The Caribbean Tourism Organization just ranked Belize as the second fastest growing Caribbean destination thanks to Belize’s natural beauty, enigmatic Maya history and rich exotic flora and fauna.
Belize remains one of the last unspoiled jewels in Central America and the Caribbean and as you will see in these videos, vacationing in Belize will certainly change your life forever.
Placencia is a sleepy, bohemian fishing village located on the eastern coast of Belize. It’s the kind of place where the sun and the sea conspire to make everyone slow down. But on the last weekend in June, the entire town becomes one big, exuberant beach party during Lobsterfest, celebrating the beginning of the Belizean lobster season.
Here’s how to make the most of your time at Lobsterfest in Placencia:
EAT:
While Lobsterfest is all about the great, clawed crustacean, there is no shortage of edible alternatives among the open-air food vendors. Placencia’s full rainbow of cultural diversity is reflected in the smorgasbord of Lobsterfest food offerings, which showcases Creole, Mayan, Garifuna, Caribbean, and Asian influences.
Should you seek a more refined dining experience, head straight to Rumfish y vino. Owned by a husband and wife team who honeymooned in Placencia, and just couldn’t leave, Rumfish y vino is pure food artistry served in a sophisticated setting. Alternatively, head up the peninsula to the Maya Beach Bistro, where only the epicurean creations will draw your attention away from the gorgeous, Gilligan-like beachfront setting. For authentic local breakfast fare, nurse your party hangover with stuffed fry jacks at DeTatch Cafe or have a breakfast burrito and a smoothie chaser at The Shak Beach Cafe.
DRINK:
The aptly named Tipsy Tuna is ground zero for imbibing among the Lobsterfest celebrants. But watch your back, Mr. Tuna, because the beloved Barefoot Bar has relocated to the beach. If you want to see how the moneyed set knocks ‘em down, you’ll have to put on your shoes before dropping in for a drink at Francis Ford Coppola’s Turtle Inn.
STAY:
It just doesn’t get much better than Chabil Mar Villas, located on a peaceful beach, yet proximate to the Placencia action. Chabil Mar’s guest bicycles and a free van shuttle make getting to and from the village a breeze.
Chabil Mar features exceptional service, lush landscaping and expansive villas equipped with full kitchens and washer/dryers. I may be the only person in the world who relishes the sight of a washer and dryer on vacation. But let’s face it, lobster is messy, and I was mighty glad to have a clean shirt more than once during our stay.
DO:
The challenge will be tearing yourself away from your lounge by the sea. But Placencia is a springboard to the planet’s second largest barrier reef. The fishing, diving and snorkeling are world-class. The folks at Splash Dive Center are friendly, professional and totally in the know about what’s happening on, and under, the sea.
Time for a Belize vacation? Might be wise to consider Belize, a country where almost everything is just visually stunning. Hopefully these 12 shots nudge you into checking out the ATM Cave, Belize Barrier Reef and Chabil Mar, the only guest exclusive resort in Placencia in a country where you will find new adventures around every corner.
The Great Blue is an azure submarine sinkhole that is a paradise for divers in search of crystal-clear water that hides treasures in its depths. It is one of the top attractions in Belize.
Scheduled every year in June, the Placencia Lobsterfest is a grand celebration of the opening of the lobster season in Belize attracting thousands of local and international visitors. If you intend to be in Belize in June, this is a must attend event.
Chabil Mar, Maya for “Beautiful Sea”, is a luxury, boutique resort that appeals to the discerning traveler looking to combine adventure and culturual experience with stylish, upscale and guest exclusive accommodations in Placencia Village . . . with every amenity at hand.
Every year on November 19, Garifuna Settlement day is observed which marks the arrival of the Garifuna people in Belizean territory in 1802. The holiday was created by Thomas Vincent Ramos, a Belizean civil rights activist and is celebrated for a whole week with major festivities that include parades, live music, drumming, dancing, prayers and pageantry in Garifuna communities.
One of those beautiful things in Belize that locals and visitors enjoy is the colorful and Great Barrier Reef. Even Charles Darwin, the world renowned Naturalist loved it that in 1842, he described it as the “most remarkable reef in the west indies.”
One of the most endearing aspects of the Belizean people is their ability to achieve a very real and intimate connection with visitors from any country and every walk of life. The warm and friendly welcome you’ll receive in Belize combined with the breathtaking adventures you’ll experience will stir your soul, expand your mind and forever change your life.
The Belizean Rain forest holds attraction such as rivers, caves, majestic wildlife and remnants of a once great Mayan civilization. Located in the Southern part of Belize, lies the quiet Village of Monkey River where one can gain access to the many sites and wonders found in Belize.
Every year in May, the Chocolate Festival attracts hundreds of visitors from around Belize as well as overseas to Punta Gorda, Toledo District. This lively festival has helped Toledo shed its worn out image as “the forgotten district” and establish it as one of Belize’s vibrant and growing tourism destinations. It also commemorates the tremendous contribution to development in the south made by the Toledo Cacao Growers’ Association (TCGA) and its hundreds of farmer members.
Fishing in Belize is world class! At Chabil Mar, we pair our guests with expert full time captains whom we personally select for their expertise and who are experts regarding the waters in and around Placencia and the outlying Cayes. In fact, most of our captains have been fishing these waters their entire lives. Even the most experienced fishermen will find our guides top notch and relish working with these professionals.
Half Moon Caye in Belize offers divers the chance to go on a wall dive–a dive in which the vertical facades of the earth’s landmasses are explored. The depths at Half Moon Caye (and really at any wall dive) are tremendous, giving you the very correct feeling that you are staring into an abyss. The waters at Half Moon Caye are particularly clear, despite the depth, so you will be able to see all manner of wildlife, including loggerhead turtles, rays, barracuda, and eels.
Locally known as Xibalba or ATM Cave, Actun Tunichil Muknal is one of the most breathtaking caving experiences you will have in Belize. The cave is located in the karstic limestone terrain of Roaring Creek Valley in the Cayo District and is approximately 5 km long and contains a perennial stream that runs through it including a ledge with two stelae and a large chamber full of intact human remains and Maya pots.
According to Archaelogists, Actun Tunichil Muknal was a sacred place to the Maya who utilized the cave during the classic period AD 250-909. Thousands of people are attracted to this cave annually due to its remarkable history, elegant stalagmites and stalactites and the Crystal Maiden, the intact skeleton of a young woman who was sacrificed to the gods.
For more information about Belize, 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.
BETEX, the largest tourism show organized and promoted by the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) will be held next month in Belize City from May 7-12, 2014. According to Herbert Haylock, President of the BTIA, the first BETEX event was organized in 1996 and since then has taken place every two years attracting more than 350 local and international tourism professionals and press representatives.
The travel show is a business to business event that showcases Belize’s travel destinations, hotels, tour operators and other tourism service providers.
“It is an exclusive opportunity for international travel resellers (trade visitors) to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business with local travel suppliers (exhibitors), learn more about Belize, and experience the destination first-hand,” says Mr Haylock, the BTIA President.
Opened only to registered participants, BETEX welcomes travel industry professionals with direct influence over purchasing decisions such as tour operators, wholesalers, travel agents, group travel organizers, corporate travel buyers, event planners, conference organizers, and online travel companies and airlines.
BETEX is an initiative of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA), Belize’s leading national private sector tourism association. BTIA represents a unified voice which advocated for issues that benefit its members, influences tourism policy, legislation and marketing for the sustainable development of the industry and improved quality of the visitor experience.
To learn more about the travel show, please visit the website http://www.betex.bz or contact the show organizers at info@betex.bz.
Divers descend to stalactites in Blue Hole. Tim Rock/Lonely Planet Source: Getty Images
The jawdropping 310 meter wide Great Blue Hole in Belize is currently being featured on Australia’s #1 News Site http://www.news.com.au/. The story was published on April 7 2014 by Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide book publisher in the world which described it as an azure submarine sinkhole that is a paradise for divers in search of crystal-clear water that hides treasures in its depths.
The article reads:
Welcome to the Great Blue Hole near Belize, a spectacular sight which Lonely Planet has explored for the new book The World’s Great Wonders.
From above, it looks like an eye — a large, dark pupil surrounded by a sliver of turquoise iris, framed by the eyelids of the reef. But now that you’re within its embrace, it’s hard to get a sense of its circular shape.
A school of yellow angelfish linger by the reef. A lone parrotfish nibbles on the coral. Pressing on your scuba gear’s purge valve, you follow the stream of bubbles from fellow divers. As you sink lower, you are surprised by the absence of marine wildlife down here. You peer into the darkness, hoping for a glimpse of a turtle, or maybe a shark. But 40m down, there is an even more spectacular sight.
Stalactites. The long swords of limestone, some 10m in length, cling to the roofs of cave inlets. At this depth they appear dirty brown in colour. You approach them tentatively, aware that one flick of a wayward fin could shatter eons of history. After all, stalactites started to form in these caves over 150,000 years ago.
Read the full article here.
For more information about Belize or the Great Blue Hole, 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.
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