Here in the home of Adventure Romance, the managers and staff at Chaa Creek would be seriously remiss in not wishing lovers around the world a Happy Belize St Valentine’s Day.

Chocolate, long referred to in Belize as “the food of the gods”, is also known as the food of love, and features prominently during Chaa Creek’s Valentine’s Month of Love celebrations, according to the eco resort’s food and beverage manager Bryony Fleming.

With all the attention on the Heartland of Maya during 2012, it’s great to see such positive news and reviews from such internationally recognised travel experts as Trip Advisor and now the BBC and Lonely Planet. It shows that people recognise Belize not just for its position in the heartland of the Maya, but as a high quality, interesting destination in itself.

An exotic Valentine’s Day in a tropical paradise has suddenly become more affordable with the Lodge at Chaa Creek offering a twenty per cent enticement for lovers to enjoy a romantic getaway in the Belizean rainforest.

If there’s any downside at all to a Belize vacation it’s trying to cram so much into the always too short amount of time you have there. Plan as much as you like; new things always present themselves when you arrive in the Jewel, as Belizeans refer to their country.

“Our Valentine’s Day celebrations became valentines week some years back, and the response was so positive, and the guests enjoyed it so much that we began devoting the entire month to love,” Bryony Fleming, the eco resorts food and beverage manager said. Ms Fleming explained that since pioneering the concept of romance adventure in Belize, Chaa Creek has seen a steady rise in interest in their unique approach to weddings, honeymoons, couples’ retreats and other activities.

Over the years Chaa Creek has received numerous awards and accolades, and this new Trip Advisor recognition is particularly satisfying because it comes straight from international travellers themselves.

The Barton Creek Cave Site is best known as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Cayo District, Belize. The cave’s large riverine passage and pristine formations are just two of the reasons why this site is appealing to both local and foreign visitors. Beside its natural beauty, the site is made even more interesting by the presence of a wide range of cultural remains that were deposited within the cave by the ancient Maya.

“We recently noticed that Time magazine gave Chaa Creek a favourable mention in one of their first editions of the new year, and given our focus on presenting factual information about the Maya civilisation, and providing authentic Maya experiences throughout 2012, this was very timely indeed,” Chaa Creek owner and GM Lucy Fleming said.

With a special twist, the wildlife of Belize is once again under the spot light with the latest mention by LonelyPlanet.com

Lonely Planet notes that Belize’s animal and plant life are the stars of the country, thanks to the conservation of its forests and reefs.

Belize’s current road warrior, Norbert from GloboTreks.com was looking for an adventure and asked the guys at Chaa Creek to show him around for the day.

Through this photo essay you’ll witness a collection of iPhone photos that showcase how incredible our Cayo adventure was.

“Walking in a winter wonderland…” That old song always conjures up memories, and for those of us born in northern climes, those memories invoke white pastoral scenes, snow laden fir trees, roaring fireplaces, red cheeks, mittens, even the odd sled or two with tinkling bells. Whether it was Peggy Lee or Dean Martin singing, the song never failed to stir something inside.

We were leaving the Lodge at Chaa Creek by Canoe, bound for San Ignacio. It was getting late and it didn’t seem like we would make it on time before night fall. We are canoe amateurs and getting stuck in the dark wasn’t too appealing. So … we paddled for our lives. See if we made it…

For the adrenaline junkies amongst you, Belize has some seriously exciting, action-packed tours and excursions, offering great diversity and exhilaration. Zip line through the jungle, dive at the world-famous Blue Hole, horseback ride through the jungle, clamber through caves, or hang out with the big fish at night to witness them flashing their bioluminescence.

Travel has the effect of getting you outside of yourself and there is something especially grand and unexplainable about nature, and how it refreshes your body and soul the closer you get to it. One easy way to get close to nature is through outdoor camping. Fortunately, now even individuals who don’t want to sacrifice certain comforts can do it. The question is, can you be convinced to take on glamping for your next vacation?

Adventuring in Belize by Amelia Thomas – Lonely Planet Author
Galloping along Central American mountain trails, accompanied only by the thrum of hooves and the occasional flash of a toucan among the trees, might just be one of the world’s top ways to start your morning. But incredibly, in lovely, lush Belize, where eco-slanted adventure travel is king, the day gets even better from here.

I’M LUCKY. I have the best job in the world and it comes with offices scattered all over Belize. Best of all, you get to come along. One of my offices sits 140 feet in the sky at Ox Witz Ha (Place of Three Hills) and was built by some of the oldest construction workers in the world, the ancient Maya. I am on the top of Caana (Sky Palace) in the Maya city now known as Caracol.

Andrew Zimmern: Chef, Writer, Traveler and TV Host of Bizarre Foods and Bizarre Worlds on The Travel Channel recently tweeted out that he loves Belize.

Lonely Planet Photographer Todd Lawson has spent over 20 years photographing and celebrating the diversity between Sport, Travel and Nature. After recently returning to the Central American nation of Belize, he gave the 3 reasons he visited Belize.

Destination Belize is the flagship magazine for Belize’s tourism industry. It’s what guests find in their hotel rooms and it’s what Belize’s tourism promoters and vendors hand out at travel agencies and trade shows worldwide, basically to say: “This is Belize.” But this year, there’s a change. The 2011 edition was a home grown effort. Since it was launched 15 years ago, the magazine has been published by Ulrich Communications, a US based company. But this year, the BTIA wanted a fresh feel and approach so they brought in Idea Lab studios to give them that fresh look and feel with an international flair.