the beautiful Placencia Peninsula, Chabil Mar has a number of Belize fishing vacation packages perfectly suited to help make your angling dream come true.