Category: Belize Resort and Vacation Blog

Located in Belize’s western Cayo District near the capital of Belmopan, St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park is a site of natural beauty spanning more than 500 acres (2 square kilometers) in size. Three of the principal attractions are the inland Blue Hole, St. Herman’s Cave, and the Crystal Cave.

Visitors to the park usually enter off the Hummingbird Highway. Located about 200 yards from the visitor center is St. Herman’s Cave which was used for centuries by Maya priests to conduct ceremonies and to collect water dripping from stalactites that they considered to be holy. St. Herman’s Cave is an enormous underground structure but it is possible for unguided visitors to make their way approximately 200 yards into the cave before they will need a trained guide to go further. At the rear of the cave is a stream, allowing visitors to float their way back to the cave entrance using an inner tube.

St. Herman’s Cave is connected by an underground stream to the Blue Hole, often referred to as the Inland Blue Hole to prevent confusion with the Belize Blue Hole located offshore in the Belize Barrier Reef. The (Inland) Blue Hole is where the underground stream comes to the surface, providing visitors with a source of cool and refreshing water for swimming. Formed by the collapse of a cavern, the Blue Hole measures about 8 meters (26 feet) deep and is almost perfectly round with a diameter of 100 meters (330 feet).

Beyond the Blue Hole lies the Crystal Cave, sometimes called the Mountain Cow Cave. Visitors will need the assistance of a trained guide to explore spectacularly beautiful stalactites and caverns shimmering with accumulated crystalline structures. Just as with St. Herman’s Cave, the Crystal Cave was a sacred cite for the Ancient Maya who believed that it was a nexus to the world of the gods.

During the path to the country’s independence, Belize acquired the land in and around St. Herman’s Cave, declaring it a park on November 23, 1986. In order to maintain and preserve the natural beauty of the park, foreign non-profit organizations were brought in. Currently, St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park is maintained and operated by the Belize Audubon Society.

The park is located approximately 12 miles southeast of Belmopan and both entrances are located immediately adjacent to the Hummingbird Highway. The principle entrance leads to a visitor center, gift shop, hiking trails, a picnic area and the path to St. Herman’s Cave. The second entrance leads to a picnic area, hiking trails, washrooms and leads directly to the Blue Hole.

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.

When many people return home from a winter vacation in Belize and share their photos with their friends, the pictures are often mistakenly believed to have been taken in summer. That’s a pretty common mistake to make because winter in Belize is a time of long, sunny days and warm temperatures.

Indeed, the “winter” months are when the weather in Belize is at its finest. Rain is very rare, and most days are long and filled with liquid sunshine. And warm temperatures mean that winter in Belize is a great time to enjoy activities such as swimming, snorkeling, sailing, fishing, and scuba diving.

The average dress code for Belize in winter is a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, and a comfortable pair of sandals or flip-flops. Dining outdoors is yet another pleasure that visitors can enjoy in Belize, tasting some of the country’s fantastic seafood, organic produce, and delicious culinary influences from the country’s different ethnic groups. And since English is the official language, it’s easy to get around and talk to locals.

Airlines have certainly taken note of the fantastic weather in Belize during the winter. The six biggest airlines in North America now fly non-stop to Belize throughout the winter. The latest addition is Jet Blue, which will begin flying from New York City to Belize City in December 2023.

Other popular activities to enjoy in Belize during the winter include touring ancient Maya sites such as Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, exploring the vast Cockscomb Basin Wilderness Refuge (home to the world’s only jaguar conservation project), watching endangered manatees play in mangrove-lined lagoons, bird watching, zip lining, hiking through pristine rainforests, and boat safaris along the aptly named Monkey River.

“Winter truly is a great time to visit Belize,” said Larry France, marketing manager at Chabil Mar. “When snow is falling across much of North America, Belize is enjoying sunny, blue skies and warm temperatures, perfect weather for swimming, snorkeling, diving, or simply enjoying a walk along the beach.”

Chabil Mar is an award-winning luxury beachfront resort located on the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize. Chabil Mar offers guests well-appointed villas with a full range of modern amenities, a private seafront pier perfect for enjoying gourmet dining, a lush tropical garden, freshwater swimming pools, and easy access to all of the top destinations in the country, including the Belize Barrier Reef.

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.

Save

Save

Chabil Mar, the best resort for your Placencia Belize vacation

One of Belize’s top destinations is the lovely Placencia Peninsula, a gorgeous finger of land measuring one mile across and 16 miles long on the country’s southeastern Caribbean coast.

Placencia Peninsula

With a north-south orientation, the eastern side of Placencia Peninsula fronts the sparkling waters of the Caribbean while the western side is framed by a bio-diverse mangrove-lined lagoon. The pristine beaches are ideal for swimming or relaxing under the shade of a coconut tree while the lagoon side is an angler’s paradise, teeming with gamefish all year round.

The world-famous Belize Barrier Reef is just a few miles offshore, making Placencia an ideal jumping off point to enjoy some of the best fishing, sailing, snorkeling and diving opportunities in the world.

Placencia Village

At the southern tip of the peninsula is the area’s unofficial capital, Placencia Village. Still a small, active fishing village, Placencia is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the smallest main street in the world (a 4,000 foot-long sidewalk that measures four feet across at its widest point). With several colorful cafes, ATMs, bars, and dive shops, the village makes a great base for visitors seeking to explore the nearby reef or mainland attractions.

Placencia Peninsula’s Attractions

Beyond the delicious foods and drinks, the village of Placencia is a popular attraction in its own right due to its position as a center of Garifuna culture. Visitors can meet and learn from master craftsmen or take classes to learn the unique Garifuna drumming techniques.

Just a few miles west from the village is the Cockscomb Basin Nature Preserve, a vast protected area covered in hiking trails that allow visitors to see exotic wildlife like monkeys, tapirs, and jaguars in their natural habitat. Another popular nearby destination is the Monkey River, where visitors can enjoy a leisurely boat ride up the river while observing tropical flora and fauna. Placencia is also close to the Belize Barrier Reef, including Gladden Spit Marine Reserve where travelers can snorkel or scuba dive with whale sharks.

Where to stay in Placencia Belize

One of the finest resorts on the Placencia Peninsula is Chabil Mar, named for a Maya term meaning “Beautiful Sea.” With 24 beachfront villas equipped with all modern amenities, visitors can relax and be pampered in one of the most luxurious resorts in the country.

Located just a few minutes’ walk from Placencia Village, Chabil Mar has its own tropical gardens, award-winning restaurant, and infinity swimming pool.

Chabil Mar offers guided tours to all of the top attractions on the mainland and the Belize Barrier Reef.

How to Get to Placencia

The peninsula can be reached by car or private transportation from Belize City in about three to four hours. There are also regular domestic air connections from an airstrip just outside of Placencia Village to Belize City and other locations in the country.

For information about the Placencia Peninsula, 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.