“I don’t know about you, but there’s something so nice about being comfortable enough with someone to just sit and watch the sunrise together without having to say anything.”
Caye Caulker, Belize is a tiny little island paradise that I’m already wanting to go back to. My best friends “found” the island a few years ago and couldn’t stop talking about the views and the water and the people. So naturally when they planned a return trip, I invited myself along.
From Miami, I took a direct flight to Belize City (BZE). From there you take a cab to the water taxi, water taxi to the island. Once you get to the island you can either walk to your hotel or take one of the taxis, which are golf carts. I walked. Big mistake.
We were staying at Weezie’s on the southern end of the island. It was a beautiful resort away from all the “craziness” of Caye Caulker. But since the island is so small, any activity or restaurant you want to visit is within walking distance.
Island life is pretty simple. Sun rises at 6 a.m. and sets at 6 p.m. Everything in between is paradise and perfection. The first morning Katie and I woke up just before sunrise and walked to the beach. It was a little chilly and breezy but so worth it to start the vacation literally watching the earth turn while sitting on this little strip of land in the middle of the ocean.
We walked north along the shore toward The Split, which is exactly what it sounds like. The island split in half after a hurricane. It’s home to The Lazy Lizard, an island bar where the drinks hit hard, and fast. But that wouldn’t happen until later.
For breakfast, we stopped by Errolyn’s for fry jacks. It’s hard to accurately describe fry jacks except for an egg scramble held together in a fry bread envelope. They’re delicious.
After breakfast, and a few mimosas, the three of us moseyed our way back north toward the split. That’s where things got a little… hazy. I’ll skip the details but when drinking in the middle of the day, in the middle of the ocean, with the sun right over head, remember to pace yourself and stay hydrated.
After our debauchery of day 1, we decided to take it easy for day two. Katie and I made our now ritual stop at Ice N Beans coffee, picked up a round of fry jacks at Errolyns, and decided to spend the day recovering poolside. It wasn’t awful.
For premium sunset views, we made a reservation at Maggie’s Sunset Kitchen. To be honest, you can get great sunset views from any spot on the west side of the island. But Maggie’s did not disappoint.
Day three was for activities. Katie and I did our usual Ice N Beans coffee and then visited Namaste Cafe for RandOM Yoga. The yoga class, located on the top floor of the cafe, is free with donations encouraged. Katie and I have dabbled in yoga previously but would not call ourselves “yogis”. We fit right in. There were folks who practice everyday, and others who were visiting their first ever class. The instructor, Jessie, is super helpful and kind, and made sure everyone was getting something useful from the class.
After yoga, Bill met up with us for snorkeling! We used Anda De Wata Tours for a half day snorkel tour. Simply, it was beautiful. The tour guides were great and informative. They had a dedicated photographer to take pictures of the sea life as well as the snorkelers. Highlights included: tour guide feeding a moray eel, swimming with sting rays and sharks, and seeing a sea turtle!
For our last night on the island, we wondered some back roads on the west side and found some new spots. The Iguana Reef Beach Bar was a great little spot to watch the sunset and dip your toes in the water. It has groups of lounge chairs and a wide sandy beach for kids to run around. Right at the water’s edge next to the dock, there’s two seahorse sanctuary areas with netting covered in seaweed where you can see teeny tiny seahorses.
Our last dinner on the island was probably one of our best. We found an Italian restaurant called Il Pellicano. It’s a quiet restaurant, tucked away on the west side of the island. The night we visited, there was a singer doing covers while playing guitar. The atmosphere was perfect. The menu offered a great selection of traditional Italian dishes with plenty of vegetarian options. (Note: most of the restaurants had a variety of vegetarian and pescetarian dishes.)
The four days the three of us spent on Caye Caulker were not enough. The island is the perfect mix of relaxation, party, and tropical paradise. The island thrives on tourism and the locals are so incredibly nice. There’s things for everyone on this island and I can’t wait to go back.
AAdventure Seeker 