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The latest news and images from Belize!!

Remaxvipbelize - Placencia

It was a very exciting couple weeks in the news for Belize!! There was a ton of positive attention all over different media – it started with Lonely Planet placing Belize as #10 on their list of top ten places to go in the world, in 2019… For a tiny country this is a HUGE accomplishment!!! See HERE

Then GQ, the knower of all things cool, proclaimed that BELIZE was the place to go – and to skip trendy, super-cool Tulum this year!! See HERE….

Then, the same week, Belize was announced the fastest-growing place in the Caribbean…

Caribbean Journal announced Belize is the fastest-growing Caribbean destination based on September’s tourism results!! See HERE
Belize and the Caribbean were labeled Zika-free – YAY! Read on HERE

Tropic Air announced a new direct flight from Belize City to Mexico!! Using the puddle jumpers makes getting around neighboring countries super easy and quick – the customs at the small private airports are a breeze and you feel like a VIP 🙂 In local exciting news – on the island of Ambergris Caye, Maya Island Air opened a swanky, new airport in San Pedro!!! It doesn’t even look like Belize – super posh….check out the pics HERE!

And continuing with the poshness that seems to be developing around Belize (but verrrrry slowly!) the amazing new swanky store, Mirab’s, in Belize City, opened up the first Ashley furniture in the country – Belize has VERY few chain stores – you can almost count them on one hand, int the whole country. So when a chain opens here, it is a mixture of – everyone feels upset because this goes against the grain – and also, relief that it makes it just a bit easier to live here and get things you’d like to have to live 🙂 Check out the store HERE!

And nothing talks about Belize like the pictures you can take here – the country is a paradise for photographers. Here are some of our favorites over the last couple weeks – a walk through Placencia Village, getting pretty for high season!!
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
And some San Pedro favorites…
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
Remaxvipbelize - San Pedro favorites
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
And finally a shot of the fabulous Mirab’s 🙂
Remaxvipbelize - Placencia Village
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Top news from Belize this month!

Remax Vip Belize: Latest news out of Belize
Once in a while I like to round up all the happenings in this country, as I follow these like a hawk, and it might be helpful to have a summary of what’s been going on that you may have missed! As always, this tiny country somehow always ends up in world wide news pretty frequently. Here is the latest stuff!!
(and enjoy some totally unrelated-to-the-news-stories pics of Belize sprinkled throughout)

Remax Vip Belize: world wide news pretty
Silk Caye
—In arguably the biggest news for Belize, the government just signed a deal to start building a $100 million international airport on Ambergris Caye!

—A $33 million sports arena – seriously state of the art – just opened in Belize City after 2 years in the making:
Remax Vip Belize: Belize City

Rick’s Cafe
—This is a bit of a niche area, but interesting – apparently Rugby is becoming a big thing in Belize!
—I have followed this amazing green decor line for years – they just featured Itzana from Placencia!
Remax Vip Belize: Itzana from Placencia
Ranguana Caye
—Forbes has been hot for Belize in the last couple years, they decided in this article that it was one of the top 30 cheapest places to travel:
—Love this article from centralamerica.com highlighting some of the crazy sounding food you can sample here:
Remax Vip Belize: crazy sounding food
Tipsy Tuna beach
—Wow – here Belize is rated by the Telegraph and one of the world’s most underrated destinations:
—I was thrilled to hear that Tropic Air is going to be starting a miles program fro frequent travelers here!
Remax Vip Belize: frequent travelers
Barefoot Bar
—New non stop flight between Toronto and Belize!
—Hilton just opened one of the first branded properties in Belize:
Remax Vip Belize: Barefoot Bar
Friends Near the Pier
—Belize won the Bronze at the Central Amercian games in basketball – this is amazing in such a small country!
—And recently Placencia had its End of the World Marathon!
Remax Vip Belize: World Marathon
Tipsy Tuna
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Belize Independence Day in Placencia, 2017!!!

Remaxvipbelize - Belize Independence Day

What a fun day…many people said this was the biggest and best parade ever! Our guests had a blast tailgating at the parade, and then some followed the party down to the pier later at night. Here is a sampling of pictures from the day to give you an idea of what to expect, it is a very fun time to have a vacation here!

Remaxvipbelize - Belize Independence Day in Placencia, 2017
 Our guests tailgating during the parade!!
Remax Vip Belize - Our guests
 Even CBC mascot Sticks was in on the fun
Remaxvipbelize - Our guests
 These little guys were awesome…two miles of drills!
Remaxvipbelize - Our guests
 Awesome floats
Remaxvipbelize - Awesome floats
Remaxvipbelize - The pier
 Heading to the pier
 Beautiful costumes everywhere!
Remaxvipbelize - Beautiful costumes
 Pretty much everyone was dancing, you couldn’t help it!
Remaxvipbelize - Pretty much everyone was dancing
 At the end of the 2 mile drill!!

Be here next September 21st!!!!

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September fun events, Belize Hurricane stats, and other Belize news!

Remax Vip Belize -September fun events

How often does a hurricane hit Belize/Placencia?

This has been a very stressful hurricane season for the Caribbean as we all know by now. It has led to a lot of panic throughout the region, and if you happen to be traveling to the Caribbean right now, you are probably not very happy about your timing. I wanted to take a look at Belize’s hurricane history to find out your chances of being impacted during hurricane season here. Here’s the highlights of my research….

  • Since 1930, there have been 16 Hurricanes.
  • 8 were Major Hurricanes, that either made landfall in Belize or passed close enough to cause damage or loss of life.
  • 17 systems made landfall in Belize as Tropical Storms.
  • Average years between direct hurricane hits – 6.59
  • Average years between MAJOR hurricane hits – 24.16
  • Average years between being brushed or hit with a major storm – 2.84
  • Months when storms are most likely – September and October
Placencia itself was touched by Hurricane Earl in 2016, and was massively damaged by Hurricane Iris in 2001. There aren’t too many reports of major hits in the 100 years before this – minor to moderate damage in the 1940’s and once in the 1960’s. So if you look at a specific village – the chances of that specific village getting hit are still pretty low – so, statistically – I would not plan your vacation around it!!
Remax Vip Belize: Photo by Cecil Johnson
Photo by Cecil Johnson – HERE are more pics from Hurricae Iris in 2001, when 95% of the village was damaged…

On to more uplifting topics…..

September Fun Times!

If you are here in September you are in luck! The two weeks leading up to Belize Independence Day on the 21st are one big party! You will find a lot of parades, music, and festivals during this time. Here are three things you can have fun with in Placencia in the coming weeks….

9/9 and 9/10 – Fishing Tournament – see HERE (always fun to watch down at the pier!)
9/10 – St George’s Caye Day – See HERE for more info
9/21 – Belize Independence Day – See HERE for more info….

Remax Vip Belize: Belize Independence Day
Image from prweb.com of a past Placencia Belize Independence Day

And finally…..here are the latest news articles about Belize, in case you missed them!

  • ATM Cave tour was ranked as one of the most terrifying (thrilling?) things to do in the world…..
  • The Fort Worth Star Telegram thinks Belize is an amazing tropical getaway with something for everyone….
  • Although this one sends a mixed message, apparently environmentalists are impressed/surprised at the health of the reef in Belize, despite the massive growth….
  • Forbes thinks that Belize is worth looking at as an international investment….
  • Hoffman’s Houston thinks you’ll have a pretty good time here in Belize…
  • And so does The Spokesman Review….
And I’ll finish with my top five favorite photos I found this week on Instagram, from Placencia vacationers!
Remax Vip Belize: Placencia vacationers
 @everydaycayes (ranguana caye)
Remax Vip Belize: anguana caye
@infiniteroadmaps (Tradewinds near the pier)
Remax Vip Belize: Tradewinds near the pier
@mb_outside (Barefoot Bar)
Remax Vip Belize: Barefoot Bar
@niki_spaniol (Laughingbird Caye)
Remax Vip Belize: Laughingbird Caye
@3fatlabs
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WestJet announces non-stop Belize City flights!

Remax Vip Belize : WestJet announces non-stop Belize City flights

Remax Vip Belize: non-stop Belize City flights!

Airline becomes the only Canadian carrier flying non-stop to Belize City.

CALGARY, Aug. 8, 2016 /CNW/ – WestJet announced today it will begin serving Belize City, Belize, non-stop from Toronto Pearson International Airport starting October 29, 2016.

Starting August 1, 2016, WestJet also began year-round, non-stop service between Calgary and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Both announcements come on the heels of WestJet’s recent winter schedule announcement of more than 85 new flights across its growing network.

“WestJet is proud to become the only Canadian carrier to fly non-stop to the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Commercial. “The flight’s departure time will allow guests to connect seamlessly from many cities across Canada to a destination known for its large Canadian ex-pat community. WestJet continues to respond to the needs of the communities we serve by delivering more choice, competition and lower fares to Canadian travellers. The launch of service to Belize and our new, year-round service to JFK underlines our commitment to making air travel better in Canada.”

“With Canada being one of the strong source markets for tourist arrivals in Belize, we are extremely excited about this new direct route,” said Karen Bevans, Director of Tourism for Belize. “We welcome WestJet’s first direct flight to Belize, which we guarantee will boost the demand for Canadian travel to our unique destination. Belize and Canada have shared strong ties for many years, so we anticipate that this direct flight from Toronto to Belize City will encourage even more Canadians to venture south to our beautiful jewel.”

Remax Vip Belize: Westjetdepartures

SOURCE WestJet

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Placencia— named Central America’s Leading Beach Destination

Remaxvipbelize - Caribbean destination

Remax Vip Belize: Placencia, Belize

[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″] Not only do we have mile upon mile of stunning beaches, but Placencia is truly the perfect base from which to discover the amazing islands and dives site off the coast, as well as to explore everything that Belize has to offer inland, such as the rainforest, Mayan ruins, cave tubing and zip lining. You can be watching the howler monkeys in the rainforest in the morning and be snorkeling amongst eagle rays and dolphins in the afternoon. I think the award is very well-deserved.

Ben Mason, Belize Ocean Club [/quote]

Mr. Einer Gomez, Vice Chairman of the Belize Tourism Board received the “Leading Beach Destination in Mexico & Central America” accolade for Placencia, as well as the “Leading Destination in 2015″ for Ambergris Caye. This year has been a great year for Belize, with the development of outstanding properties, cruise ship terminals and possibly a new airport. The World Travel Awards earned by Belize also confirm what we have known all along: This country is a paradise waiting to be discovered.

[youtube height=”330″ width=”550”]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlzDOIRQFkU[/youtube]

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Southwest Airlines Begins Daily Flights to Belize From Houston !

Remax Vip Belize : Southwest Airlines Begins Daily Flights to Belize From Houston

As of October 15th 2015, daily flights between Houston and Belize City as well as six other destinations will begin. After receiving U.S. government approval of the new service, Southwest has begun selling these flights at Southwest.com, offering Customers nonstop options between Houston (Hobby) and four destinations in Mexico—Cancun, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos—as well as flights to San Jose, Costa Rica, and Belize City, Belize.

Remax Vip Belize: Belize City, Belize

“We’re building our first-ever international terminal project to give Houstonians, visitors to Houston, and our connecting Customers exceptional value and legendary Customer Service in international markets for which there is great demand.” — Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman, President, and CEO.

Belize as well as the other new flight destination countries are expected to benefit from what’s called the “Southwest Effect“, where there is an average decrease in airfares of as much as 30 percent wherever Southwest goes. US Ambassador Carlos R. Moreno said Southwest Airline’s arrival is what you call a “win-win”. The airline has access to one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the hemisphere and passengers benefit from low fares.

Remax Vip Belize: Southwest Airlines destination map, October 2015
Southwest Airlines destination map, October 2015
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Caribbean Beach Cabanas is ready for guests!

Remaxvipbelize - Caribbean Beach Cabanas
It has been a huge week here! Almost all of the bamboo has gone up and the casita is looking really exotic and stunning! Pictures will tell it best…..but Caribbean Beach Cabanas are almost done with phase 1 and we are ready for guests!!! 🙂 Here are some of the highlights from the last week!
Close up of the new bamboo porch….

Remaxvipbelize - Caribbean Beach Cabanas is ready for guests
 A couple beach morning pictures…..pre 6am!
Remaxvipbelize - Morning pictures
 New sign on the beach…
Remaxvipbelize - New sign on the beach
 Beautiful sunrise!
Remaxvipbelize - Beautiful sunrise
Remaxvipbelize - Beautiful sunrise
View from farther back of the casita….
Remaxvipbelize - View from farther back of the casita
 Inside the casita….
 Remaxvipbelize - Inside the casita

Also this morning….Dave has a new admirer….a cute little black cat. I walked out and Dave was holding her….she seemed so sweet that I thought maybe we had a new pet on our hands. Then we tried to introduce her to Sticks and all hell broke loose. She tried to scratch him and he freaked out.

I mean haven’t we ever seen a cartoon before??? Bad idea! Now the cat won’t leave and Sticks is mad.

Remaxvipbelize - Inside the casita

Victor and Dave are working on the last of the cabinet doors for the inside, some outdoor seating for the casita porch, and then building new beds for the cabanas!!

The weather has remained beautiful here! I am not sure this is typical rainy season but it is gorgeous and I would take this weather any season! 🙂