Sept / Oct 2016 | Business View Caribbean

60 September 2016 - Business View Caribbean Business View Caribbean - September 2016 61 Chabil Mar Resort – Belize Beauty by Belize, luxury by design Mayan for “Beautiful Sea,” the Chabil Mar Resort sits at the end of the 16-mile Placencia Peninsula, a gor- geous strip of palm and mango-covered land that bor- ders the clear blue Caribbean Sea at the southeast- ern tip of Belize. The small, private, guest exclusive, luxury resort opened in 2005. “Placencia was, at that point, getting the attention of the tourism industry in a very different way that it had in previous years,” says co-owner and Director of Sales and Marketing, Larry France.” Up until that time, San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, in the northeast, was the center of the country’s tourist activity. “As a result of the attention, the developer chose to put together a property that was more upscale and different than what was being offered,” France con- tinues. “It was developed with a boutique approach in mind – that it would be an all-villa resort, as opposed to a hotel. And the property was selected because of its proximity to the Village of Placencia, at the end of the peninsula.” Chabil Mar has 19 luxury villas and one honeymoon suite; all have personal verandas, and all are outfitted with Belizean hardwood cabinetry, granite counter tops, marble tiling, and fine linens and bedding. Original art and local artifacts complement the villas’ more modern conveniences, such as air conditioning and wireless internet. The entire Chabil Mar property sits amidst lush tropical gardens and dis- plays with imported plants and flowers from all over Belize that were brought in by the resort’s landscapers and often transplanted in their native soils. AT A GLANCE WHO: Chabil Mar Resort WHAT: A guest-exclusive, luxury, boutique resort WHERE: Placencia Peninsula, Belize WEBSITE : www.chabilmarvillas.com