Did you know that Placencia has the world’s narrowest street?
The Guinness Book of World Records recognized the “Placencia Sidewalk” which was constructed over 30 years ago as a means of wheel barrowing fish without fighting through the sand as the narrowest street in the world.
The street which runs to the center of the village is lined with homes, coffee shops, hotels, guest houses and restaurants.
For those who do not know, Placencia Village sits at the tip of a 16–mile peninsula in Southern Belize and is the only place on mainland Belize that offers unspoiled white sand beaches. The village is also known locally 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 the ideal destination for the intrepid traveler.
For more information about Placencia or Belize, you can 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.
Parm Parmer, a freeland travel and food writer for Travel + Escape (T+E), Canada’s largest travel website recently published an article entitled “5 ways to get seduced by Belize” on T+E website.
We do agree with Parm that once you visit Belize you will not want to go back home because Belize is truly a blissful paradise. With the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere that is ideal for snorkeling and diving, unspoiled rainforest for mountain biking or horseback riding, friendly people to have stimulating conversations, and delicious food from eclectic ethnic groups who would want to leave?
It was Parm’s third trip to Belize and it looks like she is now addicted to BELIZE.
She writes:
“This former British colony bordered by Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west and south may be a small country, but it has a diverse geography that includes the second largest barrier reef, a tropical rainforest that’s home to hundreds of species, ancient Maya ruins, miles of white sand beaches and hundreds of islands. How could one not fall in love with the intoxicating beauty of this country?”
Belize is so diverse in its ethnic and cultural backgrounds due to its multi-cultural ethnic groups – Maya, Mestizo, Garifuna, Creole, Mennonite, East Indian and Chinese, she remarks.
She then goes to describe the Belize Barrier Reef as one of the world’s most famed sites for snorkeling and diving.
Read more about how to get seduced by Belize here: http://www.travelandescape.ca/2014/03/5-ways-get-seduced-belize/
Last month while vacationing in Placencia, I was lucky to discover Brenda’s Food Shack, which is located at the tip of the Peninsula, in Placencia Village. Brenda, a talented Belizean Creole, uses local and authentic ingredients and fresh sea food to prepare succulent Belizean lunches.
I had the special of the day which was Belizean Rice and Beans with Jerk Chicken and Seafood Gumbo which was tasty and scrumptious.
If you will be vacationing in Placencia soon, you have to go try Brenda’s Belizean cooking. You will not be disappointed!
Touropia, a popular travel site in the world has selected the beautiful and gorgeous Peninsula of Placencia as a top best beach destination in the Caribbean.
“A popular peninsula, Placencia has the best mainland beaches in Belize, plus some of the most amazing offshore coral cayes. The eastern side of the Placencia Peninsula is a long expanse of white sand beach. The western side is bounded by a long and narrow bay. The beautiful beaches . . . make it a great place to relax” asserts the article about Placencia Belize.
“Aruba, St Martins, Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Cuba, Saint Lucia, Guadelope, Jamaica, Anguilla, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos, Antigua and Barbuda, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands (UK), Barbados, Martinque, Grenada, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Virgin Islands (US) were the other countries that made it on the list. Splendid company to be among, and we are very proud of this honor for Placencia, home to Chabil Mar Resort”, says Larry France, Marketing Manager at Chabil Mar.
“It is interesting to observe how Placencia has evolved from once a sleepy fishing village to now an increasingly popular eco destination on the Caribbean, while maintaining its Belizean culture and typical everyday life.”
“Tropic Air and Maya Air, the local Belize air carriers, have also made it easy to access Placencia from the different tourist destinations in Belize especially from the Cayo District, the ecotourism capital of the country, with direct flights from multiple towns and villages throughout Belize. Last year in November, Tropic Air started offering direct flights from Maya Flats Airstrip in San Ignacio to Placencia and return. I personally took this flight, in January, after visiting one of our premier Jungle Lodge partners, Chaa Creek, while discussing our joint Jungle and Sea vacation package. It was so beautiful to fly over the Maya mountain range from Cayo to Placencia. Just a magnificent experience with waterfalls to be seen cascading out of the mountains in the depths of the uninhabited jungle!
This means that you can start your vacation in the Rainforest exploring Maya temples, caves and waterfalls and then head to Placencia to enjoy the white sandy beaches and the spectacular snorkeling, fishing, diving and sailing among the multiple offshore islands (cayes – pronounced ‘keys’).”
“Placencia is also an ideal base to explore outdoor adventures like hiking or trekking the jungle trails of Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, where the first Jaguar Reserve in the World was established and visiting Maya Temples like Nim Li Punit or Lubaantun in Southern Belize or visiting resident howler monkeys along Monkey River.” If you are interested in a Belize or Placencia vacation, please visit our website chabilmarvillas.com. We’d love to help you plan your Belize vacation.
Almost every Belizean who is on social media follows Tony Rath on Facebook because of the compelling and gorgeous photos on Belize that he posts on his Facebook page.
Last week National Geographic did an article on Tony entitled “Go Inside: Photographing Belize from the Air” in which Tony describes his experience about making aerial images with LightHawk.
For those who do not know anything about LightHawk, it is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to champion environmental protection through the unique perspective of flight.
Here are some of the striking photos that Tony took on the flight. (All photos are courtesy of Tony Rath).
One rainstorm following the other in the Turneffe Atoll, Belize. Tony Rath Photography
Lighthawk airplane taking off. Tony Rath Photography
Biologists record the GPS coordinates of marine mammals spotted during the LightHawk survey flight.
Tony Rath Photography
Photographer Tony Rath self portrait with Cessna 206. Tony Rath Photography
About Tony Rath Tony Rath has worked as a diver and underwater photographer for the Smithsonian Institution; diving on oilrigs off California; and captaining a sailboat across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Mediterranean and North Seas. He first visited Belize in 1979, and moved there permanently in 1988. Since then he has explored and photographed most of Belize by land, sea and air.
Want to know more about Belize? Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information.
Did you know that Placencia has the world’s narrowest street?
place on mainland Belize that offers unspoiled white sand beaches. The village is also known locally as “Barefoot Perfect.”
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