Caye Caulker, Belize Trip Review
Why should you go to Caye Caulker?
Have you pictured a pristine beach with crystal blue water? Or an island where you can easily walk from one side to another? Maybe perfectly cooked seafood literally on the beach? Look no further than Caye Caulker!
Adventure Activities
Diving: Regarding Belize's Great Barrier Reef, there are so many diverse sealife diving locations. Because we chose two beach locations, click here to read about the options in Caye Caulker.
Snorkeling: Similar to diving, snorkeling is abundant and there are a few key spots to spot elusive sea turtles or beautiful coral reefs. Click here to read about the options in Caye Caulker.
Kite Surfing
Sunset sail
Deep sea or coral reef fishing
Living the Island Life
Hangout at the Split! With a "beach bar" at the Split, we stayed here all day - until we got sunburned!
Explore Ambergris Caye - across from the Split!
Nightlife! The island turns alive at night!
Lodging
In Caye Caulker, because the island is so incredibly small, there aren't a ton of really nice hotels or really any AirBnBs. Most hotels should offer outstanding beach views or be on the beach. I primarily started on booking.com so I could see all the options, then I booked directly to save money (and help the local hotel by avoiding Booking's fees).
Caye Reef
Because we had four people and needed three beds, finding appropriate lodging was sometimes difficult. At Caye Reef, the situation was perfect! Our rooms had 1 large queen bed for Mary Frances and I while John and Beth Anne each had their own twin bed. The bathrooms were decent with warm showers. The living room and kitchen were an added bonus and suited our needs perfectly because we could all sit on the couches. In the kitchen, we did have an ant problem but we did not really use the kitchen other than the fridge. The amenities of our own pool and hot tub really helped especially since they were shaded in the afternoon which helped our sunburn! Furhtermore, the location to great restaurants (literally the BBQ outside the door), the Split (200 yards) and our scuba diving shop (50 feet) could not have been better! Overall, I would stay here again because the location is great and we enjoyed our rooms!
Honorable Mentions
These hotels were sadly sold out or did not have enough beds for our group.
Weezie's
Food & Drink
Maggie's Sunset Grill: After a long travel day, we immediately went to Maggie's and boy we were not disappointed! With friendly staff, we were welcomed like old friends. Although we were 30 minutes early, the bartender allowed us to start happy hour early. Nothing beats 2 for $4 drinks! For a true Belizean meal, we ordered freshly caught and grilled snapper and Creole lobster. Wow! It was so good! The only downside was the heavens opened up and we were caught in a crazy storm. The restaurant is one of the only places that takes card. Sadly, we ate too quickly for the awesome entree pictures…
Namaste Cafe: Perfect for an American breakfast, Namaste Cafe is a hipster's paradise with freshly brewed coffee and fun healthy breakfast options! If you like yoga, there is a donation-based class at 9am. I wish we had more mornings so we could try everything! I had the fresh bagel with cream cheese while everyone else had healthy yogurt and fruit. Cafe takes cash or card.
Ice & Beans: If you want a classic Belizean breakfast with overwhelming choices, Ice and Beans is perfect. Plus, the views and backyard are incredible. We had hot, freshly made donuts with a tasty cinnamon roll. We also ran out of cash so that definitely limited our options at this cash-only place.
Chef Juan's: Tucked away in an alley, Chef Juan is hosted outside a family house and everything smells and tastes wonderful! Because it was our last night, we opted to get whatever we desired from fresh lobster in jerk sauce to grilled shrimp. Overall, one of the best meals we had in Belize! The restaurant is cash-only so be prepared!
Chef Kareem Beach BBQ: Situated outside our hotel, the tantalizing smells tempted us every time we walked outside. Serving jerk chicken to fresh seafood, the BBQ is everything you want and expect from Belize. As expected, this is cash only.
Rainbow Grill: Owned or frequently attended by our scuba diving captain/guide, Rainbow Grill offers outstanding views since it sits on the water - literally! While more of a restaurant than mom-and-pop shop, we had great shrimp and grilled fish at the Rainbow Grill.
Honorable Mentions but ran out of time...
Iguana Reef
Pelican Sunset Bar
Happy Lobster
Steve's Grill
UnChartered Tip: Click here for my Google Maps pins of our favorites!
Our Budget
The UnChartered Summary
Caye Caulker met and exceeded our expectations for the perfect Belizean island life. In hindsight, we likely should have stayed here longer! There are plenty of water sport activities in addition to relaxing.
Food is amazing - and cost effective! Stay with seafood and you won’t be disappointed.
Be prepared to spend money if you want to do all the water sports
Lodging can be scarce, but Caye Reef is a great choice
There is no natural beach on Caye Caulker but we still managed to get sun!
