Chabil Mar Resort - Belize Blog, Belize Vacation Planning

New Polyclinic To Be Built in Placencia Belize

Posted on October 7, 2020

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the construction of a Polyclinic for Placencia Village has been signed by the Belize Tourism Board (BTB), the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the Placencia Village Council (PVC).

The 5,650 sq feet Polyclinic will include 4 consultation rooms, reception and registration areas, 2 waiting rooms, an asthma bay, pharmacy, 2 triage rooms, a laboratory, shock/trauma rooms, and more, in order to be able to provide the highest level of service to patients.

The Placencia Village Council will provide the land for the construction of the facility; the MOH will provide the technical requirements, staff, and management of the polyclinic; and the BTB will develop the terms of reference for the tendering procedure and manage the disbursement of funds with guidance from MOH.

The project is estimated to cost $1.6 million dollars and will be financed by the Tourism Development Funds established for the destination.

The organizations note that the funds resulted from mutual agreements and collaboration between the Government of Belize, Norweigan Cruise Lines (NCL), Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), and BTB, with the aim to develop sustainable management of tourism sites, community, sanitation, health, and security infrastructure.

Placencia, located on the southern coast of Belize, is one of Belize’s leading tourism destinations.

Prior to the emergence of COVID-19, Placencia experienced rapid tourism growth, welcoming 66,738 overnight visitors and 374,894 cruise passengers via Harvest Caye in 2019. These visitor arrivals had a direct impact on the demand for health services, thereby influencing guests’ experience.

As a result, BTB launched an initiative to construct an appropriate medical facility for both residents and visitors; the facility is also a means of fortifying the sound development of tourism in the area, particularly with the ‘new norm’ of increased focus on high standards of health and safety.

“The Placencia Village Council supports this development which will hugely benefit our villagers, especially in health,” said Chairlady, Ilsa Villanueva.

Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Manuel Heredia Jr, has also expressed his support of this project, stating, “The Placencia Polyclinic offers us the best of options because on one hand it will provide essential health services to Placencia residents during this critical juncture for the country, and on the other, it will contribute to the development of Placencia as a healthy, safe and visitor-friendly destination.”

Director of Tourism, Karen Bevans, signed on behalf of the BTB while Chief Executive Officer, Dr. George Gough, and Chairlady Ilsa Villanueva signed on behalf of MOH and the PVC respectively.

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Placencia 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 your Belize vacation.

Belize Is a Great Choice for Your Post-Covid-19 Travel Plans

Posted on October 7, 2020

After months of staying home and social distancing, some people are already making travel plans. They want to be ready when travel restrictions are lifted, and it’s easy to see why. It’s hard to stay cooped up inside, and the world is waiting. Here’s why Belize is an ideal destination for your post-coronavirus travel plans.

Social Distancing Is Easy

As a small, sparsely populated country that doesn’t attract massive crowds, it’s easy to keep your distance in Belize. Even in the popular tourist areas like Placencia, you won’t find the crowds you find at typical Caribbean destinations. You can enjoy everything Belize has to offer while enjoying safe social distancing.

Belize Has Emerged as a Safe Country

Belize has been able to survive the pandemic with fewer than 20 documented cases of COVID-19. The government of Belize took quick action to contain those cases, restrict travel to Belize and impose stay-at-home orders. It’s easy to do all this in a small country, and it worked.

Belize Is Close to Home

If you’re in the US, Canada or Mexico, Belize is a short flight away. You can be in Belize City in just two or three hours from most major airports. If you’re concerned about a long trip, stay close to home by visiting Belize.

Hotels and Resorts in Belize Have Developed Excellent Plans

Most hotels and resorts in Belize have had time to develop thorough plans for dealing with the coronavirus. As a guest, you can choose how much contact you want with hotel employees and other guests. Given the low rates of coronavirus, Belize is an excellent option for wary travelers. While many countries remain under travel advisories, Belize has been relaxing its travel restrictions.

Belize Is an Easy, Breezy Getaway

When you visit Belize, you don’t have to worry about crowds, noise or stress. Visiting Belize is a relaxed way to ease back into traveling. You’ll enjoy a laid-back vacation filled with fun activities, great weather and gorgeous natural scenery.

Chabil Mar Welcomes Travelers With New Post-Pandemic Measures

When you visit Belize, stay at the Chabil Mar to enjoy the finest, guest-exclusive amenities on the Placencia Peninsula. We offer luxurious beachfront accommodations at our award-winning Belize resort. Contact us to learn why we’re the best option for your post-pandemic travel plans.

Chabil Mar – Belize Luxury Resort

Posted on October 7, 2020

Chabil Mar is The Guest Exclusive Resort of Placencia, Belize. A boutique resort of 19 Villas and a Honeymoon Suite, Chabil Mar is situated on over 400 feet of gorgeous oceanfront and a stroll along the beach from Placencia Village Center, where our guests can partake of the Village restaurants, shops and nightlife at their leisure.

The Village of Placencia sits at the tip of a 16–mile peninsula of the same name in southern Belize, locally known as “Barefoot Perfect”. The unique setting of Placencia and Chabil Mar provides the perfect blend of activities, all from one central location:

Exploring Placencia Village on one’s own schedule and at your leisure. (We are the closest full service resort to Placencia Village on the entire 16 mile long Placencia Peninsula)
Afternoon or overnight private island parties
Flats and deep water fishing
Exploring Maya archaeological sites
World–class diving and snorkeling at the World’s Second Largest Barrier Reef
Howler Monkey Jungle Tours
Hiking in the World’s only Jaguar Preserve
You dream adventure, We create experience, including “You Catch It . . . We Cook It” for our fishermen and women

At Chabil Mar each villa on this lushly landscaped property is uniquely designed and furnished, appointed with original artwork, and feature excellent views of the Caribbean from personal verandas. In addition, two infinity beach-side pools grace the property.

Intimate open-air beach-side dining at Café Mar or on the private pier is a hallmark of the Chabil Mar experience. Chabil Mar gives new meaning to “Table with a View”. You choose: Is that table on the beach? Your veranda? The pier? Beneath lush breeze-ruffled palms? Nestled within our gardens of brilliant colored blooms? Or a candlelit table beneath a black velvet star scattered sky? You set the stage for your dining experience and our four star kitchen sets the table!

This is room service and al fresco dining re-defined! Our entire property is your kingdom; you choose where and when you will dine.

Privacy, luxury accommodations, access to all of Belize’s adventures, and our premier location, result in a one-of-a-kind “Barefoot Luxury” Resort adventure vacation.

The winner of multiple years of Service Awards and Recognitions as well as accolades from GQ Magazine, Fox News, US News and World Report, TripAdvisor, Travel Age West, Wheel of Fortune and Destinations Travel Magazine, are testaments to the Chabil Mar Resort Experience.

Guest-Centric exclusive service in barefoot luxury, all just five minutes from Placencia Village in the World’s Best Kept Secret, Belize.

This is Chabil Mar!

5 Observations about Food in Belize

Posted on October 7, 2020

One of the most delicious aspects of visiting other countries is sampling cuisines, and since you won’t find a single fast food restaurant within Belize’s borders, you’ll have ample time to taste many styles of cookery throughout this culturally rich land. If you’re staying at Chabil Mar Belize Resort, don’t be surprised if you find yourself preferring the resort’s eclectic menu to other eateries in Placencia, but if you’re sticking around for the long haul, the following general observations about food will come in handy.

1. If you’re used to having plenty of supermarkets from which to choose, you may experience culture shock in Belize where ingredients needed for a recipe may not always be available on store shelves. No worries. Adopt the Belize mindset: learn to substitute and in the bargain, earn a reputation for being an innovative cook and baker. You will find “organic” products from local resources, so if you keep canned goods on hand to substitute for fresh ingredients that aren’t available you’ll always be prepared to make a meal.

2. Frequent local markets to get the freshest ingredients for your recipes and save your trips to large grocery stores for staples. Find the best local markets by asking people you meet where they shop in Placencia and then follow their lead. If you’re a frequent patron of Chabil Mar’s eateries on the days you decide not to cook, you can always ask the chef for recommendations—though he may not want to give his secrets away in the interest of getting you back to the Chabil Mar Café as frequently as possible!

3. Be aware of the fact that Belize laws and regulations governing the use of pesticides don’t come close to the standards North Americans rely upon to scare away bugs, fungi and pests. One of the best ways to learn what’s in the foods you consume is to ask the grower when you shop at local markets, and while not every farmer may wish to disclose that information, it costs nothing to ask. Ensure your family’s health by taking the steps you would undertake, no matter where you live: thoroughly wash fresh foods with a brush to remove residues and you can also buy products on the Internet made for cleaning food if you require something stronger than water.

4. If dairy is an important part of your diet and you have no interest in owning a cow, follow the lead of people living in Belize and acquire a taste for powdered milk. Alternately, milk substitutes like almond, cashew and other plant-based dairy products may suffice if you can find them on grocery shelves. Can’t exist without “the real thing”? Turn to dairy farmers in Belize’s Mennonite communities. According to Wikipedia, there were 44 Mennonite communities in Belize in 2012, the largest of which are Shipyard, Spanish Lookout and Little Belize. Smaller sites include Blue Creek, Indian Creek, Barton Creek, Springfield and Pine Hill.

5. Make Café Mar your go-to dining destination for wining, dining and socializing on the nights and days you’re in no mood to cook. Local fisherman, farmers and purveyors provide chefs with the freshest ingredients, and frequent Café Mar beachside diners indulge all of their senses in an al fresco dining experience that offers a feeling of freedom under the Belize sky. If you prefer to take meals outside the Café, ask for poolside service, visit the Kaleidoscope Bar & Lounge or have a meal brought to you on your private veranda if you’re a guest. What observation will you make about the food after you discover just how delicious everything tastes when prepared Belize style?

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.

Belize’s Chabil Mar Approved as Gold Standard Certification Resort

Posted on October 7, 2020

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) took the unprecedented step of drawing up guidelines based on international health organization recommendations to ensure guest safety and wellbeing, establishing a coveted designation to which every resort, hotel, and tour organization aspires: Gold Standard Certification.

This is no toothless program and not every property has been able to meet the stringent criteria associated with receiving this designation. That is the reason staff and management at Chabil Mar Resort on the Placencia peninsula were elated to receive notification that the resort had been approved by the BTB.

“This 9-point program went through a rigorous vetting process approved by the Hon. Manuel Heredia, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation and other authorities associated with our Coronavirus response efforts,” explained Chabil Mar Marketing Manager, Larry France. “In order to comply with rigorous Gold Standard Certification protocols, staff received extensive training in all aspects of hygiene, cleaning, and social distancing protocols.”

Tourists arriving in Belize once Chabil Mar re-opens on October 15, 2020, can expect to encounter state-of-the-art health practices that include reconfiguration of space to allow for social distancing, unprecedented disinfection practices that include sanitation stations throughout the resort, and contact-less check-in and check-out procedures to further ensure guest health and safety.

“I believe that our staff training directives meet and exceed guidelines,” added France. “To make certain these assurances are spelled out in language guests understand, we listed all of these changes our website to explain every step we are taking to make sure visitors enjoy a stress-free vacation.”

“And we are still offering reassurances in the form of our cancellation policies plus discounted packages and specials that travelers in desperate need of vacations are going to find compelling and inviting! We have already begun to take reservations in advance of our October 15th re-opening,” he says.

“Chabil Mar stands ready to offer guests the ultimate respite from care and worry. From beautiful accommodations and fine dining to the amenities visitors have come to expect from this award-winning property, adding all of these safety measures adds to the welcoming environment for which we were already known,” notes France. “Things may look a little different, but nothing about the amazing tours, recreational opportunities, and stunning beauty enjoyed at our stunning resort has changed one iota!”

“Chabil Mar is the only full-service resort, including on-sight restaurant service, property amenities, and bar on the Placencia Peninsula and in the Village, reserved for the exclusive use of guests. Guest Exclusivity has been our policy since the day we opened our gates13 years ago and, of course, continues on. This is sure to please those who value their privacy and safety while desiring personalized service during their Belize vacation.”

A privately owned and held resort located in the Stann Creek District of Belize, Chabil Mar opened its doors in 2005 and has since enjoyed an international reputation. Historically, Chabil Mar — Maya for “Beautiful Sea” — is nestled between a Garifuna settlement and the former Creole fishing village of Placencia and in close proximity to ancient Maya ruins, rainforests, jungles, and the best scuba and deep-water diving in the Caribbean. For more resort information visit the website or call 011 (501) 523–3606. If calling from the U.S. or Canada, use Chabil Mar’s toll-free number: 1-866-417-2377.

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