Belize, a tiny English speaking country with the world’s second largest barrier reef and a rich Maya heritage, has over the years blended a traditional North American style Thanksgiving with elements from its various cultures to create a unique holiday that continues to grow in popularity both locally and with overseas visitors, Mr Waight said.

Chaa Creek’s affordable Thanksgiving Vacation Package is an all-inclusive minimum three day mix of fine food, activities and relaxation available throughout November. In addition to great meals, the package includes lovely cottage accommodation, guided bird walks, visits to the Butterfly Farm, Natural History Museum and Rainforest Medicine Trail, canoeing on the Macal River and much much more…

Living in the tropics, you sometimes wonder what autumn in the northern climes must be like. We’ve seen the breathtaking photos on calendars, greeting cards, in magazines and elsewhere, so there’s always a feeling of missing out on something, of the smell of wood smoke in the air, crunch of leaves underfoot, the nip at the tips of the nose… all those romantic autumn things we hear about.

“After our first year settling Chaa Creek we felt we had so much to be thankful for, so we scraped together our then meagre resources to throw a feast with family and friends. Ever since, it has become an annual tradition we look forward to. Over the years more and more guests would take part, and now it’s one of our favourite times of year,” said Lucy Fleming, who began Chaa Creek as a small family farm with her husband Mick and their children.