***Keep reading until the end to discover how to enter an exciting travel sweepstake to Belize***
Thanks to Belize’s unique location, this country is both a Central American gem and a Caribbean paradise all at once. Here you can enjoy their Central American jungles, plus the Caribbean Sea along with so many different adventures and cultures. If you want a vacation that focuses on luxury, wellness, gastronomy and nature, then I highly recommend adding Belize to your bucket list!
Where to stay in Belize:
The best airport to fly into in Belize is Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City. And while Belize City is the biggest city in the country, I recommend focusing on what this beautiful place has to offer outside of the city life. Where you stay makes all the difference and Chaa Creek is one of the best luxury hotel choices in Belize!
Since 1981, Chaa Creek has been a pioneer of Belize’s tourism industry, as one of the first inland properties and a world-renowned Eco Lodge in the region. Their dedication to sustainable tourism and social & environmental work is something to be greatly admired. They perfectly describe themselves as a “wildly civilized luxury resort” and I couldn’t agree more. You are fully amongst nature at Chaa Creek with fantastic outdoor activities surrounding you, but also with all of the lovely amenities you’d expect from an upscale hotel.
When you’re a guest at Chaa Creek’s 400-acre nature reserve, there are a wide range of exciting, educational, and healthy activities at your disposal. Included with your room, you’ll be granted a full breakfast, wifi, along with access to bird watching, a butterfly farm, Natural History Center, canoeing, hiking, and more (which I’ll get into more in the next section). Their 23 cottage style rooms are so dreamy, as they are nestled amongst tropical gardens and feature tastefully appointed interiors with airy palm thatched roofs. The Garden Jacuzzi Suite, Spa Villa, Macal Cottage or Tree Top Villas are particularly luxurious!
In terms of how to spend your time at Chaa Creek, you could easily spend an afternoon enjoying their beautifully appointed, fresh water infinity swimming pool. Its bi-level configuration allows for swimming and paddling pools, as well as generous lounging space. If you want to feel even more relaxed, I would pay a visit to their Hilltop Spa – set above the winding Macal River with a panoramic view of the Maya Mountains and lush Caribbean Rainforest. In other words, you can enjoy a heavenly treatment while listening to the background music of tropical birds and rustling leaves. Truly paradise!
What to do in Belize:
As I mentioned before, Chaa Creek offers its guests an incredible variety of activities to help get the most out of your time in Belize. In fact, they’ve employed Belize’s first adventure specialist so they can craft an experience of a lifetime for you. Whether that be family-friendly adventures like horseback riding, or day trips to explore Maya temples, archeological sites, ceremonial caves and more – there is something for everyone with their carefully designed inland and beach vacation packages.
I personally would sign up for a professionally guided tour to perhaps snorkel in the warm clear tropical waters of the Caribbean reef or an RTV Rainforest Safari Tour! No mater which guided tour you choose, you’ll be sure to learn so much more about Belize through a local and seeing their beautiful country through their eyes is a magnificent experience.
Where to eat in Belize:
Whether you’re staying at Chaa Creek or not, I would highly recommend eating at their Mariposa Restaurant regardless. This is your opportunity to enjoy fine dining in the jungle! The setting is al fresco and romantic, with sounds of birds singing in the surrounding trees during the day or a symphony of night sounds while enjoying a candlelit dinner.
Mariposa Restaurant certainly isn’t your typical, stuffy hotel restaurant. Most of their produce is grown at their organic Maya farm and what they cannot grow, they hand-pick from local producers. Therefore, the food is always fresh, local, and you can enjoy knowing that they support small farmers in the region.
If you want to really eat like a local, I’d recommend an open-hearth culinary class or even heading to a traditional market. In fact, the San Ignacio Belize Market Tour is the perfect way to experience real Western Belize life and witness vendors from nearby and remote communities contribute to the melodic mix of farmers conversing in Maya, English, Creole, English, Spanish, and German!
San Ignacio Market, especially on Saturdays, is filled with staples such as produce, dried fruits, homemade cereals, Maya herbal remedies, and more. There are also sections for souvenir shopping if you’re interested in arts and crafts or clothing. Once you’re done exploring every inch of the market, you can enjoy a number of local restaurants, bars and shops nearby too where you’ll no doubt get to witness firsthand the friendly warmth of Belizeans.
ENTER TO WIN!
My lovely readers can enter for a chance to win a fabulous 7 Night/8 Day luxury all-inclusive Belize vacation for two! The winner will stay at two of Belize’s leading resorts: The Lodge at Chaa Creek in western Belize and Victoria House Resort & Spa on the island of Ambergris Caye. Click here to enter and take a few minutes to fill to out the form (no purchase necessary). You have until August 31, 2021 to enter. Good luck!