caye caulker vs. ambergris caye

Old Oct 31st, 2001, 05:42 AM
  #1  
terry
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caye caulker vs. ambergris caye

i am trying decide if we (fiance and i) should be staying in caye caulker or ambergris caye. we would like to do some good fishing but want to stay low key...not too touristy. i am leaning towards caye caulker but need some advice.....
 
Old Oct 31st, 2001, 06:00 AM
  #2  
deb
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I stayed with my husband off Ambergris Caye at a resort. It was TOO isolated and we like isolated. The only thing to do was dive or fish and you had to take an expensive boat (ferry but really a rowboat) to go anywhere - even to buy a bottle of water, for ex. I don't know about CC.
 
Old Oct 31st, 2001, 06:27 AM
  #3  
Lan Sluder
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Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker are quite different.

The most obvious difference is that Caye Caulker, while trying to go more upmarket, is still very much a budget/low-moderate cost island. Most hotels are basic -- small wood or concrete rooms -- air conditioning is not common and no hotel has a swimming pool. Most hotels are priced at under US$50 a night, and there are only a couple at around US$100.

Ambergris Caye by contrast has a range of accommodations, from a few budget places to a large number of moderately priced hotels and small condos (US$75 to $150) and some very deluxe properties with rates over US$250. Most all hotels have A/C and about half have pools.

The situation with restaurants is somewhat similar. Ambergris Caye has a wide range, from street taco vendors to upscale restaurants serving European or French-Thai dishes. Ditto nightlife -- more of a variety of bars and clubs on Ambergris.

Other differences: Ambergris Caye is a much larger island -- about 25 miles long, whereas Caulker is 4 miles long by a few hundred feet wide and the developed area is really just one small village. Ambergris has more of a variety of sites, from isolated beaches on North Ambergris to busier spots in and near San Pedro Town. Both islands have sand streets (one small section of road is paved on Ambergris) and development is all low-rise -- three stories is a tall building.

There is just a lot more of everything on Ambergris -- more people, more vehicles, more options for entertainment, more shops, more guides, more tours, etc.

That's not to say San Pedro is highly commercialized or really touristy. In many ways, except perhaps in prices, it is much like the Caribbean of 30 years ago.

Ambergris Caye has a lot more beach, though due to the barrier reef neither island has the kind of wide sandy beaches that you find in parts of the Yucatan. Snorkeling and diving are similar -- from either island you basically dive or snorkel the same spots. The same with fishing. Caye Caulker did a beach reclamation last year which really added beach frontage along the village, but much of this has been lost due to wave action from recent storms (and indeed the tropical depression in Nicaragua right now is causing more erosion.)

One other small difference: You can drink the water on Ambergris Caye (there is a municipal water plant and more remote resorts have their own water treatment facilities) whereas on Caulker the water is not very good -- for one thing it often smells bad due to its sulphur content.

Either island could be great, and both have their fans -- just depends on what you want.

--Lan Sluder

P.S. My new book, San Pedro Cool, will be out next month -- it's the first guide to Ambergris Caye and will also cover day trips to Caye Caulker.

 
Old Oct 31st, 2001, 06:51 AM
  #4  
terry
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well, thanks for the information. i really apprecaite it. so, i am able to find a place called hotel del rio in ambergris caye. do you know it? we are going to belize at christmas and i am finding it really difficult to find a place.
 
Old Oct 31st, 2001, 11:02 AM
  #5  
Lan Sluder
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I've not stayed at Hotel Del Rio but a few weeks ago I did tour the hotel and saw all the rooms. It's not a fancy place, but it's small, pleasant and a good value. It's at the north end of San Pedro Town, on the water, and has both regular rooms and cabana-style units.

--Lan Sluder
Belize First Magazine
 
Old Oct 31st, 2001, 12:29 PM
  #6  
xxx
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how long are you thinking of staying? it's just a short taxi ride between the two. so you could spend a couple nights on each caye.
i personally prefer caulker but if you are there for a week or so, you might get bored with the limits of caulker.
the other thing to keep in mind is there are taxi's running during the day between the two so if you stay on one caye, you can take a taxi and spend the day on the other.
 
Old Oct 31st, 2001, 01:39 PM
  #7  
terry
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that's what i was thinking, we can go between both cayes. i just booked a cabana at seaside cabanas, so we shall see. do you know that place? i know it is right next to the water taxi but we really wanted a cabana with our own porch on the beach....very relaxing! now i need to investigate fishing. any advice?
 
Old Nov 1st, 2001, 12:36 PM
  #8  
xxx
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maybe someone else can confirm this but those cabana are not only right next to the water taxi pier but there is a bar across the way (trends bar???) that was very popular when i was there. wonder if you hear that noise from the cabanas? don't know just another thing to consider.
 
Old Nov 1st, 2001, 05:12 PM
  #9  
Lan Sluder
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Trends Beach Front hotel is across the way, Sandbox restaurant is just behind that, Popeyes is nearby and there are other businesses close, but I haven't heard many complaints about noise. People who stay on Caye Caulker usually aren't looking for isolated luxury and are willing to put up with some hustle and bustle.

--Lan Sluder
 
Old Nov 1st, 2001, 05:50 PM
  #10  
terry
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okay, well i made a reservation at seaside cabanas, so we shall see. i will be sure to give everyone a full report. this site is very helpful and i will be sure to look for your book lan.
 
Old Nov 8th, 2001, 08:20 AM
  #11  
Nancy
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We were there last year, shortly after the hurricane. Unkept beaches were cluttered with litter. Stayed on Ambergris but visited Caye Caulker. Couldn't get out of there quick enough!! Very hot and dusty. As for the Sandbox, that truly is what it is, flies everywhere and the waitress dumped our food in the sand! Rent a golf cart on Ambergris and your location means nothing. So Fun!
 
Old Nov 8th, 2001, 10:59 AM
  #12  
michael
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I would start on Caye Caulker. Air conditioning is not needed on either island as the breeze is nice. If you explore Caulker you will find quaint restaurants, nightlife if you wish, but very laid back. Ambergis is filled with noise and scooters!! Visit both, but stay on Caulker. There is more to the island than the front strip that the water taxi lets you off. Kayaking, fishing, snorkeling, relaxing is in store.
 
Old Nov 15th, 2001, 12:55 PM
  #13  
Sandcrab
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Michael,
[Quote]Ambergis is filled with noise and scooters!![End]

I don't know where you stayed, must have been in town center on the street side (cheaper rooms) but I would hardly refer to Ambergris Caye as being filled with noise and scooters. There are lots of electric golf carts but they are very quiet. It can be noisy in town (SanPedro) if you are on the main street in a budget hotel facing the street, but some of the best places are both north and south of town where it is secluded and very quiet.

If you are south of town, you are within easy reach of many good restaurants and bars. A golf cart (silent) will get you anywhere even to town where there are some hotels that offer peaceful habituation.

Stay on Ambergris and visit Caulker for a day trip. Much more to experience this way.

Jim
 
Old Nov 15th, 2001, 04:33 PM
  #14  
Lan Sluder
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There are almost no "skooters" on Ambergris Caye. Perhaps the poster was in Bermuda and thought he was in San Pedro? Air conditioning is not absolutely necessary, but it's certainly nice to have during at least half the year, and especially in the late summer when prevailing winds die down. Nearly all hotels on Ambergris do have it, and an increasing number on Caulker do, though most still do not.

As to the negative comments about Caulker, I don't know what to think. It is not the island I have visited many times.

Both islands are wonderful, in their different ways.

--Lan Sluder

Belize books and publications by Lan Sluder:
Belize First Magazine http://www.belizefirst.com/
Fodor's Belize and Guatemala Guide
Belize First Guide to Mainland Belize
Adapter Kit: Belize
Fodor's UpClose Central America
Belize Book of Lists 2000
 

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