5 Things You Can’t Miss in Placencia Belize

The secret to maximizing your Belize vacation time? Stay at Chabil Mar, the award-winning resort in Placencia, where you’ll spend your time seeing the sites instead of shuttling to and from them!

Nomadic Matt may be young, but his travel blog is a favorite of people of all ages, especially those who complain that they can’t find time to get to the places they’ve jotted down on their “must-see” lists.

“You have more travel time than you think,” he writes, advising intrepid travelers to get their priorities straight. One of his most valuable tips? Forget going around the world in search of thrills; find them close to home. We agree. This is why the short flight to Belize makes this nation the ideal destination.

Here’s another reason Matt would approve of your decision to visit Belize: You can maximize your time thanks to this nation’s small size. At just 8,867 square miles, it’s the size of Vermont and just as easy to get around, thus your Chabil Mar Resort digs are right in the middle of the action and the place you start each of these tours.

1. Monkey River and manatee watch tour

5 Things You Can’t Miss in Placencia Belize

If your passion for animals knows no bounds, Belize’s Monkey River and Manatee Watch excursions should be first on your list of “must sees” because you can do them both on the same day. Thanks to a unique mangrove ecosystem, the river and its banks are home to myriad wildlife species and opportunities to spot endangered manatee, gentle vegetarians, can be life-affirming. This awesome combo tour is conducted year-round.

2. Island hop by boat, kayak or catamaran

belize

Belize’s coastline is magnificent, so it stands to reason that exploring it by boat, kayak or catamaran belongs on this list. See for yourself why Laughing Bird Caye and the Silk Cayes are perennial favorites for visitors, and since Chabil Mar equips you for these excursions, you can choose to pilot a craft or leave the job to someone else.

3. Attend Belize festivals

belize festivals

 

If you adore festivals and can’t attend enough of them, you’ve got to print this calendar out before you arrive. From extravagant to delightful and from delicious to heart-warming, Placencia’s annual festival schedule is always filled with delights, and getting to any or all of them is as easy as telling Chabil Mar resort staff you want to go.

4. Explore the peninsula by bicycle or golf cart

placencia village belize

People skipping vacations because they fear that their hard-earned fitness efforts will fall by the wayside are wise to choose Chabil Mar as their resort of choice because guests can stay as active as they like courtesy of the resort’s complimentary bicycles, golf carts, and water toys. Staff can’t control what you eat but they can guarantee opportunities to work off those pounds!

5. Hike Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS)

Few non-profits are as beloved as Belize’s Audubon Society. Round out your top 5 tour list with a visit to CBWS to see how much this group contributes to Belize wildlife initiatives. As the world’s first jaguar preserve, this park is the closest place to Eden you’ll find in today’s world. Take in magnificent waterfalls, nature trails and mountains. Spot animal tracks and observe exotic birds. Make this sanctuary your last stop before leaving and a smile will remain on your face until you deplane back home!

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on southern 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.

How To Spend The Perfect Weekend in Placencia Belize

Placencia Belize Itinerary

If you’ve never heard from Belize, get excited to learn about your new favorite travel destination. Miles of coast touch the bright blue Caribbean Sea and open outward to hundreds of islands and hundreds of miles of barrier reef habitat. But head inland and you’ll find natural landmarks like the Cayo District and the Maya Mountains that are equally as magical. But even among this variety, Placencia stands apart. This peninsula straddles land and sea, and that means that your options can be borderline overwhelming. If you only have a weekend in Placencia, here are the best things to do.

See the Sea

As a fishing town along some of the most pristine beaches in Belize, most visitors are here at least in part for the Caribbean Sea. But you might be surprised at the sheer variety of things you can do. Whether you’re looking to fish off of a local pier or venture into deeper waters, there’s always fresh and seasonally diverse prey to find. Or you can get closer to the beautiful marine life that calls the Belize Barrier Reef home with a scuba or snorkeling expedition.

Placencia Belize Vacations

Venture Into the Jungle

You don’t need to be a daring adventurer or a reckless tomb raider to feel like you’re standing among the ancients. Maya cities  Lubaantun and Xunantunich are comfortably within reach of the peninsula, while the imposing ATM Cave will make you realize why the ancient Mayas once treated it as a temple and a direct pathway to the underworld. For the more nature-oriented, you’ll find no shortage of natural parks to explore. Check out Cockscomb Basin or Monkey River if you really want to see the diverse wildlife and stunning views that the jungles have to offer.

Get to Know the Locals

The village of Placencia is home to less than a thousand people, and it has the vibes of a quaint and sleepy town even with increased tourist interest. That makes it easy to find yourself immersed in the local culture. With beaches right in town and a variety of restaurants and bars to choose from, you could be perfectly content spending most of your time in and around town. And with the Garifuna settlement of Seine Bight and the even quieter town of Maya Beach only a few miles away, there’s a surprising amount to explore.

Spend a weekend in Placencia Belize

Nothing At All

But the fact is, exploration doesn’t even need to be on the menu. Resorts like Chabil Mar offer a guest-exclusive approach to travel. With 400 feet of beach, a pier, and numerous amenities right on-site, you can spend your entire time luxuriating on the property and barely even have to see another living soul.

Visit 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.

Top Instagrammable Locations in Placencia Belize

Top Instagrammable Locations in Placencia Belize

The Placencia Peninsula is such a narrow strip of land along the Caribbean Sea that many Belizeans refer to it as the “island you can walk to” — and with a length of only 16 miles from north to south, it’s actually smaller than Belize’s largest island of Ambergris Caye. But while it might be small, it’s also diversely photogenic. Here are the photos you need to capture for Instagram during your visit.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

The 400 square kilometers that constitute this wildlife sanctuary were originally set aside to serve as the world’s first jaguar sanctuary. It’s unlikely these elusive jungle cats will photobomb your Insta, but the crisscrossing trails that cut through the park offer plenty of scenic views. Be sure to have your picture taken at Tiger Fern Falls, the largest waterfall in the park.

Laughing Bird Caye

Laughing Bird Caye

A community of uniquely laughing gulls earned this island its name. And while you can’t convey that cackle in a photo, you can share some of the most beautiful views of the Belize Barrier Reef. Every acre and a half of land here is beautiful, but be sure to strap into a snorkel or scuba gear to see what’s going on beneath the surface of the sea.

Monkey River Village

Monkey River Village

The journey inland from Placencia Village to Monkey River has plenty of photograph-worthy sights in its own right, but the lazy journey down this watercourse is the best way to catch glimpses of the local wildlife. The titular howler monkeys aren’t afraid to make themselves known to travelers down the river, but it’s also home to a variety of birds, iguanas, and ocelots.

Nim Li Punit

Nim Li Punit

Journey just a little further west from Placencia and you’ll find the abandoned jungle city of Nim Li Punit. Despite having fallen from prominence over 1000 years ago, it’s a surprisingly extant picture of what life was like centuries ago. A good photograph can bridge the continuity of time seamlessly.

Main Street

Placencia Main Street

Placencia Village’s main street is the smallest in the world — a tiny sidewalk that doesn’t even allow vehicles on it. But that sort of humble living is what typifies the community of Placencia. If you really want to capture the people and the personality of coastal Belize, there’s no better places to point your camera.

If a picture tells a thousand words, a trip to Placencia can transform your Instagram story into a novel. Be sure to spend your time in Placencia at Chabil Mar. Just keep in mind that the beautiful views, luxurious amenities, and attentive staff may make it hard to get out there and snap photos.

Visit 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.

Romantics Find Paradise and More by Escaping to Belize!

Belize Couples Vacation

Juan told a close friend that he knew he was madly in love with Jasmine when sequestering during the Covid pandemic brought them closer together than ever! For couples who have also grown closer during this trying year, nothing substitutes for a romantic getaway at a tropical resort where a world of wonder, adventure, and plenty of private time combine to create the ideal escape.

Finding this environment is as easy as taking a serious look at Belize, the English-speaking nation where even couples on budgets enjoy the good life the moment they find the right property for their stay. Couples want privacy, luxury, and the ability to tailor their stay to their tastes. They find all of this and more at Chabil Mar.

At Chabil Mar, located on the trendy Placencia peninsula, every amenity a couple seeks is at their fingertips, whether their intention is to explore everything about this easy-to-navigate nation or they have no desire to anything more strenuous than rub sunscreen on each other’s backs in preparation for a morning swim in the Caribbean Sea.

The Chabil Mar mystique

As the only Full-Service Resort on the 18-mile-long peninsula, Chabil Mar is a romantic couple’s dream. From the moment a staffer picks a couple up from the Placencia airport and transports them to the property, extraordinary personal service and attention is the hallmark of a stay. Chabil Mar was one of the first resorts in Belize to adopt stringent Covid hygiene and health measures, earning the resort Gold Standard certification.

From lush accommodations to fine dining, amenities include the resort’s private beachfront, two infinity pools, a pier that can be reserved for a couple’s personal use and roaming butler service assure guests of impeccable service. Couples can borrow kayaks, paddleboards or bicycles if the urge to visit Placencia Village for shopping and fun strikes.

Belize Romantic Getaways
Unwrap a package to find couples bliss

Every couple has unique desires. She wants to hit the spa. He prefers to spend time snorkeling. At Chabil Mar, the long list of tours and attractions on the resort’s menu offers so much, it’s possible to get into a healthy debate about which to choose first!

Couples seeking to simplify their stay usually choose a Belize vacation package from the menu that satisfies their interests and wallets. Additionally, Chabil Mar offers select deals to further reduce the cost of a stay. Intrigued? It happens. This Chabil Mar video is likely to be a game-changer for you if you’re nearly convinced but not quite there.

Short airline flights. English-speaking staff. Service fit for royalty – all amid the lush splendor of a peninsula that is so beautiful, it puts travel posters to shame. Grab a calendar and find a window of opportunity that will work for your romantic escape. Nail your dates by calling this number toll free: 1-866-417-2377 or email your dates reservations@chabilmarvillas.com. Love is in the air. Grab your share!

7 Reasons Placencia Is The Ultimate Vacation Spot In Belize

placencia belize beaches

Placencia is a name that seems to evoke peace and tranquility, and there’s definitely an air of that in this small fishing village along Belize’s southern coast. But there’s a reason why Placencia draws travelers from all over the world in numbers far outstripping most of Belize’s other mainland settlements.

Here’s why Placencia is the perfect Belize travel destination for you.

placencia belize beaches

The narrow peninsula on which Placencia is placed is 16 miles long but only about half a mile wide at many points, meaning that a beach is always right around the corner no matter where you are in Placencia.

Whalesharks

It’s one of the best places to see whale sharks in the Caribbean. Whale shark migration patterns see them passing by Placencia from March through June, and you can even swim with these gentle giants if you time it right.

Garifuna people

Placencia is home to two of Belize’s most interesting ethnic groups. Creole people are common in Placencia, and the nearby settlement of Seine Bight is the best place to interact with the Garifuna people.

placencia sidewalk

The beaches may be the main attraction, but Placencia is home to the narrowest main street in the world. This pedestrian sidewalk may only be four feet wide, but it’s filled with colorful murals and a ton of local color in the form of quirky boutique shops and restaurants.

Fishing in belize

It’s still mostly a fishing village. While there are a decent amount of tourists who come to Placencia, it still maintains the sensibilities of a legitimate small fishing community. If you want a break from crowds of North Americans, it’s a far cry from Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye.

Belize barrier reef

It’s ideally positioned for exploring the Belize Barrier Reef. Placencia is just a few miles away, providing visitors to the fishing village with snorkeling and diving opportunities that allow you to catch a glimpse of everything from sea turtles and manatees to dolphins and sharks.

Monkey River

Monkey River is about 10 miles away from Placencia proper, but it’s well worth a visit for anyone who hasn’t been. The river got its name from the large population of black howler monkeys who live along the bank, but chances are that you’ll see all types of indigenous life.

There’s no vacation destination quite like Placencia, and there’s no better way to explore Placencia than in the luxuriant resort of Chabil Mar. With different Belize vacation packages for any sensibility, we’re the premium choice for Belize travel accommodations.

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