Chabil Mar Luxury Villas is an adults-and-families beach resort on the Placencia peninsula, in southern Belize, with twelve rooms and villas of between about nine hundred and two thousand square feet that sleep two to six guests. Types include partial ocean-view villas, sea-view and oceanfront villas, a honeymoon villa and two-storey villas, most with kitchens. The property page lists two beachside infinity pools, a private beach and pier with loungers, a full-service spa, a health club with yoga classes, Cafe Mar on the sand, a palapa bar and a roaming butler service that serves meals anywhere on the grounds. It is about five minutes on foot from Placencia Village, which makes it a rare luxury stay with a walkable village at hand, and its guest ratings are very high.
Location and getting around. Placencia is a long, narrow peninsula, with the village at its southern tip, and Chabil Mar sits on the beach a short walk from it. That makes it easy to stroll to restaurants, shops and the pier for snorkel, fishing and day-trip boats, and the resort provides free bicycle rentals.
Be realistic about the journey
The property page puts the international airport about three hours away by road, so most guests fly into Placencia airstrip on a short domestic flight or accept the drive, and it is worth discussing transfers with the resort before you arrive.
The villas. With only twelve units the resort feels private rather than corporate, and each villa has air conditioning, a kitchen, a flat-screen television and Wi-Fi. The partial ocean-view villas are the entry point, and the sea-view and oceanfront villas bring the water closer. Two-bedroom and two-storey villas suit families and small groups, while the honeymoon villa is aimed at couples. Because kitchens are provided, you can mix cooking with meals at Cafe Mar, and the roaming butler service is a luxury touch that lets you eat on the sand or by the pool.
Who it suits and what to know. It suits couples, families and groups who want privacy, a beach and good service in the Placencia area, with Laughing Bird Caye snorkelling, Monkey River and Cockscomb Basin excursions arranged on request. Kayaking, fishing and snorkel or dive trips to the barrier reef are available through the resort, and yoga is offered on the beach.
Breakfast is cooked to order and charged per person, there is no lift, so upper floors are reached by stairs, and pets are not allowed, although service animals are welcome. Check-in is in the afternoon and evening, so plan arrival times around flights and the long road from the main airport.
Why stay here
- ✓Private beach and pier
- ✓Two beachside infinity pools
- ✓Full-service spa
- ✓Cafe Mar and palapa bar
- ✓Roaming butler service
- ✓Kitchens in every villa
- ✓Free bicycle rentals
- ✓Beach yoga and health club
Good questions
How far is Chabil Mar from Placencia Village?+
About five minutes on foot, according to its property page, so shops and restaurants are an easy walk.
How do I get there from the airport?+
The international airport is around three hours by road, so many guests take a short domestic flight to the Placencia airstrip. Ask the resort about transfers.
Do the villas have kitchens?+
Yes, kitchens are listed in the rooms, and breakfast and other meals are also served at Cafe Mar and by the butler service.
