If you smiled when you read the headline, you may already know the answers. Placencia Belize is a hot spot for multiple reasons: you’ll find all the hot weather you desire when snow falls on your coat, affordability makes this a hot destination most of the year, and you won’t find more variety in the place that’s both a quaint village and a verdant peninsula. Need more convincing? Keep reading.

If you’re going to make the most of your vacation in Placencia, you require accommodations that will keep you close to everything this area has to offer, so choosing Chabil Mar Villas, as so many travel authorities recommend, gets your holiday off to the right start. Chabil Mar gives paradise a run for its money and since the name of this luxe resort means “Beautiful Sea,” the 400-feet of Caribbean beach, just steps away from your beautifully-appointed villa facing the sea, offers all of the privacy, amenities and service you desire.

Using your Chabil Mar quarters as a base, take time to explore the peninsula. This ecologically splended area is home to some of Mother Nature’s finest work, so both your eyes and your spirit will be treated to a bounty of wonder. Visit a virgin mangrove-lagoon that’s so ancient and unspoiled, even elusive, endangered Manatees visit. Close proximity to lush, fascinating jungles and rainforests make for exceptional inland adventures that don’t require endless travel time to reach them.

Since Placencia residents are serious about conservation, you benefit as a visitor. Everywhere you travel you’ll be charmed by birds, butterflies, iguanas, flowers, trees, plants and lush gardens. Reverence for the land is not new to Placencia residents; this peninsula’s history is thousands of years old. Mayans may have left their mark before vanishing, but by the 17th century, North Americans, followed by Spaniards, colonized Belize and the Spanish stuck around long enough to bestow the peninsula’s name: Placencia or Pleasant.

Perhaps because this area has been such a melting pot over time, Placencia has a proud history of welcoming people from all points on the compass, so when you visit, you’ll find an international mix of residents, ex-pats and tourists alike. Walk the streets of Placencia village and you’ll as likely run into Chinese immigrants as those whose native tongue is German or members of the region’s Garifuna society, yet everyone speaks English so you can converse with them all.

Getting to know the people of Placencia is a delightful experience, but the excursions, tours, activities and adventures in which you engage will remain forever in your memory. Chat with Chabil Mar Resort hosts and they will take care of booking details so you see and do everything you’ve dreamed about: snorkeling, diving, fishing, tours to see Belize’s Howler Monkey population, river and cave tours, sailing, river kayaking and the unforgettable Belize Barrier Reef that’s so close Placencia, can be geared up for your first dive into the Caribbean Sea in no time.

When you’ve had your fill of nature and history, stroll the village where you will encounter every sort of entertainment and service you require. From fine dining at Placencia bistros to street vendors offering tasty servings of rice and beans and stew chicken to tourists who don’t want to sit down long enough to eat because they’re too busy shopping, having fun and sending selfies back home—it won’t take long for you to discover why Placencia is the only place to visit in 2016.

For more information about visiting Belize or Placencia in 2016 , 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.

2015 World Travel Awards

The night proved to be a high-profile, red carpet affair as Bogota, Columbia welcomed travel dignitaries from around the globe to celebrate this year’s World Travel Awards (WTA). First-time winner Belize took not one but two top spots in the Mexico and Central America categories.

Ambergris Caye was named the Leading 2015 Destination and Placencia, the area’s Leading Beach Destination in 2015. For a young nation with a fledgling tourism industry, winning one award is big news–but two on the same night? Cause for celebration.

While Ambergris Caye, Placencia, Bladen Nature Reserve and the Belize Tourism Board all placed highly in other World Travel Award categories, the stars of the night were Ambergris Caye and Placencia, winning over 2,700 influential travel professional judges and getting the most number of votes in each category.

On hand to accept accolades was Mr. Einer Gomez, Vice Chairman of the Belize Tourism Board’s Board of Directors, and his wife. Gomez hadn’t expected to make an acceptance speech–but hoped he might–so being called to the podium twice before the travel industry’s most prominent movers and shakers proved a heady experience.

Graciously accepting the Placencia award, Gomez told attendees that this vibrant area is known as the “Barefoot Perfect” center of Belize. “We owe this honor to countless numbers of stakeholders who work tirelessly to make Placencia a friendly, safe and entertaining place to visit,” he told the crowd.

Contributing to this award are the resorts that make Placencia such a popular destination. Accommodations like Chabil Mar, a luxury resort that is no stranger to winning awards and earning traveler accolades, expects to see brisk traffic driven, in part, by Placencia’s newfound notoriety. Known for gorgeous suites, lavish amenities and one of the most accommodating staffs in Belize, Chabil Mar is typical of resorts that helped Placencia take the 2015 World Travel Award for top beach destination.

When Gomez heard the WTA awards night host announce that Ambergris Caye had taken the Leading Destination prize for 2015, he was almost speechless, but recovered his composure fast by thanking the people of Belize and tourism industry, each of whom stands committed to “day-in and-day-out to quality customer service.”

He concluded his remarks with this generous tribute to everyone within the Belize hospitality community: “Your hard work and dedication to sharing Belize with the world has clearly not gone unnoticed.”

What do these prestigious accolades mean for Belize tourism? Plenty. The World Travel Awards is one of the most influential international industry competitions on the planet and has been for 22 years. Awardees are cited for pushing the boundaries of excellence and going above and beyond what’s expected of them to stand out from other nominees.

Beating out other destinations shows that Belize is living up to its growing reputation for being the hottest emerging Caribbean destination in the hemisphere. Since both Placencia and Ambergris Caye were singled out for top prizes, tourism is likely to increase by leaps and bounds, reason enough to prompt the Belize Tourism Board to invest in a very large trophy case sooner, rather than later!

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 your 2016 Belize vacation.

Conde Nast Traveler is currently featuring an interesting article on the great blue hole of Belize on their website. The article which was published on October 5^th 2015 is getting a lot of attention on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms on the Internet.

Ken Jennings, the author of the article states that the blue hole is a paradise for divers and photographers and might also explain the fall of the Mayan civilization in Belize.

Jennings writes:

Like other sea-holes or “vertical caves,” the Great Blue Hole in Belize’s Lighthouse Reef actually formed on dry land, during a past ice age when the sea level was a lot lower than it is today. The ground collapsed due to water dissolving limestone (your garden-variety eating-a-Florida-backhoe type of sinkhole) forming a big circular pit that was eventually submerged by the rising Caribbean. The striking contrast between the shallow, coral edge and the seemingly bottomless center gives these blue holes their colorful name.

The Great Blue Hole is a stunning jewel 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 even giant groupers.

Read also: What It’s Really Like To Dive The Great Blue Hole and 5 Beautiful Photos of the Great Blue Hole

According to Jennings, the quick decline of the Maya civilization is still one of Mesoamerica’s great mysteries for historians and the Great Blue Hole might have the answers to what happened to the Mayans. Here is what he had to say about this theory:

Many have speculated that drought could have been the driving factor, since the Yucatan Peninsula lacks natural water reserves. Last year, sediment samples from the Great Blue Hole showed lower-than-usual deposits of titanium around 800 AD, when the Mayans suddenly abandoned their cities. Titanium in rock gets eroded into the sea by heavy rains, so low titanium levels mean a long spell of unusually dry, hurricane-free weather which might have doomed the Mayans’ crops.

A World Heritage Site, the Blue Hole is located near the center of Lighthouse Reef and is one of the most fascinating natural wonders in Belize.

For more information about exploring or diving the blue hole , 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.

Verdes scores first CONCACAF Champions League victory

The “Green Machine”, Verdes FC of San Ignacio Belize, have made a record achievement in the club version of the regional championship, securing their first win and first goals in the Champions League after defeating San Francisco FC of Panama 2-1.

The Green Machine were hammered 8-0 by Queretaro in Mexico last week, but rebounded to defeat Panama’s San Francisco FC at the FFB stadium in Belmopan Tuesday night 2-1.

Daniel Moran gave the visiting San Francisco the early lead in the 12th minute, but Deon McCaulay equalized from ten yards after a cross from the right by Yoras Silva. This was Verdes’ first ever Champions League goal after being shutout in their last four matches, all losses.

Verdes was given a penalty six minutes from the end of the first half after teammate Jesus Patino was taken down in the box but McCaulay missed, hitting the crossbar.

However, he made up for it two minutes from end of normal time by slotting home from four yards on a pass by Silva.

Sitting second behind Queretaro in Group C, Verdes will need 7 goals to overturn their goal differential at San Francisco on October 22.

On behalf of Chabil Mar Management and Staff, we wish the best of luck to Verdes FC in their return match against San Francisco FC in Panama.

End of the World Marathon: A Belize Marathon You Don’t Want to Mis

Whether you come before or after this year’s “End of the World” Marathon in Placencia on December 6, a wonderful time in a Caribbean wonderland of beautiful beaches, mystical Mayan temples, spectacular caves, pristine rainforests, and the second largest barrier reef in the world can be yours.

Reserve your place in the Marathon and your Villa at Chabil Mar Resort – your choice of 5, 6 or 7 nights of luxury villa accommodations!

The Placencia Belize Marathon Vacation package includes:

• Round trip flights between Belize City and Placencia
• Land transfers between Placencia airstrip and Chabil Mar
• 10% discount on villa rates for your entire stay
• 5 nights in a Luxury Villa (6 and 7 night packages are available, including 10% discount on all villa nights for your entire stay, customized for you – Contact Us to Customize)
• Marathon or ½ Marathon participant entry fee (purchased by Chabil Mar on your behalf)
• Chabil Mar T-Shirt and Race Event T-Shirt
• All Breakfasts (5 night package specifics – longer nights stays can include as many breakfasts as desired at an additional fee)
• 4 Lunches at Chabil Mar and 1 After Race Luncheon (5 night package specifics – longer nights stays can include as many lunches as desired at an additional fee)
• Pasta dinner included in the Marathon event package
• 3 Dinners at Chabil Mar (5 night package specifics – longer nights stays can include as many dinners as desired at an additional fee)
• 1 Dinner at Rumfish y Vino Restaurant in Placencia Village
• 1 Race Event Pasta Dinner
• 1 Singles massage
• Complimentary Bicycles and Kayaks
• Three – full days of Golf Cart use
• Your choice of one of the following three tours: Mayan Ruins (Lubaantun or Lim Ni Punit), Monkey River Howler Adventure or Cockscomb Jaguar Nature Preserve
• 1/2 Day of off-shore Island Snorkeling
• All entrants included in special prize donations raffle!

Please contact our Reservations Manager to reserve your Villa at Chabil Mar for this event now. If you decide to make a change to your plans you can do so for up to 60 days in advance, without charge.

The registration fee, a value up to US$100, which is paid by Chabil Mar on your behalf, includes race entry, a race event T shirt, and an excellent chance of winning a special prize donated by a local sponsor.

NOTE: This Belize vacation package does not include international airfare, alcohol, soft drinks or juices.