Visitors Pick Belize as a Top Honeymoon Destination

(Vocus/PRWEB) April 05, 2011

Belize, previously known for beautiful diving along the hemisphere's largest Barrier Reef, its pristine rainforests, and as the heartland of Maya culture, is increasingly attracting attention as an exciting honeymoon destination, according to the managers of the Lodge at Chaa Creek - Belize's premier eco-resort.


"We've been seeing a real surge of interest in Belize honeymoon vacation packages," Chaa Creek general manager Lucy Fleming said, "and using informal surveys of our honeymooning guests, we put together a list of top ten reasons for honeymooning in Belize.
The list, recently posted on the Belize Travel Blog, includes:


One - The beautiful Caribbean location
Guests report that the Caribbean conjures up feelings of romance and adventure, and Belize sits in the very heart of the Caribbean.


Two - The bIn addition to having a stunning Caribbean coastline, Belize's Central American location makes it a short hop from US and Canadian airports. The ability to combine a Caribbean holiday with Central America's pristine rainforests and exotic wildlife, jungle rivers, ancient Maya temple sites and other attractions rates highly among honeymooning guests.



Three - excellent weather
Belize's weather, with average yearly temperatures of around 81°F (27°C) along the coast and about 69°F (21°C) in the hills of the interior and not much fluctuation between seasons, is perfect for honeymooning any time of the year.


Four - affordability
Belize's close proximity to the US and Canada makes for inexpensive travel, and in-country costs are cheaper than most Caribbean holiday spots. All-inclusive Belize vacations such as those offered by Chaa Creek provide real value for money, and with dining, entertainment and car hire very reasonable, Belize is regarded as one of the Caribbean's most affordable honeymoon destinations.


Five - so much to do
With beautiful Caribbean beaches and a vibrant, pristine forested interior filled with Maya temples and archaeology sites, there is no end of things to do while on honeymoon. Horseback and mountain
bike rides or hikes through gorgeous jungle trails, swimming, canoeing, caving or just relaxing in a hammock are just a few of the many things to do during a Belize honeymoon holiday.
Six - a Belizean honeymoon is stress free
Its tiny size, uncrowded ambience and friendly, English speaking populace makes it easy to get around Belize, and the money, pegged two-to-one to the US dollar (which is gladly accepted everywhere), is simple to work out. Honeymooners say the overall ease of experiencing Belize makes for a relaxed yet exotic honeymoon.

Seven - Belize's friendliness
One of Belize's greatest attributes is her people, a multicultural mix of racial harmony and tolerance. Visitors all say they feel very welcome in this friendly little country.

Eight - The ultimate Surf and Turf honeymoon holidays
Only 180 miles long by 70 wide and encompassing everything from the huge Belize Barrier Reef, hundreds of Caribbean islets, white sand beaches along the coast to the misty Maya Mountains, lush rainforest, the Mountain Pine Ridge, rolling savannah, an incredible network of Maya sacred caves and remnants of temples and massive cities, Belize is becoming regarded as the world's premier surf and turf vacation land. All-inclusive surf and turf packages such as Chaa Creek's Rainforest and Reef combinations give easy, affordable access to the best of two very distinct, special worlds.
The ability to wake up to the sounds of parrots and toucans in a vibrant rainforest, take a tour of a fascinating Maya temple, horseback ride a jungle trail, and then finish off the afternoon with a piña colada while relaxing on a beautiful Caribbean island beach after snorkelling in clear turquoise water makes for an unforgettable honeymoon experience.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/04/05/prweb8271190.DTL#ixzz1IeHAPoA9

Sustaining the Village of Bomba, Belize with Safe Solar Powered LED Lighting

Recently, the village of Bomba, Belize took a huge step forward in technology with help from the Austin, TX-based U.S. organization Grid Earth (http://www.gridearth.org), also known as GEAR. GEAR’s mission is to bring in solar powered LED lighting that will eliminate the use of harmful kerosene in homes and help sustain these lights by aiding in the economic growth of their village partners by selling their handcrafted wares on their website.

Austin, TX (Vocus/PRWEB) March 24, 2011

Grid Earth (GEAR) is sustaining their promise to bring safe solar-powered LED Lighting to underdeveloped villages in hopes they never return to using harmful kerosene again. How? They provide a valuable worldwide outlet for the distant villages they visit to sell their handcrafted wares on their website as well as high quality "off the grid" type solar products.

Grid Earth's recent trip in November 2010 to Bomba, Belize was a complete success, and they are proud to announce that the village is doing very well without using kerosene lamps. All the Solar Powered LED Lamps Grid Earth donated to the village are working without failure. The people of Bomba were additionally excited when Grid Earth purchased their fine wood bowls to sell on their website. Not only is the rare fallen hardwood for these beautiful bowls found in the jungle (with jaguars), but each artisan in the village hand carves the fallen wood to the shape the wood was meant to hold. A true work of polished art is left behind for clients to purchase and cherish for years to come. The sale of these handcrafted bowls helps to fund more trips as well as stimulates and sustains the economy of Bomba, Belize. Grid Earth will continue to buy and sell bowls from the distant village so the village has the money to grow and sustain their new lights.

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Sustaining the Village of Bomba, Belize with Safe Solar Powered LED Lighting

Exciting New Sustainable Tourism Project

(Vocus/PRWEB) March 15, 2011

Will international tourism protect or degrade the natural assets of developing countries? In its continual development of responsible travel strategies, The Lodge at Chaa Creek welcomes an exciting new sustainable tourism project now underway in Belize.
The project, a collaborative effort between Cornell University in the USA and Planeterra, a non-profit organization founded by Gap Adventure, is part of an ongoing program of "supporting communities through travellers' desire to give back."
The goal of the project is to help develop better sustainability management tools for the hospitality and tourism industry in Belize. As international tourism is now worth some US$900 billion dollars ($4 billion in Central America alone) and having a major impact on developing nations, the need to ensure that tourism provides long term benefits for host countries and not just short term gain for the industry is crucial.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/03/15/prweb8208438.DTL#ixzz1Go8K2QhV

Belize banishes destructive Trawling

One of the world's smallest nations has made a monumental decision for the oceans. As of today, Belize is one of the first countries in the world toinstitute a complete and permanent ban on trawling in all of its waters.

Bottom trawling is one of the most destructive fishing methods in existence. Bottom trawlers are equipped with massive, weighted nets that effectively clear-cut the ocean floor, destroying sensitive coral communities and anything else in their path.

Meanwhile, shrimp trawls -- which were operating in Belize until now -- operate in midwater, so they pose a different threat. They catch more untargeted species, or bycatch, than almost any other kind of fishing gear. Thousands of sea turtles, marine mammals and untargeted fish are caught in shrimp trawlers around the world every year.

read more

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ted-danson/belize-banishes-destructi_b_793963.html

Belize’s Chaa Creek One of World’s Top Ecotourism Destinations

Chaa Creek shares the distinction with only sixteen other world class eco resorts in Kenya, Australia, Morocco, India and other exotic locales in Hitesh Mehta’s new book, Authentic Ecolodges, which publisher Harper Collins describes as “A must have reference guide, perfect for anyone interested in the future of tourism facilities, sustainable architecture, and the health and well-being of our planet”

One of the world’s foremost landscape architects, environmental planners and architects has included The Lodge at Chaa Creekin his new book’s list of the world’s top ecolodges.
Chaa Creek shares the distinction with only sixteen other world class eco resorts in Kenya, Australia, Morocco, India and other exotic locales in Hitesh Mehta’s new book, Authentic Ecolodges, which publisher Harper Collins describes as “A must have reference guide, perfect for anyone interested in the future of tourism facilities, sustainable architecture, and the health and well-being of our planet”
Chaa Creek owner and GM Lucy Fleming said that she was honoured to have her family’s Belizean eco resort included in the distinguished list.
“It certainly is an honour to share company with such eminent, beautiful resorts from around the world. To be honest, Chaa Creek evolved into what it is over a period of time, so this is more a recognition of fitting in with nature rather than following a strict building plan,” Ms Fleming said.
Chaa Creek began life as a family farm started along the banks of Belize’s Macal River by Lucy and her husband Mick in the 1970’s. It has since grown into a private 365 acre nature reserve and resort with a natural history centre, medicinal plant trail, stables, pool and spa. With over 70 Maya archaeological sites catalogued on the property and located between the ancient cities of Caracol and Tikal, Chaa Creek is also a hub for Maya culture and research.
Mr Mehta’s new book is the result of 30 months research travelling through 46 countries around the world. As a board member of the International Ecotourism Society he also authored The International Ecolodge Guidelines, as well as other books, articles and papers. He is also a renowned speaker and photographer.
In addition to its natural beauty, Chaa Creek was noted for its conservation programs, such as the Black Howler Monkey Reintroduction Project, its Maya sites and ecoadventure activities such as canoeing, trekking, jungle mountain biking, caving, Maya exploration and cultural and eco-oriented tours and expeditions.
“It is great to see that our labour of love is recognised internationally, and that there are other resorts around the world using sustainable practices in such beautiful ways,” Ms Fleming said.
For more information about The Lodge at Chaa Creek, contact the property toll free 877-709-8708, reservations(at)chaacreek(dot)com or visit our website http://www.chaacreek.com.

Belize’s Chaa Creek One of World’s Top Ecotourism Destinations

Paddling our way through paradise

Outstanding guides show us the best Belize has to offer in birdwatching, fishing and scuba diving

 

BY JIM COCHRANE, EDMONTON JOURNAL NOVEMBER 20, 2010

 

 

Hanging upside down in our overturned sea kayak, we were desperately trying to remember our guide's recent instructions -- "Pull the 'Oh s--t' tab and if you can't find it, punch out your spray skirt with your knees."

This was the part that I secretly feared when my wife, Kathryn, and I planned our trip to Belize.

It was clear from the information on the Island Expeditions website that we would be tipping our kayaks, escaping and eventually getting back in as part of our trip, but being in my 70s, sporting a hip replacement and having never kayaked before, I was a bit apprehensive. But, under the watchful eyes of the staff, we were successful in righting our kayak and climbing safely back in. Whew.

This was the second part of a trip that we had booked with Island Expeditions in March of this year. For the first leg we spent three days at Birds Eye View Lodge, located on the shores of the Crooked Tree Lagoon in Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Belize.

From our balcony the lagoon looked to be blanketed with thousands of birds. And a trip on the water in a small boat brought us within camera range of many varieties of birds. The Jabiru stork is just one of over 250 resident and migrating bird species commonly seen around the lodge.

 We saw 27 varieties in two days there. This is truly a birdwatcher's paradise, with birders from all over the world coming to Crooked Tree nature reserve.

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Paddling our way through paradise

Belize Offers Convenient Living And Bargain Priced Beach Homes

Published on:

Friday, November 19, 2010

Written by:

Property Wire

Fun, friendly and laid back, Belize offers expats an affordable Caribbean lifestyle with all the amenities of modern American life. Located just a short two-hour plane ride from Houston and with a friendly dollar exchange rate, Belize is a convenient retirement destination with bargain beachfront properties. See the following article from International Living for more on this.

It’s early afternoon and I’m flying 10,000 feet above the Caribbean. The other 12 passengers are a mixture of locals…and expats who came here for a few days and never left.

This is Belize—seductive, easy, friendly. Now that I’ve been here a few days, I’m wondering if a return flight is really necessary.

My little beach hut in Placencia is $80 a night, and could comfortably sleep a family of four. It has wireless Internet, TV, microwave, coffee machine. Although I don’t think I’ll get a chance to use any of it—too much beach to explore to watch TV…

…and about 60 seconds along the beach is a restaurant that serves great coffee and plays Fleetwood Mac . A few miles beyond that is the beach resort owed by Francis Ford Coppola—it’s $200 to $400 a night to stay there.

Belize—and Placencia in particular—is a fun, friendly, laid-back, easy place, that, for some reason, not many people seem to know about.

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Belize Offers Convenient Living And Bargain Priced Beach Homes