Author: Administrator

Belize’s Tenth Anniversary International Film Festival will be held July 17 – 19, 2015 on Placencia’s Peninsula in Belize. The main goal of the festival is to provide a space for the exhibition of films from Belize and its Caribbean neighbors of Southern Mexico and Central America. Through these independent films, audiences will be able to see their images on screen and be motivated to create more films.

Belize is a multicultural society and extremely interested in promoting the interaction of these different cultures. Through documentaries and story lines depicting the multiple ethnicity, there will be winners in six different categories:

• Narrative feature (80 min +)
• Short (15 min + under)
• Documentary feature 950 min +)
• Short documentary (30 min + under)
• TV dramatic series (22-60 min)
• Music video (5 min + under)

The first four of the above categories are open to any film maker worldwide. The TV dramatic series has limitations to pilots from Central America and the Caribbean for mini-series, soap operas, and telenovelas only. Music videos can only be submitted from a Belizean artist and filmed in Belize. 

Other awards will go to: Best Animation, Most Notable Belizean Film, and a Youth Audience Award, the newest category of the Film Festival. It recognizes the most popular film for youth between the ages of 5 and 12.

Where to Stay

Since the film festival will be held on the Placencia Peninsula, attendees are invited to stay at the Chabil Mar Resort. It’s Placencia’s finest resort offering the best luxurious amenities and is the only guest exclusive resort in the area. It’s Trip Advisor’s 2015 Best of Belize Traveler’s Choice Award winner and has won numerous other awards, including Fodor’s “Choice for Luxury.” It’s also the closet resort to the actual village of Placencia. You can reach the village by walking, biking, golf cart, or by their shuttle service.

The resort offers a 400 foot beach right on the Caribbean with adventure packages that include: zip lining, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, deep sea fishing, and visiting the rain forest. Chabil Mar also offers other amenities including: two beachfront infinity pools, full Concierge service, free wireless internet, private pier for dining or lounging, gift shop, Café Mar (restaurant with outdoor seating), and the Kaleidoscope Seaview Bar and Lounge.

There’s no better place to stay for the Film Festival than Chabil Mar!

The popular website www.budgettravel.com  is the ultimate resource for the world’s savviest travelers and provides a variety of vacation ideas, travel tips and great travel deals. The website is currently recommending to travelers around the world to travel to Belize and dive the Blue Hole which is a popular dive spot made famous by Jacques Coustea.

According to the travel site, diving the Blue Hole in Belize is an amazing experience every traveler must try.

A World Heritage Site, the Blue Hole is located near the center of Lighthouse Reef and takes up over 300 meters of the ocean and is set in a ring of corals that measure 1000 feet across and 412 feet deep. It is believed to be the world’s largest blue hole and is a rich habitat for a variety of marine life like nurse sharks, reef sharks, black tip sharks and giant groupers.

If you are interested in exploring the Blue Hole, Chabil Mar offers a 4 to 7 night’s scuba diving package that not only includes diving this gigantic Blue Hole but also diving at Glovers Reef which is a world renowned atoll. The scuba diving package also includes jungle and Maya ruins tours, a full meal plan, luxury accommodations and so much more.

For more information about traveling to Belize or diving the great blue, 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.

Couched in the tropical eastern coast of Central America, with over 170 miles of crystal blue coastline on the Caribbean Sea, Belize is a stunning example of equatorial splendor and natural beauty. It has the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere. It is blanketed in an endless rain forest which crests its mountains and is peppered with magnificent Mayan ruins.

Belize is renowned for the diversity of its wildlife and the grandeur of its wilderness. With no fewer than 600 species of bird, 4000 species of flower bearing-plants, not to exclude a vast array of land animals including the majestic and elusive Jaguar.

Owing to the former British colonization, Belize has close ties to Great Britain and is an accessible destination for English speaking visitors as English is its national language. The Belizean economy is tied to the U.S. dollar and the exchange rate is an easily convertible 2 to 1 ratio.

Belize Family Resorts are an affordable way to create lasting memories for your entire family, and our unique, all inclusive vacation packages offer the opportunity to experience a range of Belize family destinations.

Enjoy seven nights in our customized family accommodations and eat delicious breakfast at the luxurious Cafe Mar. Take advantage of our complimentary bicycles, kayaks and paddle boards as you explore villages and countryside or, if you prefer, use one of our convenient golf carts for up to four full days. Dine at any of several charming restaurants in the quaint Placencia Village. Partake in your choice of two out of our three tours; Mayan Ruins – Lubaantun or Lim Ni Punit, Monkey River Howler Adventure or Cockscomb Jaguar Nature Preserve.

Our accommodations are second to none at Chabil Mar- the only guest exclusive resort in Placencia Village. We offer nineteen villas and a honeymoon suite, all of which overlook the Caribbean and are individually tailored to suit our guests. Enjoy over 1000 square feet of living space, vectored climate control, a personal veranda, beach-front infinity swimming pools, Turkish robes, in-room safes, fully equipped kitchen facilities, free wireless Internet, and Cafe Mar just to name a few of our amenities – all of which are nestled within a lavish tropical landscape.

Our all inclusive family vacation packages begin at just $6872.00 USD for a family of four to experience six days and seven nights in Chabil Mar Villas.

Come and make lasting memories with us.

For more information about visiting Belize or traveling to Belize with kids, 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.

Photo by Wikipedia

Southwest Airlines is finalizing its plans to fly to Belize from Houston in October of 2015, and according to Brad Hawkins, Senior Advisor for Communication for the airline, Southwest has a big market base of customers who will be interested in traveling to Belize.

“Southwest is the largest airlines in the USA and we are known for low fares and better customer service,” said Hawkins yesterday in an interview with Channel 7, a local television station in Belize.

Watch the interview here:

Marketing Manager of Chabil Mar, Larry France said that he is excited about Southwest flying to Belize and that travelers will now have more affordable options to get to Belize and Chabil Mar. “What is good for Belize is good for Chabil Mar,” says France who believes that Southwest will defintely drive down the cost of airfare to Belize.

According to Southwest, customers will be able to connect to 40 to 50 cities in the US using this service.

For more information about visiting Belize and Chabil Mar, 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.