“We took a booth this year in the long-haul destination area of the show, close to the Nicaragua and Panama booths, creating a “Central America” section which allowed us to concentrate on quality enquiries, and generating strong sales prospects for BHA’s Global Marketing Initiative participants.”

BHA representative, Sandra van Noord, also took the opportunity to attend a TUI party in Amsterdam. She said,

“TUI is Europe’s leading travel group, operating in 180 countries worldwide and with 30 million customers. We’ve met with them several times at various travel events, and their interest in Belize is steadily growing to the point where they are now ready to visit Belize with a view to expanding their range of holidays. This is a particularly exciting development for us, with the prospect of accessing the huge potential the European market offers.”

In Canada, Robin McCutcheon and Steve Christensen represented the BHA in Toronto at the Toronto Ultimate Travel Show, and enticed visitors to the booth with maps, bookmarks, and the wonderful “Hot Mama’s fudge” give-aways.

Robin commented
“Belize had a great presence at the show, and we benefitted from a prime location opposite a huge tank with non-stop diving exhibitions from a dive club which is visiting Belize in March.

We find that many Canadians still associate Belize with diving, so this was a great opportunity to educate them in the diverse range of inland activities, and our banners featuring Maya sites and fishing really helped reinforce the message that Belize offers something for everyone.”

BHA’s representatives distributed over 1100 brochures at the two shows to high quality ‘prospects’, and generated 50 sales leads for GMI members. This brings the total brochures distributed to over 4000 and over 500 travel trade sales leads for participants since the start of the Global Marketing Initiative in November 2009.

Last night, our staff and guests here at Portofino Beach Resort experienced something very unusual! We saw a large “ball of fire” in the Belizean sky and hear a very loud sonic “boom”….
We didn’t know what happened. 3 minutes after, we saw on CNN that  space shuttle Endeavour and its six astronauts were returning back to Earth and going to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ending a two weeks successful mission.
During the two-week, 5.7 million-mile journey, commander George Zamka and his crew delivered and installed a new space station room “Tranquility” and a big bay window with commanding views of Earth.
It was a quite spectacular experience… and something to share with you!

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, BELIZE, January 20th 2010 Portofino Beach Resort was chosen as a Best Romance Hotel by TripAdvisor® in its 2010 Travelers’ Choice® awards. Now in its eighth year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers.

Unlike any other hotel awards programs in the world, TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice® winners are based on the millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com™ and content from across the web.

“Inspired by the millions of trusted traveler reviews and opinions on TripAdvisor.com, the Travelers’ Choice awards have once again highlighted the finest hotels in the world,” said Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. “From remarkable bargains to the trendiest hotels, travelers worldwide are recognizing more than 700 hotels for their outstanding service, value and quality.”

For reviews on Portofino Beach Resort, go to

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g291962-d308879-Reviews-Portofino-San_Pedro_Ambergris_Caye_Belize_Cayes.html

For the complete 2010 Travelers’ Choice list, go to www.tripadvisor.com/travelerschoice.

About TripAdvisor Media Network
TripAdvisor® Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 36 million monthly visitors* across 15 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor®, www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.frequentflier.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, 15 million registered members and 30 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in), Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp), Portugal and Brazil (http://www.tripadvisor.com.br), Sweden (http://www.tripadvisor.se), The Netherlands (http://nl.tripadvisor.com) and Canada (http://www.tripadvisor.ca). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com (http://www.daodao.com) and Kuxun.cn (http://www.kuxun.cn). TripAdvisor® Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE).
TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries.  Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.
©2010 TripAdvisor LLC.  All rights reserved.
*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2009

Contacts:
Amelie Hurst
TripAdvisor (consumer media)
P: 415-829-8158
F: 617.670.6301
ahurst@tripadvisor.com
www.tripadvisor.com

Alexandra Botti
TripAdvisor (consumer media)
P: 617-670-6529
F: 617-670-6301
abotti@tripadvisor.com
www.tripadvisor.com

Jan and Sandra van Noord
Portofino Beach Resort
6 Miles North of San Pedro
P.O. Box 36
San Pedro, Ambergris Caye
BELIZE (Central America)
Email: info@portofinobelize.com
Website: www.portofinobelize.com
www.portofino.bz

Orchids are known for their delicate beauty and exotic character. Evolving through an intricate and interesting history, the meanings of orchids include love, beauty, luxury, and strength.

Orchids belong to the most diverse family of plants known to man. There are over 28,000 species. Orchids are the most rapidly (genetically) changing group of plants on earth and more new species have been discovered over the last few thousand years than any other plant group known.

Belize has about 300 species of native orchids including the Black Orchid. This is the national flower of Belize. Portofino’s Tropical Garden has many different flowers, including orchids. We hope you enjoy these pictures from some of the Orchids in our garden!

Happy New Year 2010

Lots of warm Wishes from
Portofino Beach Resort Staff…
&
Jan, Sandra Louke and Jan Alexander van Noord
www.portofinobelize.com / www.portofino.bz

]]> http://portofino.bz/blog/portofino-news/happy-new-year-2010-wishes-from-belize/feed/ 1 http://portofino.bz/blog/portofino-news/portofino-restaurant-christmas-special-2009/ http://portofino.bz/blog/portofino-news/portofino-restaurant-christmas-special-2009/#comments Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:51:39 +0000 Sandra http://portofino.bz/blog/?p=665

Tonight here at Portofino Beach Resort we are celebrating Christmas with a lot of wonderful guests… Our Chef Ernesto and F&B Manager DJ hav been working very hard for the past few days, creating and preparing a mouthwatering Christmas Menu.

We hope that you like our Menu and wish you a Merry Christmas.

Warm Regards,

Your Portofino Family in Belize and Jan and Sandra van Noord

www.portofinobelize.com / www.portofino.bz

___________________________________________________

***Traditional Special***

Appetizer
Homemade Leek and Potato Soup

Entrée
~TURHAMKEN~
A delicious oven roasted Turkey stuffed with boneless honey glazed Ham, Chicken and Italian Sausage Bread Stuffing.
This delicious combination is served with Turkey Gravy, Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, fire grilled Corn and Cranberry Sauce.

Dessert
Tropical Eggnog…
Coconut flavored home-made eggnog served with thumbprint cookies

___________________________________________________

***House Special***

Appetizer
Snapper Salad…
Chunks of seared San Pedro Snapper Fillet, Avocado, Tomatoes, Corn and cilantro served with tortilla crisps.

Entrée
~Seafood Bliss~
A fire-grilled ocean fresh Lobster tail paired with succulent shrimp and accompanied by garlic butter.
All of this will be served with Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Fire-grilled Corn.

Dessert
Tropical Eggnog…
Coconut flavored home-made eggnog served with thumbprint cookies

___________________________________________________

***Vegetarian Special***

Appetizer
Chipotle Hummus…
Garbanzo blend with a hint of chipotle peppers.

Entrée
~Oriental Medley~
Sesame oil blanched bok choy, snow peas, mushrooms, carrots, green onion and zucchini served on a bed of glass noodles and drizzled with a tangy sesame- soy ginger glaze.

Dessert
Tropical Eggnog…
Coconut flavored home-made eggnog served with thumbprint cookies.

________________________________________________________________

This is how we buy our seafood at Portofino Beach Resort. Fresh from the Sea! Chef Ernesto and fisherman Rony meet each other at our Portofino Dock to negociate. At least twice a week we buy seafood from our local fishermen, to guarantee freshness. The catch of the day will be used to make dishes like “Suppa de Pesce”, Burrito del Mar” and “Fish Fingers” from our Lunch Menu or “Lobster a la Ritz”, “Spider Crab-laced Snapper”, “Champagne Herb Snapper”, “Linguine Caribe” and “Grouper con Mariscos” from our Dinner Menu.

O

When they came to Belize, Denny was on a mission.
He had the ring with one condition:
She had to say YES, in front of all staff and guests.
She had the tears in her eyes, oh what a wonderful moment when she said “Yes”

They are cheerful and caring, beautiful and bright,
Each day we saw them at Portofino we know that they are right!
Asking each other to marry!

We cannot wait to meet with you again,
this time with another mission,
getting married here with us!

Such a joyous atmosphere with people all around
The music is softly playing with such a happy sound.

(Made by the Portofino family, Uncle Bill and Auntie Tia)

Many thanks Denny and Jeanny for the great moments we had here with you. Also we love the pictures you sent to us and hope many more Portofino viewers will enjoy them too!

Lots of love from your Portofino Family!

CON TODO EL PODER DE LA INFORMACION    Managua, Nicaragua – Lunes 23 de Noviembre de 2009 – Edición 10516

Belice es un país que sorprende. Desde que se pone pie en el territorio, su población y sus ofertas turísticas halan el interés.

Está poblado por tan sólo 300 mil personas, eso equivale aproximadamente al 5.3 por ciento de la población total nicaragüense. Así es que es posible ver algunas zonas con casas bastantes dispersas y variadas. En cuanto a materiales y a construcción, hay de madera, concreto, horizontales y verticales.

Sus habitantes, además, tienen orígenes diversos. De modo que el turista se topa con negros, blancos, mestizos y asiáticos, entre otros, que siempre tienen algo que decir. Aunque no todos hablan bien el español.

También resulta un país atractivo por lo que ofrece en términos turísticos. Posee, por ejemplo, los arrecifes de coral más extensos del Caribe y del planeta, se calcula que empezó a formarse hace unos 500 millones de años.

San Pedro, multifacético
Posee, además, islas perfectas para aventuras. La Isla San Pedro es un ejemplo de eso. En ésta se pueden hacer desde caminatas por la playa hasta esnórquel, es decir, nadar en la superficie del agua para ver, en el caso de la Isla, desde mantarrayas y tiburones gato hasta tortugas, langostas y, por supuesto, arrecifes de coral.

Si usted nunca ha realizado está práctica, tampoco es problema, ya que hay instructores que se encargan de dirigirlo. Y si cuenta con amigos expertos en el deporte ¡mejor! La experiencia resulta más divertida.

La Isla también tiene un sentido histórico: está vinculada a los mayas, piratas europeos y refugiados mexicanos. Cuenta con hoteles de primera clase, como el Hotel Portofino Beach Resort, con 100 metros de playas blancas y palmeras.

Ése es un hotel de casi tres manzanas, ubicado a unos 10 kilómetros al norte del pueblo de San Pedro, al que se llega en bote. Tiene habitaciones de todo tipo: suite, vip suite, cabañas y hasta una mansión frente a la playa con un ambiente rústico y tropical. Aparte de eso cuenta con su propio centro de buceo.

Hotel Costa Maya Resort es otra buena opción. El gerente del hotel, Rodrigo Noguera, explica que el complejo está cerca de los arrecifes. Además, su personal es bien activo y amable. Posee suite cómodas y aptas para el ambiente tropical. Los visitantes lo llaman “un pedacito del cielo”.

Aunque si prefiere el pueblo para bailar e interactuar más con los locales, hoteles como Ramón`s Village y Sun Breeze son de mucha ayuda. Ambos están cerca de la costa y de los centros nocturnos de la zona.
Isla Icaco “particular”
Isla Icaco, Caye Caulker, situado a 17 kilómetros de San Pedro, es otro encanto de Belice. Tiene una historia particular, con tres o cuatro calles principales. Fue fundado por Luciano Reyes, el primer dueño de la Isla en el año 1750.

En la Isla es muy fácil conocer a sus descendientes. Doña Lidia Alamina de Vega es su tataranieta. Tiene 85 años y es una de las mujeres más ancianas del lugar. Está casada con Antonio Vega, de 93 años, con quien procreó diez hijos, de estos siete varones.

María Vega y Antonio Vega Jr., hijos de doña Lidia, incluso son dos impulsores del turismo en el Cayo. Vega Inn and Gardens es uno de los hoteles de la familia, y uno de los 80 que hay en todo el sitio.

Belize Odyssey Resort, es otra famosa propiedad hotelera. Su dueño es Antonio Vega Jr. y la administradora es la nicaragüense Patty Reyes Cruz. Cruz expone que ofrecen alojamiento echando mano de 22 unidades habitacionales, cuatro de éstas apartamentos, con vistas a la costa.

Brinda además asistencia a huéspedes y deportes marítimos. Tiene una capacidad hasta para 80 personas. Por otra parte está cerca del “aeropuerto” de la Isla. También destaca Plaza Hotel, en el centro urbano, con espaciosas habitaciones y comida de rey.

El representante de la Cámara de Comercio de la Isla, Antonio Aguilar, dice que en general hay hoteles para todos los segmentos: para el más y menos pudiente. Refiere que ellos se mantienen, usualmente, con la pesca y el turismo.

“Con el turismos nos ayudamos mucho, nos visitan mucho turistas europeos y americanos porque en la Isla se pueden realizar diferentes actividades, como buceo, esnórquel, pesca con caña, giras en botes de vela, ciclismo, natación, caminatas o exploración de playa”, especifica.

“Si vas por la calle también encuentras cosas que ver y comprar, ¡qué más te puedo decir! Tenemos de todo y somos un pueblo pequeño con mucho corazón, somos amigos de todo el mundo y somos un destino barato, porque aquí prevalece el dólar beliceño que equivale a dos americanos”, resume el empresario.
¿Dónde buscar más información?
Si planea visitar Belice primero le recomendamos consultar la tarifa de viaje en Taca Airlines, ya que varían por temporada. Otras opciones son recurrir a los portales de hoteles, para conocer de paso otras ofertas, como www.SunBreezeSuites.com; www.costamayareef.com; www.portofinobelize.com; www.CayeCaulkerPlazaHotel.com; http://belizeodyssey.com; www.maruba-belize.com ; www.blackorchidresort.com

En “Agua de la Roca”
Si va a Belice, visite Altun Ha o Agua de la Roca, ubicado a una hora de la capital. Es un área del mundo maya que fue habitada por primera vez en el año 250 antes de Cristo, según historiadores locales. Se presume que alguna vez fue un centro de negocios de piedras “místicas” como el jade.

Hoy el sitio sirve para contemplarlo. Otra opción es el hotel Black Orchid, vistoso por su “lago”, y el Hotel Maruba Resort Jungle Spa. En este último, aparte de encontrar un ambiente exótico, tiene la opción de recurrir a masajes relajantes, así que ¡aproveche la ocasión!

Algunos detalles
* Clima: Tropical, normalmente cálido y húmedo
* Temperatura: 24 a 27 grados centígrados en promedio.
* Aeropuerto: ubicado en ciudad de Belice
* Lengua oficial: inglés, español y criollo beliceño
* Visa: No la requieren los centroamericanos
* Moneda: dólar beliceño, aunque la mayoría de los hoteles, restaurantes y lugares orientados al turismo aceptan moneda norteamericana y cheques de viajero.

* Vacunas : No son necesarias, salvo que provenga de un lugar afectado por alguna enfermedad pandémica.

* Al consumir: pregunte en qué moneda está el precio del producto: si en dólar beliceño o norteamericano. Dejar propina es voluntario, y como el resto de países, dejar un 10 por ciento del total consumido es suficiente para el reconocimiento de un buen servicio.

* Hoteles: Tarifas variadas, todas en dólares.

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