Category: Belize Resort and Vacation Blog

There are so many amazing places to visit in Belize that it can be difficult to pick one to be your next vacation destination. If you’re wondering which one really is the best, however, it has to be Placencia. Read on to discover why Placencia is the top pick for travelers coming to Belize.

A Quaint Seaside Community

Placencia is a quaint seaside village located on the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize. With only about 750 permanent residents, the village has successfully established itself as a great tourism destination while remaining true to its laid-back roots as a Caribbean fishing village. Great care is taken to practice environmental sustainability, which locals recognize as integral to their community’s future. Numerous events are held throughout the year, with Lobsterfest, one of the town’s major festivals, held annually during the summer to honor the local fishing community. Don’t forget to take a stroll down Main Street to visit local art galleries, restaurants, and all manner of lovely little shops.

Rest And Relaxation

When it comes to a relaxing, refreshing vacation, Placencia can’t be beaten. It is quieter and less touristy than Ambergris Caye, providing a perfect balance of privacy and amenities. It offers the ideal spot for a peaceful Caribbean vacation spent lounging on tropical beaches, getting pampered with natural spa treatments, or practicing yoga. If you are looking for a venue to hold your wedding or visit during your honeymoon, it’s hard to imagine a more ideal and romantic destination than Placencia.

The Perfect Place Between Two Worlds

Placencia is ideally located for visitors to experience both sides of Belize’s amazing ecosystems. Offshore lies the Belize Barrier Reef, numerous islands, and some of the best snorkeling and dive sites on the planet where you can see marine wildlife, including whale sharks. The fishing is excellent too. It is also easy to go inland to experience Belize’s pristine jungles, look for exotic wildlife and visit mystifying ancient Maya ruins. Nearby inland points of interest that will take your breath away include the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Monkey River, and quite a few Maya sites.

There is nowhere else on Earth quite like Placencia, Belize, and Chabil Mar Villas want to welcome you with a luxury experience like none other in your own private villa. The resort provides the luxury, Belize provides the beauty, and you get to have an amazing time in one of the most breathtaking places in the world.

CNN World recently highlighted the combined efforts of local Belizean fishermen and MarAlliance, a non-profit organization in Belize that is working around the clock to preserve shark species along the Belize Barrier Reef.

The group efforts which have already yielded a reported 300% increase in shark population along the Lighthouse Reef, located 50 miles off the coast of Belize were featured on CNN’s Call to Earth series, a program that reports on environmental challenges facing our planet as well as the solutions.

In it, the series highlighted the efforts to reverse the decline in sharks which in turn also reverse the decline in a range of other species that are associated with sharks and their critical habitat, something that provides greater economic and conservation benefits for everyone.

Spearheading the initiative on the ground is Rachel Graham, the founder of MarAlliance, who along with her team of locals, is engaged in an ongoing shark population census, along the reef that requires the catching, tagging, and releasing of sharks back into the sea. Since 2007 MarAlliance has also been using scientific longline, Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) to analyze long-term trends in the abundance of the sharks at Lighthouse Reef

She told CNN, ”what we are seeing now is nothing less than miraculous, we are seeing a comeback of sharks. At Lighthouse reef, we have seen a 300 % increase in sharks. My vision for this reef is every time I roll over backward from a boat in order to dive or snorkel I am going to see at least one shark.”

Graham said that the reef acts as an important corridor for migrating animals, and creates a highway for animals to be guided and navigate by. However, due to their naturally vulnerable state when traveling and the predictability of their migratory nature, underwater species can easily get intercepted when traveling from point A to point B. That according to Graham is where sharks come in since they are known to keep the various population in check. Since more sharks in the ocean mean more varieties of fish available for daily catch as well as ecotourism.

So what’s threatening the shark population around the globe? Graham says it’s overfishing, primarily for human consumption in shark fin soup, a popular dish in China and South East Asia. While it is estimated that sharks would usually kill around 10 or fewer humans worldwide, annually, humans are killing approximately one hundred million shark species at the same time. This according to Graham is proving detrimental to the species as well as the environment.

”What we are seeing is a highly threatened set of species that takes so long to mature that they don’t usually have many young and they are so critical to the health of our oceans primarily because they help regulate a range of other species that they feed on. So they keep the populations in check, ” explained Graham.

CNN also mentioned Belize’s move to ban the possession and use of gillnets in Belize’s marine waters in November 2020. A move that Graham applauded and attributed to the miraculous increase of the shark population along the Belize Barrier Reef.

CNN also spoke to Fisher Associate, Ivan Torres, ”To all my fellow fishermen, I want to give you this message, conserve sharks because in the future it can provide us with an income not being dead or by fishing them but by being alive.”

At Chabil Mar — Maya for ”Beautiful Sea”, our seafront location along with the tiny fishing village of Placencia, positions the sea as being a part of our DNA. Our close association with the sea, our guests, and local fisherfolks continuously remind us of the need for marine conservation as well as for the protection of sharks in Belize.

As front liners in the hospitality industry, we are aware that while our guests come to Belize to enjoy Belizean hospitality, they also come for the untamed views, as well as to witness the abundance of our marine life that speaks of the combined conservation efforts of locals, NGO’s and other government bodies.

Book your stay with Chabil Mar today and let us not only pamper you but provide you with quality and specialized tour options to suit your preference. Let our professional guides take you out to explore the natural wonders of Belize. Whether you choose to stay on land or if you prefer to waddle in the deep blue of the Caribbean Sea prepare yourself to get completely blown away by the beauty and abundance of Belize’s underwater marine life that decorate the Belize Barrier Reef. 

Contact us today for a rundown of our specialized tours, accommodations, and rates, or visit our website to learn more.

Additional information on CNN’s article can be found here. 

Sustainable seaweed farming is the next big thing in the quiet fishing village of Placencia, and as was recently highlighted by Smithsonian Magazine, residents of the tiny fishing village are wasting no time in reaping the benefits that it offers for humans, habitat, and hair in Belize.

The Washington-based magazine, which covers history, science arts, and nature stories across the globe published an article this week in their magazine and told the story of how seaweed is bringing a Belizean community together to explore its potential, from sustaining their local environment and economy to helping them care for their natural hair.

The story specifically followed the life of locals, pioneer seaweed farmer and founder of Placencia Producers Cooperative Lowell Godfrey, and Placencia woman Jolie Pollard, a young Belizean entrepreneur who grew up savoring the rich delicacy of seaweed shakes, that was mixed with love by her grandfather, a local fisherman himself. Growing up in Placencia, Pollard was only too familiar with the health and environmental benefits of seaweed. However as the story goes, when she was fully grown, Pollard then got to witness the financial benefits of seaweed as well through the guidance of Godfrey who founded the first-ever seaweed farm in Little Water Caye.

Godfrey, whose seaweed cooperative has now grown to one of the biggest in the country, according to the magazine, would tell, ” anyone who would listen about the benefits of the aquatic algae – from capturing carbon to fighting climate change, to acting as a nursery for juvenile marine life.” Being a former fisherman, Godfrey would educate residents on how seaweeds provide shelters for aquatic critters and would even serve to assist the Placencia community to replenish their dwindling fishing stocks. The article sites that at that time, rising fuel prices, and the cost of living were driving local fishermen to resort to fishing as a last resort. The restaurants on the 16-mile peninsula were suffering from a scarcity of products.

That is where Godfrey and his environmentally conscious seaweed farming off of Placencia’s coast came in. He educated residents on how seaweed farming would be a great alternative to solve the fishing problem while providing residents with a sense of ownership over the local economy. Apart from fishing and tourism, Godfrey told residents that seaweed farming would provide locals with an additional sustainable and profitable source of income.

Godfrey is said to have demonstrated to residents how to suspend ropes between floating buoys, then attach fragments of seaweed between the strands to help them grow. Within three months, each rope would yield nearly 30lbs of seaweed. Together Godfrey and his team would then harvest the seaweed, which they would then put out to dry naturally in the sun, and then vacuum seal them so that they could sell them at a local coop.

The dried and packaged seaweed would then be exported out of the country or purchased by the local restaurants or even locals to mix delicious seaweed shakes infused with brandy, sugar, and spices. [The seaweed shake is a local drink that is enjoyed by tourists due to its rich protein and dietary fiber, as well as minerals like potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and selenium].

But while seaweed farming in Belize is taking care of humans and habitats, in Pollard’s case her experiment with seaweed in her natural hair sparked an entire hair care business for curly beauties in Belize and across the world. It birthed the Ikooma, a haircare brand, which is the kriolozed name for the ”Eucheuma Isiforme” seaweed. Pollards moisturizing seaweed hair cream and seaweed cream-gel is a favorite among local Belizean girls who find it a task to tame their curly mane in the hot tropical climate.

What’s more is that Pollard purchases her seaweed directly from the Placencia Producers Cooperative, in an effort to circulate local currencies in her small village.

“I’m excited to show people the benefits that seaweed can offer. Both as a business owner that uses it in my own product,” Pollard says, “but also as a member of a community that could really benefit from its economic potential without compromising our local environment, Pollard told Smithsonian Magazine.

We here at Chabil Mar, being sons and daughters of the Placencia community, are only too aware of how important the local community and business along the Placencia coast depend on the protection of our natural resources and marine life. Situated just a short walk from Placencia Village, we are the perfect vacation option for guests who are interested in visiting Placencia to learn more about its people and their efforts in sustainable seaweed farming.

Our location on the coast also positions us in the right place for visitors to appreciate the natural wonders of our country’s beautiful coastline. You can also book local tours in Placencia Village that will take you out at sea to appreciate the diversity of Belize’s marine life via snorkeling, sailing, and diving tours. You can even take strolls on the beach down to the village to get a glimpse of local fishermen, artists, arts, and many more local attractions. Whether you choose to stay in and enjoy our spacious grounds equipped with private pools and amazing views you definitely won’t regret vacationing at Chabil Mar.

Visit our website for more information on Placencia and Belize, or send us an email, to book your stay today. You can also read more of the article at this link.

The jewel is set to shine once more at the Miss Universe Pageant, and the Miss Universe Belize team is wasting no time in selecting, preparing, and grooming seven phenomenal Belizean women who will be vying for the Miss Universe title this year.

While the date of the official pageant is yet to be announced, on Saturday, June 11th the Miss Universe Belize Team disclosed the names and photographs of the seven contestants on the official Miss Universe Belize Facebook page.

As the competition heats up, it seems that the social media fanatics have already chosen some of their favorite contestants, with the first being Ashley Lightburn, 25, a resident of Belize City who was able to garner 1.3 K social media reactions in five days. Lightburn is a Project Manager Officer at a local bank and an adjunct lecturer of mathematics at the University of Belize. She possesses a bachelor’s in mathematics and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in international business administration. Her hobby is engaging in social outreach initiatives and says that “This pageant, to me, is not only about displaying external beauty but also about inner beauty. I aim to show young girls that you can have all beauty and brains, and you should use it to inspire others and build your country. “

Coming in second with a total of 1k reactions, in five days is Alina Scott 27, who hails from the Cayo District, and is a Ph.D. candidate and Littlefield Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. She possesses a bachelor’s and master’s degree in History; currently a Doctoral Candidate (Ph.D.) in History. Scott is passionate about educational equity and accessibility. She is an athlete and has volunteered in a number of social and educational associations and organizations. She says “As Miss Belize, I want to give back to those very communities [intellectual and cultural communities] and reiterate to the youth of Belize that education is just a stepping stone for you to realize the fullest version of yourself.”

Coming in third with 714 reactions is Grace Brown, 20, a resident of San Pedro Ambergris Caye and a florist by profession. She has a high school diploma and is currently pursuing a cosmetology degree. She is also the reigning Miss San Pedro and has overcome bullying, shyness, and body shaming. She says that she “believes that the next Miss Universe Belize should be a woman who is ready to handle the responsibilities of nurturing her community’s betterment, this woman should continuously look for solutions to assist and advocate for a better and greater Belize, but most importantly this representative should be ready to be the ultimate epitome of a role model who feeds others with love and compassion. I have spent the past 20 years crystallizing my experiences in order to be that woman.”

Coming in fourth with 654 likes is Sigourney Usher, 22, a resident of San Ignacio. She is a nurse by profession and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s in Nursing. She is currently studying in Guatemala and says that as a frontline worker, she has the opportunity to impact many lives. She says that “If I were to become Miss Universe Belize, I would use the platform to talk about the impact poverty has in my country, especially on older generations. I want to show that I can be confidently beautiful, but also have the ability to help our generation in need.”

Coming in fifth with 599 likes is Kaira Nuñez, 19 a resident of Orange Walk Town. She is a sales clerk by profession and aspires to work at an environmental conservation organization. She possesses an associate’s degree in science with a concentration in natural resource management. She says that she takes pleasure in being productive because she believes that efficiency is the key to success. She says, “I want to be the next Miss Belize because I want to utilize the title as a platform to raise awareness and take action on animal cruelty in Belize. I also believe that winning this pageant will strengthen my will and confidence in my ability to accomplish anything I set my mind to.”

Samantha Singh 27, a resident of Placencia managed to get 576 reactions. She is a writer by profession and possesses a bachelor of arts in English from Loyola New Orleans as well as a culinary arts degree from The New School of Cooking. As a writer, she says that she sees Miss Universe Belize as an opportunity to share her passion for Belizean literature and the importance of the arts in Belize with a broader audience. She says”I know that advocacy is a huge part of the title, and that part is what I am most interested in. To have a place of privilege to speak from in support of both literacy and the arts in Belize, two places I believe deserve much more attention locally both for their cultural importance and the opportunities they provide for young Belizeans to transcend circumstance — that’s exciting to me.”

Kenia Tejada, 27 a resident of Spanish Lookout was able to get 422 reactions. She is a tutor by profession and has a high-school diploma with an interest to major in psychology. Apart from tutoring children from her community Tejada is an advocate for children and says that “I want to instill respect, love, justice, and kindness into children’s lives. I know I can do that now, but I think as Miss Universe Belize, I can make a greater impact.”

The management and staff of Chabil Mar wish all 7 contestants all the best as they vie for the Miss Universe title this year.