Although Aurelio Martinez was born and raised in Honduras, he has become one of Belize’s lasting icons due to his iconic blending of traditional Garifuna music with more modern styles like rock, soul, blues, and New Orleans style jazz. On April 10, 2017, Martinez returned to the Bliss Stage in Belize City to celebrate the launch of his latest album with a live concert featuring a 15-piece band that included the Garifuna Collective.

Thirty years ago, Aurelio Martinez made his professional debut on an album that featured his signature style of blending traditional Garifuna music with modern genres. Martinez’s latest album called Darandi, which means 30 in Garifuna, contains 12 tracks, including a cover of the classic Paul Nabor song “Naguya Nei.” According to Martinez, Darandi represents the closing of one chapter of his musical life and celebrating his moving on towards new beginnings and experimentations with different musical styles.

The album Darandi was partly mixed in Belize in studios in Benque Biejo and Dangriga by Al Obando, a celebrated Belizean producer. According to Martinez, the album is a tribute to his close friend Andy Palacio, a native of Belize who recently passed away. Martinez met Palacio in Honduras and the two musicians collaborated on several projects. The album is also dedicated to Paul Nabor, whom Martinez has referred to as his musical “grandpa”, the Belizean musician who helped popularize Garifuna music worldwide.

Martinez has been a musical prodigy since childhood. At age 6, he fashioned his first guitar out of fishing line and driftwood. At age 15, Martinez received his first guitar, leading him to a lifetime of producing, writing, and performing music. Although he is primarily known for his singing, guitar playing, and percussion work, Martinez is also a skilled dancer, often performing traditional Garifuna steps during his musical performances.

Perhaps the most popular track on his latest album is Yalifu, the Garifuna word for pelican. Martinez has described how the lyrics “Pelican, lend me your wings so that I can fly,” refers to his childhood separation from his father when he was left behind in Honduras while his father went to work in the United States. Martinez has stated that he wants the song to represent bigger issues as well, dedicated to anyone separated from a loved one and longing to be reunited.

Chabil Mar

Chabil Mar is an award-winning resort located on the Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize and is close to many Garifuna centers such as the town of Dangriga and the villages of Hopkins and Seine Bight where visitors can experience the rich musical heritage of the Garifuna people.

If you close your eyes and imagine the ultimate fantasy wedding in a Caribbean setting, you can practically feel the lovely sea breeze, hear the gentle crash of the sparkling blue waves, and see the pure white sand, tropical flower bouquets, and the face of your beloved beaming with love under a clear blue sky. If you’ve ever imagined getting married in such a place, then Chabil Mar is for you.

Quite simply, Chabil Mar is the ideal destination wedding resort in Belize. Whether you’re planning on an intimate elopement for just the two of you or a gorgeously chic wedding for your closest friends and family, Chabil Mar and its team of wedding professionals will make sure that your special day goes off perfectly. You and your guests will love staying in one of the luxurious villas, strolling through the tropical garden, swimming in the infinity pool, relaxing at the spa, and enjoying gourmet meals on the resort’s seafront piers.

Chabil Mar’s wedding planners have years of experience in arranging ceremonies customized precisely to each guest’s needs. Chabil Mar will assist you with every detail of your special event, including assistance with your marriage documents, filing fees, gourmet catering, floral arrangements, music, and officiants for the ceremony. Chabil Mar will work with you to ensure that your wedding is customized to your exact preferences, letting enjoy one of the most important moments of your life.

When you get married at Chabil Mar, you will be met at the Placencia Airstrip by your valet who will convey you to the resort. Your wedding planner will consult with you to arrange for the bridal bouquet, corsage, boutonnière, wedding cake, photographer, videographer, and other details according to your wishes. You and your spouse will enjoy a special candlelit dinner for just the two of you, and the resort can provide concierge, music, reception, and bar services for your wedding as needed.

After you’re married, you can enjoy a fabulous honeymoon in Belize. Chabil Mar is just a few minutes’ stroll down the beach from the idyllic fishing village of Placencia, famous for its eco-friendly “barefoot ready” environment. Chabil Mar is also the perfect place to head out for fun on the Belize Barrier Reef, a stretch of the Caribbean filled with coral reefs, sandy atolls, and beautiful islands surrounded by clear blue water teeming with colorful fish and marine fauna. The sandy white bottom and richly biodiversity make the reef the perfect place to enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, and sailing.

And there’s much to see and do on the mainland as well, including boat safaris into the jungle, hiking in nature parks, exploring ancient Maya cities, visiting animal sanctuaries, picnicking at waterfalls, horseback riding in the rainforest, zip lining through the jungle canopy, and participating in the uniquely Belizean sport of cave tubing where you float down an underground river on an inner tube.

Your wedding is your special day, one that you will never forget. Begin the rest of your life in an unforgettably beautiful setting with a perfect destination wedding at Chabil Mar.

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on getting married in 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 wedding.

The credit card company American Express recently featured Belize as one of the best places to visit for its cardholders. In a video posted on the company’s Facebook account entitled “Golden Travel Tips,” American Express described how its members can double the number of countries that they visit by taking advantage of stopovers, brief trips taken in between journeys to other destinations. American Express specifically recommended that its North American customers take advantage of special pricing and discounts to make a stopover to Belize when traveling to Argentina or other destinations in South America.

The American Express video received a lot of positive attention, garnering more than 24,000 views and a lot of supportive comments about the idea. With more than 6 million fans, it is likely that the American Express video will do a lot to raise awareness about the benefits of visiting Belize and exploring all of the wonderful attractions in the country.

Belize is located in Central America between Mexico and Guatemala. With hundreds of offshore islands, 200 miles of coastline on the Caribbean, and a diverse interior of rainforests, waterfalls, and jungles, Belize is known for its beautiful nature, warm and friendly locals, and a relaxed approach to life. Thanks to airlines like American, United, Southwest, WestJet, and Delta, it’s easy and affordable to find non-stop flights to Belize from major cities in the United States and Canada. Once in Belize, the small size of the country makes it easy to get around and explore a bevy of attractions, including offshore islands, nature reserves, ancient Maya ruins, and beautiful national parks.

American Express customers who want to see the very best that Belize has to offer should consider staying at the lovely Chabil Mar resort on the Placencia Peninsula. A multiple award-winning resort and a TripAdvisor favorite, Chabil Mar is a quiet oasis of luxury located right on the Caribbean. With a lush tropical garden, gourmet restaurant, open air dining on a beachfront pier, professional spa services, and upscale villas, Chabil Mar guarantees American Express customers a truly “UnBelizeable” experience.

Guests of Chabil Mar are warmly invited to attend Placencia’s popular Lobsterfest in June, a combination street party and cooking combination to come up with the most unusual and savory ways to incorporate the world’s favorite crustacean in a dish. Other popular attractions near Chabil Mar include diving with whale sharks that visit the nearby Gladden Spit each spring.

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.

The 2017 World Happiness Report published by the United Nations gave Belizeans a lot to smile about. Although Belize was only ranked 50th on the list out of 155 countries, this is considered a positive achievement locally in the face of a sluggish economy.

The World Happiness Report broke down measurable happiness into six categories, GDP per capita, social support, healthy life, generosity, perceptions of corruption, and freedom to make choices. Belize gained its strongest scores in the categories of social support and GDP per capita. Unfortunately, Belize lost points in the categories of perception of corruption and healthy life.

Many Belizeans responded by reinforcing their belief that they are very happy in their country, remarking on their gratefulness to live in a free country that has ample natural resources. Belizeans are renowned for maintaining a positive outlook on life even in the face of social and governmental challenges. Reinforcing this idea, John Helliwell, a lead author of the report and an economist at the University of British Columbia, stated that happiness and “human things” matter more to people than monetary gain that comes at the price of losing trust in relationships with other people.

Norway was the clear winner in the 2017 World Happiness Report alongside neighboring Scandinavian countries such as Iceland and Finland. The United States, a country with close ties to Belize, was ranked 14th on the list. Although Belize came in 50th on this year’s UN World Happiness Report, it was ranked the fifth happiest place in the 2014 Happy Planet Index published by the MoveHub company.

The United Nations’ World Happiness Report was first published in 2012 and is designed to provide a tool for the private sector, civil societies, and governments to help focus on improving the wellbeing of citizens, according to Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network division of the UN that published the report.

Chabil Mar

Some of the happiest people in Belize are the guests of the Chabil Mar resort on the Placencia Peninsula. Located just steps from the Caribbean, Chabil Mar is an award-winning resort featuring luxury accommodations set amidst a lush tropical garden. Known for its world-class customer service, guests of the resort can also improve their happiness from the onsite pool, fresh cocktails made to order at the bar, and delicious gourmet meals that can be enjoyed al fresco on the resort’s seafront pier.

Save

Belize Featured on Viva Lifestyle and Travel

The March edition of Viva Lifestyle and Travel magazine contained a featured article entitled “Why Belize Should Be Your Next Undiscovered Getaway.” Written by Bridget Kapinus, the article focused on the many attractions available to travelers in Belize.

Although Belize is a small country in Central America located between Mexico and Guatemala, the country contains an astonishing variety of pristine landscapes, including tropical forests, coral reefs, and sugar sand white beaches. The Viva Lifestyle and Travel article highlighted the many benefits of vacationing in Belize, including the fact that it’s just a few hours’ flying time from the United States and that it’s the only country in the region where English is the official language.

One of the top Belize vacation activities recommended by Viva Lifestyle and Travel was exploring ancient Maya ruins. One of the most prominent of these is Xunantunich, an ancient city-state that still contains 26 enormous temples and palaces. Another top Maya destination recommended by the magazine was Caracol. The secluded location in Belize’s pristine jungles give visitors a unique opportunity to “see the area and local wildlife as the Mayans once did.”

Not to be outdone, the diversity and beauty of Belize’s rain forests were also praised in the Viva Lifestyle and Travel article. Belize is home to more than 2,500 flowering plants, including 250 varieties of orchid (the Black Orchid is Belize’s national flower). But it’s the fauna that truly make the rainforests of Belize come alive, including “enormous tapirs” (Belize’s national animal is Baird’s tapir), anteaters, jaguars, and black howler monkeys. The Viva Lifestyle and Travel also highlighted the fact that more than 500 species of birds have been recorded in Belize, including harpy eagles, keel-billed toucans, and scarlet macaws.

Last but definitely not least, Viva Lifestyle and Travel extolled the beauty of Belize’s offshore islands and reef. Described as “prime territory” for scuba diving and snorkeling, Belize is a world-class destination for exciting marine activities, including the Belize Blue Hole that was one of legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau’s favorite diving spots.

If you want to enjoy a truly unBeliezeable vacation this year, book your travels with Chabil Mar. Located on Belize’s gorgeous Placencia Peninsula, Chabil Mar is a multiple award-winning resort featuring luxury villas, a lush tropical garden, beachfront dining, and a full range of modern conveniences.

Chabil Mar has years of experience in helping plan and organize dream vacations in Belize. If you’d like to see and experience the Belize described in the Viva Lifestyle and Travel magazine article, contact Chabil Mar today.