Caye Caulker

A half hour away from San Pedro by water taxi and sharing essentially the same reef and sea ecosystems, Caye Caulker is very different from its big sister island, Ambergris Caye. It's smaller, with a population of around 1,200, less developed, way more relaxed, and less expensive.

Caye Caulker long has been a stop on the Central America backpacker trail, and it remains Belize's most popular budget destination. Yet, its more charming aspects are breaking through as more upscale lodgings open up in town. Flowers outnumber cars ten to one (golf carts, bicycles, and bare feet are the preferred means of transportation).

As you might guess from all the no shirt, no shoes, no problem signs at the bars, the living is relatively easy here. This is the kind of place where most of the listings in the telephone directory give addresses like "near football field." However, Caye Corker, as it's often called in Belize (or Cayo Hicaco in Spanish, a reference to the coco plums on the island), isn't immune to change. Many hotels have added air-conditioning, and the island now has cybercafés and several upmarket restaurants; there are even a couple of condos, with more under construction. Still, Caye Caulker remains the epitome of laid-back, and as development continues at a fevered pace on neighboring Ambergris Caye, Caulker's simpler charms exercise considerable appeal to those who seek an affordable and relaxing island experience.

Like Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker can be used as a base to explore part of the mainland. It's only about 45 minutes by water taxi, or 15 minutes by air, to Belize City. Tours run from Caulker to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai and Altun Ha, and other tours go to the Belize Zoo and to the Caves Branch River for cave tubing.

For those used to researching and booking everything online, here's a caution about Caye Caulker: As is common with budget destinations, some of the tour and sports operators and cheaper lodging choices on Caulker don't have Web sites. In fact, some tour operators work from a spot on the beach and have only a cell phone, if that. Those that are online often have Web sites that are done on the cheap, with poor graphics and servers that are down intermittently. Consider it part of the charm of Caye Caulker.