Autumn and Joey's First Tour

After a hearty breakfast Autumn and Joey headed out for a full day of fun at the Jaguar Paw for zip lining across the rain-forest canopy follow by a stop at the Belize Zoo. An easy day to start a week long vacation in Belize. 

Wheel of Fortune Celebrity arrives in Belize! 

Black Orchid Resort welcomes Autumn and her fiance Joey to Belize. Follow them as they uncover the Best of Both World Package at the Black Orchid Resort:

Full day Lamanai Maya Site tour

Full day Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave (ATM) tour

Snorkel Hol Chan reserve & Shark Ray Alley

Full day Cave tubing and zip-lining

Beach Day at a private island

Half day Howler Monkey Sanctuary tour

Tour of the Belize Zoo 

Night Crocodile Spotting tour

Congratulation to Team Black Orchid Resort for their Excellent performance in the 16th Annual La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge! Our team placed 1st place in their category and 7th place overall! LA RUTA MAYA BELIZE 2014

Million Dollar Winner to visit Black Orchid Resort!

From ‘Climbing Ancient Mayan Ruins’ to ‘Tough Workout’ and a Million Dollars! Autumn Lynelle Erhard will be doing just that when she arrives to Belize later this month!

Just before being the second Million Dollar Winner ever in the history of Wheel of Fortune, Autumn became the winner of our popular ‘Best of Both Worlds’ jungle and adventure package!

With the win last May, Erhard had to land on the one million dollar grand prize wedge during the show, solve that puzzle, make it to the Bonus Round without hitting bankrupt, spin the wheel and land on the million-dollar card and then solve the final puzzle in the Bonus Round.

But Autumn did all of that, making it to the final round. Even here, though, Autumn would have had a 1-in-24 chance at spinning the million dollar prize in the bonus round and would still have to solve the final puzzle, a feat that seemed nearly impossible when only 4 letters out of 12 were showing on the board. The theme was "Thing," and before most viewers could even think of a guess, Autumn was instantly solving the puzzle, which was "Tough Workout." 

The first person to win the big prize on Wheel was Michelle Lowenstein in 2008, during the first season the million dollars was introduced. This win seems like beautiful serendipity, though. Autumn is 30, was on Wheel on May 30 during the "Celebrating 30" week of the 30th season. Was it fate?

Follow Autumn and her Fiancé Joey as they climb ancient Mayan Ruins in Belize. Will it be better than a  ‘Tough Workout’? 

La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge

'It’s more than just a race’

March 7th, 2014...the start of the 16th Annual La Ruta Maya River Challenge 2014, where more than 60 teams will compete in various categories in this four-day challenge. The competition kicks off on Friday March 7th at 5:30 am from the foot of the Hawksworth Bridge on the Macal River which connects the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena in the Cayo District.This gruesome 180 mile canoe race is more than just a race; it’s everyone’s passion, determination and perseverance to cross the finish line.

The first day of the race starts with the gathering on the banks of  the Macal River in San Ignacio/Santa Elena for the opening ceremonies which features cultural presentations and performances by local artists. The first leg is approximately 46 miles, which often sees the paddlers winding and dodging down the Macal River without losing focus and determined to make it to Banana Bank, the first stop.

The second day of the challenge, the longest of the four days, is often vigorous and tests the paddlers’ stamina and perseverance throughout the 60 grueling miles. From Banana Bank on the Macal River to Double Head Cabbage on the Belize River, each team tries to capitalize as much on their time.

By day three of the race, from Double Head Cabbage to Burrell Boom Village, the challenge usually takes a slightly new turn. The 36 miles of paddling now traverses into deeper waters and requires more experience and skills. Many of the villagers, locals and visitors from around the country gather on the banks of the Belize River to cheer their favorite team. At Black Orchid Resort we often host some of the paddlers and visitors who come to get a closer look as the race passes in front of the resort.

The final day, which normally attracts thousands along the banks of the Belize River, is the shortest of all. The 25 mile run from Burrell Boom Village to Belize City is usually completed in less than three hours. It is always an impressive finish on the fourth day.  The Challenge ends at the Belcan Bridge in Belize City, where thousands gather on the bridge and along the banks to cheer on the teams as they complete the challenge. The winner; however, is the team with the best cumulative time and usually walks away with thousands of dollars in prizes!

In Celebration of this historical event Black Orchid Resort is offering the 4 night free for any visitor planning to visit in March of 2014! Conditions apply.

Black Orchid Resort moving forward in 2014

The new year brought many positive changes and game changing moves for the directors and team of Black Orchid Resort. Never before have we seen so many changes and developments in such a short time! Recently we completed the Thompson Building which includes 3 Garden View Luxury Suites and 4 River Front Luxury Suites, The Sky Roof which includes the roof top lounge and mini pool and The Spa at Black Orchid Resort.

With all the new developments  comes new personnel and at Black Orchid Resort we did just that by hiring the best employees in all of Belize. This action has yield positive guest feedbacks and increase efficiency in customer service delivery and quality assurance. We would like welcome the following personnel who we are confident will make your stay at Black Orchid Resort a super experience.

Raul Rodriguez

As a young and vibrant individual Raul has excelled in his young life and comes to Black Orchid Resort with positive energy for development. Raul has ten (10) year experience in various capacities in the hospitality industry including: food & beverage manager, concierge, tour guide, front desk manager, reservations manager, & recently sales & marketing manager.

The team at Black Orchid Resort welcomes Raul as the sales & marketing manager and look forward to all the positive developments.

Master Chef Dennis Roache

Chef Dennis was born in Kingston Jamaica. He has over 30 years’ experience and specializes in Jamaican and International cuisine. He was trained at the Jamaica Cooker’s School, Oceana Hotel and most 5 star properties in Jamaica.

Chef Dennis arrived in Belize in 1994 in search for a home where he can apply his love for food preparation. He was firstly contracted by Petrojam Ltd. and work as a head chef at the Santa Cruz Lodge for several years. Over the years Chef Dennis shared his experience in several high end properties including Best Western, Captain Morgan’s, Caye Chapel, Cayo Espanto and most recently at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence in Belmopan.  

We welcome Chef Dennis to the Black Orchid Resort and look forward to delicious gourmet meals!

Cesar Elder Vasquez

Cesar was born in the beautiful Spanish speaking town of Orange Walk. Throughout his childhood he moved constantly and relocated to different towns and villages since his dad served in the police department. His love for his country became evident at an early age as he traveled every year to a different location in Belize.

Cesar has worked in the Tourism Industry for over
12 years in a wide range of capacities which include Marine Guide & Supervisor, Boat Captain, Terrestrial Guide, and Dolphin & Animal Care Trainer. He has special training in Customer Service, Historical and National Interest, Archeology, Natural History, & Healthy Reefs and Animal Care. He is an advocate for responsible tourism and ensures that this is promoted in his tours and activities.  He has led both international universities and college groups throughout various locations in Belize always ensuring that each and every client need is well taken care of.

We are happy to Welcome Cesar to our team at Black Orchid Resort and know that each minute spent in his capable hands will be worth your while. Click here to view tour options

 

 Staicy Montero

The very young Staicy recently joined our team as the spa therapist for the newly constructed Spa at Black Orchid Resort. Staicy received all her training from the Holistic School of massage and has worked at a very prominent facility before joining the team at Black Orchid Resort. We guarantee that every time spent with her will be revitalizing, relaxing and rejuvenating. Click here to view our spa facilities and treatment options.

 As 2014 proceeds we will continue to bring exciting news as we look forward to hosting you on your next Belize Vacation.

Christmas in Belize 

More than any other holiday Christmas is a truly multicultural celebration in Belize. It has to be, with over 10 ethnic groups in a population of around 300,000 people. Christmas traditions are freely shared and borrowed.

So while Belizeans share the European or North American rituals of decorating Christmas Trees , hanging lights outside their homes, exchanging greeting cards and baking fruitcakes, they also look forward to homegrown festivities. For what is a Belizean Christmas without a sip or two of country wines, picking up a fork and grater and singing traditional "Brukdown" songs like "Good Morning Miss Lady," and other favorites from the Ole Time Creole Christmas "Bram"? Belizeans still wait to greet the Garifuna Jonkuno dancers on Christmas day, are enthralled by a performance of the Maya "Deer Dance" or a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph looking for an inn as part of "Las Posadas."

Whatever ethnic group or combination thereof, a Belizean may consider himself or herself to be, one commonality is that Christmas is traditionally a time to visit family and friends. To prepare for all these people making the rounds, weeks go into making everything like "new." Everyone pitches in to clean the house from top to bottom, hang new curtains and lay fresh "marley" (linoleum).

There is a frenzy of baking, searching for fresh ingredients for holiday meals, stocking up of rum and flagging down the coca-cola trucks circling the neighborhoods to load up on cases of soft drinks.

The typical Creole "kriol" Sunday dinner of rice and beans and potato salad is spiced up at Christmas with the addition of turkey, stuffing AND ham in place of stewed chicken followed by rich black fruit cake laced with rum or brandy. The Mestizo specialty is white relleno, a delicious soup with pork stuffed chicken or mechado olives, raisins, saffron, or pebre roast pork with gravy all served with hot corn tortillas. Christmas dinner for the majority of Mayans might be tamales with chicken while families who raise pigs or turkey might use this as a substitute for chicken on this special occasion.

Spirits are an important part of the Christmas season, which in Belize lasts for two weeks, longer than in some countries, yet considerably shorter than the Belizean Christmases of the old mahogany cutting days. Back then, African slaves, free laborers and more recently, in our grandparents' time, the Waikas, an Amerindian group from Nicaragua, used to end their season in the forests with a month-long "spree" in Belize Town, now Belize City.

Although the settlement's men no longer find themselves separated from the womenfolk for months at a time, the festive atmosphere and the free flow of money and rum, remain.

So does the pilgrimage to Belize City, specifically to downtown Albert Street to buy their fancy curtain material, toys for the children or Christmas candies. The buses are packed, and the streets are elbow-to-elbow as shoppers squeeze their way past street vendors selling special imports of apples, grapes and pears.

Central American immigrants sell all manner of glassware and Christmas ornaments on the street-side while the more permanent merchants, the descendants of colonial families, or recent arrivals from India or Taiwan do a brisk trade in everything imaginable, from clothing and shoes to porcelain figurines, television sets and cd players.

Of course it is not just about food, or shopping. With over 70% of Belizeans considering themselves Christians, the celebration of the nacimiento (birth of Christ) is well established throughout the country and across the various cultures. Most celebrations from the Las Posadas to the Deer Dance include prayers, vigils and a midnight Mass or "Misa de Gallo" on Christmas Eve.

So as you can see, Belizeans still love their Christmas, and the various cultures all contribute something unique to the holiday mix. It is a great time of year to share in these traditions that have been handed down for generations. Join us in Belize this Christmas.

by Karla Heusner