Chabil Mar

Each of the rooms have been individually crafted in a traditional Belizean style with wooden interiors and colourful local artworks. All rooms offer views over the turquoise ocean, though some are further back offering direct access to the hotel pool. All rooms feature fully equipped kitchens, perfect should guests want to whip up a meal using local market goodies. For those who prefer to dine out, the Kaleidoscope Bar & Lounge serves up delicious locally-inspired meals including, should guests opt to go fishing, their own catch of the day.

Chabil Mar is a couple of minutes' walk from the region's best dive centre in Placencia, which offers daily diving trips to the iconic Blue Hole as well as Gladden Spit, which has been rumoured to attract, if you're very lucky, whale sharks between March and May. Also on the agenda is the National Park of Laughing Bird Caye, which offers shallow sites ideal for snorkellers and divers alike, while Placencia's barrier reef shouldn't be missed as part of the second largest barrier reef in the world.

Spend surface intervals exploring Placencia, where you can find some fantastic shops and lively bars and restaurants with great food. Adventure addicts can also take guided trips to uncover local Mayan ruins, go hiking through dense rainforest in search of tropical species, go zip-lining, cave-tubing and so much more.