Chabil Mar Resort - Belize Blog, Belize Vacation Planning

Belize to Play Cayman Islands Today

Posted on March 25, 2015

Belize will play the Cayman Islands national football team today in the first leg of the qualifying games for the 2018 World Cup. The game will be held at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan and will start at 8pm.

Our very own Luis Torres is on the team and will also be playing tonight.

The National Football Team of Belize consists of the following players:

Woodrow West – Goalkeeper

Tevin Gamoba – Goalkeeper

Dalton Eiley – Defense

Denmark Casey – Midfield

Devon Makin – Midfield

Elroy Smith – Defense

Andres Makin – Midfield

Stephen Martinez – Midfield

Harrison Roches – Striker

Jarrett Davis – Striker

Kyle Garcia – Defense

Daniel Jimenez – Striker

Marlon Meza – Striker

Highking Roberts – Striker

Elroy Kuylen – Midfield

Najib Guerra – Midfield

Khalil Velasquez – Midfield

Ian Gaynair – Defense

Amin August – Midfield

Trevor Lennen – Defense

Delone Torres – Midfield

Byron Chavez – Midfield

Jordi Polanco – Midfield Carlton Thomas – Midfield

Luis Torres – Midfield

Gilroy Thurton – Striker

Allan La Flore – Defense

Rai West – Goalkeeper

Alexander Inez – Defense

Norman Anderson – Defense

Technical Staff:

Head Coach – Mr. Jorge Nunez

Assistant Coach – Mr. Carlos Slusher

Assistant Coach – Mr. Peter Jonez

Physical Trainer – Mr. Phillip Marin

Goalkeeper Coach – Mr. Kent Gabourel

Orthopedic Technician – Mr. Thomas Rivars

Equipment Manager – Mr. Herbert Trapp Jr

Entertainment at the stadium will be provided by Tanya Carter, TR Shine and DJ Richie, and tickets can be purchased from any SMART Showroom in Belize or the FFB office in Belmopan.

On behalf of Chabil Mar Management & Staff, we wish the very best of luck to our fantastic national team tonight.

How Far Would You Travel to be Immersed in Belizean Chocolate?

Posted on March 22, 2015

Did somebody say chocolate? Is it true that there’s an entire festival devoted to chocolate on Belize? Yes, the rumor is correct and if you are not beyond catching planes to indulge, book your passage now so you claim your share of the calories and the fun. No need to tell your dentist you’ll be attending this year’s Chocolate Festival. Just bring your toothbrush. He doesn’t need to know what you were doing between 22nd and 24th May 2015.

Which came first, the chocolate or the cacao plants? Every May, Belize celebrates a huge cash crop. The Toledo Cacao Fest was always scheduled for the third week of May to coordinate with Sovereign’s Day on or about 24 May. Political happenings notwithstanding, the celebration’s focus and name have been changed with some frequency over time, until the Belize Tourism Board and National Institute for Culture and History decided to halt the confusion. These days, it’s called the 7th Annual Chocolate Festival of Belize.

A little history: Once upon a time, the Toledo District was home to poverty-stricken people working a flagging crop, but a fortuitous confluence of conditions and imagination lead Belize leaders to evaluate the area’s soil and prioritize a crop that makes environmental sense—cacao beans. All of this came about in 1984 when the Toledo Cacao Growers Association (TCGA) was launched. Because the climate and soil in Toledo are idyllic, entrepreneurs set about planting cacao terroir, a unique bean capable of producing some of the most delicious chocolate food products on the planet.

Festival side shows: The Belize chocolate festival can turn into something of a free-for-all, where gambling, kids mechanical rides, exhibits and displays focus on indigenous Maya culture and the ubiquitous mega-chocolate party that dominates Punta Gorda Town. Expect to find street stalls selling everything from barbeque to crafts and drumming lessons. Toledo’s central plaza and outlying areas will be festooned with decorations. Merchants sell local beers and spirits from beneath tents and crowds are entertained by rap music-playing DJs. If you miss the festival’s wine and chocolate event at Garbutts Marine on Friday, 22nd May, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., you might have to live the remainder of your life with mega-regrets.

But where’s the chocolate? In a word, everywhere! Amble around the town central and peripheral festival areas and you will run into products, samples and even chocolate literature. Watch demonstrations on how cacao is processed and used in recipes and products that are putting Belize on the map. Snack on regular food—tamales and empanadas first so you don’t become delirious from the chocolate rush that could come from consuming too many chocolate-laced foods and drinks that include chocolate wines and stout.

Who should you blame? A select group of manufacturers are at the heart and soul of the Belize chocolate industry and the festival. Ix Cacao is a family business headquartered in San Felipe and known for intensely-flavored chocolates infused with all-spice, local vanilla, organic orange peel and baalam nut. Kakaw Chocolate, located on Ambergris Caye, not only produces chocolate products for resale but operates a yummy beach boutique. Goss Chocolates, founded when the first Cacao Fest was staged in 2007, is the company to turn to if European chocolates, delicate milk chocolates and specialty items like truffles are on your radar. Finally, Cotton Tree Chocolate makes little chocolate barrels filled with rum and they also sell cocoa bean jewelry!

Are you ready to spend three whole days in a haze of chocolate? Just nod “Yes” and then find out more about the 2015 festival here: http://chocolatefestivalofbelize.com/. Oh, and don’t worry about what to pack. Just grab anything with an elastic waistband.

BBC Earth Features “Beautiful Bug of Belize” Blog

Posted on March 16, 2015

BBC Earth is featuring a blog post on the beautiful bugs of Belize. The article is about the work of Thomas Shahan who is an Oregon-based artist and macro-photographer who specializes in high magnification photography. Shahan is the imaging specialist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s entomology and for the past two years, he has been teaching macro photography workshops in Belize, and taking stunning photographs of bugs during his trips.

‘Most tourists visit the country for the clear tropical waters off the coast, but inland Belize includes deep jungle habitats with incredible biodiversity and an enormous amount of arthropod life,” reads the BBC article.

Thomas tells BBC Earth, “I find the seemingly endless diversity and beauty of arthropods fascinating. It’s like exploring another world full of alien life forms.

“Arthropods are often feared, misunderstood, or labelled as pests – unjustly – despite the pivotal role they play in the Earth’s ecosystems. They are certainly more beneficial to the planet than we are as a species.”

Below are three jaw-dropping photos that Thomas Shahan shared with the BBC:

Read the full article here: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150309-the-beautiful-bugs-of-belize?ocid=twert

Do Not Miss Belize’s International Film Festival

Posted on March 3, 2015

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!

Belize Prepares for La Ruta Maya River Challenge

Posted on March 1, 2015

The La Ruta Maya River Challenge

La Ruta Maya will be commemorating its 17^th anniversary this Friday, March 6^th 2015. The race which started in 1998 by Big H Enterprises for the purpose of launching their Vida Purified Water in the Belizean market has turned into an international event bringing teams from U.S.A, Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, the United Kingdom and even Japan.

“Over the years more than 100 teams have participated in the 4 day grueling race that starts in the Hawksworth Bridge in San Ignacio Town and ends in the old Capital of Belize City,” states the official site of La Ruta Maya Race.

The fundamental ethos of the race is to promote environmental, ecology, history and culture awareness in Belize.

The race is more than 170 miles long consisting of 4 stops along the Belize River:

San Ignacio Town to Banana Bank Lodge which is approximately 46 miles long; Banana Bank to Double Head Cabbage Village, the longest phase of the four days race, and consists of 60 grueling miles; Double Head Cabbage to Burrel Boom Village which is 36 miles long; and Burrel Boom to Belize City, which is the final and shortest stop, and is made up of 28 miles long and bring together more people than the beginning of the race.

La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge also coincides with the Baron Bliss Day Celebration in honor of Henry Victor Edward Bliss, a great benefactor who left an incredible will to the Belizean people.

Since its inception, the race was sponsored by BIG H Enterprises, but is now sponsored by Belikin Beer, the national beer of Belize, and for the past two consecutive years, the Belize Bank Bulldogs have won the competition.

On behalf of Chabil Mar and its Staff, we wish the best of luck to all the participating teams.

The La Ruta Maya River Challenge

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