volcanogirl

If you've been to Belize, I'd love to hear which caye is your favorite and why? Which ones do you think have the best beaches, best restaurants, best snorkeling, etc.? And what's the best way to get between islands?

hipvirgochick

Gonna have to tag along on this one.

Patty

Best snorkeling with a beautiful beach - South Water Caye. You can swim to the reef BUT there are basically only 3 accommodations on the caye and you eat where you stay. Take a look at Pelican's Pouch and see if it might be something you'd like. It's not everyone's cup of tea. To get there requires a short (15 min) flight from Belize City to Dangriga and a 45 min boat ride.

I also like Caulker. It reminds me of what San Pedro used to be like but there aren't good beaches and our one snorkeling excursion to the local reef was disappointing (we didn't go up to Hol Chan which you can also do from Caulker but is a longer boat ride than from Ambergris). It's a quicker trip to Swallow Caye where the manatee sanctuary is though. Caulker is more laid back and everything is cheaper. 45 min water taxi from Belize City, 30 min water taxi from Ambergris or the Ambergris flights will stop at Caulker on demand.

The next caye I want to try is Turneffe Atoll. Again only 3 accommodations here but supposedly very good snorkeling/diving and each property provides their own boat transfers on set days (usually twice a week). I've been looking at Turneffe Island Resort and if you get on their email list, they'll email you specials from time to time.

I think if you want a choice of restaurants, it's basically Caulker or Ambergris or you can look at the beach areas on the mainland but then you don't typically have that bright white sand and are farther from the reef.

JeanH

Well, Volcanogirl, you know what my answer will be. Even though Ambergris has gotten much busier over the past seven or eight years that we've been going, we still love it there.

White sand, blue water. Lot of choices for bars/restaurants/lodging.

If I was younger, thinner, and in better shape, I could kayak to the reef from my condo and snorkel every day. Many people do just that from where we live.

I enjoy Caulker, but lack of beaches, and its small size make is a short term stay for me.

The only other caye I've been to is Tobacco Caye. Very tiny, but an interesting place for a couple of nights. We met some fascinating people who stopped by for drinks/food as they sailed the waters off the coast of Belize.

Even though not a caye, I'll put in a plug for Placencia. I wonder sometimes that if we'd gone there first, rather than Ambergris, if we wouldn't have bought there. I've only spent time in the village, I really do need a near by town when I travel.

The feel is different in Placencia, as opposed to Ambergris. Can't put my finger on it, but it's a nice vibe.

hopefulist

For us, NE Caye on Glover's Atoll. It's barely a step above camping, no elec or running water, and we do our own cooking; obviously it's not for everyone. We just can't get enough of that Robinson Cruesoe feel and the diving and snorkeling from shore are phenomenal.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

hipvirgochick

Sorry for hijacking for a sec vgirl but I hope Jean and Patty will both chime in here. I'm thinking of 3/n Tranquility Bay and 3/n Ramon's to get a little of best worlds. Comments appreciated.

JeanH

I think your split sounds like a great idea. Tranquility Bay really is a pretty property, and it sure would be nice to be able to swim to the reef. The restaurant there looks nice as well.

I walk by Ramon's at least once every day when I'm on the island. They recently got all new cushions for their loungers, and did lots of other renovations. The place looks like what I think a small, low key, beach resort should look like. Lots of sand, lots of thatch roofs.

Shillmac stayed at Ramon's a couple years ago. They enjoyed their stay. I would spend the money to get at least beach view. I think the rooms towards the back would be dusty and noisy.

volcanogirl

Thanks, everyone - I'm going to have fun checking these out. hip, no problem.

What are the beaches like on Caulker and in Placencia?

Katie_Valk

Placencia has the better beaches created from sand and gravel being flushed out of the rivers during the rains, and of course, crushed coral, shells, etc from the sea.

hipvirgochick

Hope - do you think the snorkeling from shore at Glover's Atoll rivals that from north of San Pedro and the bonus of being able to swim to the reef from there?

Jean - thanks for the advice. I forgot shillmac stayed there so I will quiz her on it. I've met up with her my last two trips to CR (and hubby). I love those guys!

Katie - regarding Placencia - how is the snorkeling from shore there?

Thanks vgirl!

Katie_Valk

Nothing can rival Glovers, the other atolls or small cayes on the reef, like South Water and many others for snorkeling from shore.

JeanH

Caye Caulker really doesn't have beaches. There's sand, but not what I would call beach.

Katie and I disagree about Placencia having the better beaches. The ones in Placencia are certainly prettier. They're wider and there's even a few waves. But, the dark, coarse sand just doesn't do it for me. And, the couple of times I've been there, the water wasn't really clear or blue.

I don't think there's any type of snorkeling off the shore of Placencia, it's 19 miles from the reef.

This makes it sound like I don't like Placencia. I do like it. I'm just not wild about the beaches.

volcanogirl

That's one thing we loved about Ambergris - that beautiful white sand. Jean, when you say Caulker doesn't have beaches - is it just that they're short or there's no sand?

Patty

Placencia does have longer, wider stretches of golden sand beaches. It's just not the bright white sand that you see on the cayes. It's also a long way to the reef but there might be closer places to snorkel. I remember being able to kayak to False Caye many years ago. Katie would know better.

There's sand on the Caulker shoreline (and it's white) but they're very shallow beaches with seagrass offshore so not ideal for swimming but you can swim off the docks. I have some pics of the beaches in the Caulker album of my trip report that might give you a better idea. The caye itself is also much smaller than Ambergris.

JeanH

My time on Caulker is fairly limited, so I could be wrong about my thoughts on the beach. I don't recall anywhere along the coast line that it was even tempting to wade in and get my feet wet.

volcanogirl

Thanks, guys; that helps me get a better understanding of things. If you want to kayak out to the reef to snorkel, what do you do with the kayak? I've read that people do that, but seems like the kayak would drift away.

JeanH

There's a buoy to tie up on right in front of our condo on Ambergris. If there isn't a buoy, you tie the kayak to your ankle.

volcanogirl

We did see some buoys now that I think about it. Thanks, Jean.

hopefulist

Hi, Hip -
I can't compare Glover's to Ambergris since I haven't been to the latter. I enjoyed the diving and snorkeling we did from Caulker last summer including the 3 stop Raggamuffin trip that included Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley; we saw some cool big stuff but the general condition of the reef and the variety of fish life, coral, and sponges, is significantly more impressive around Glover's Atoll - it's like a whole different world out there.

hipvirgochick

Thanks hope. I've learned over the years you just can't see and do everything in one trip but it's still hard deciding! I'm pretty sure we will spend 3 nights in San Pedro because the rest of our trip will be pretty off the beaten path and we like to have a bit if "city" if not "foodie" time. There's a budget place called Ruby's I found near Ramon's that sound like a good location and walkable to Ramon's beach and pier. Since most likely we'll be out for a good part of 2 days I think this might be a good option for us. I'm really trying to keep lodging costs reasonable to have more $ for experiences. Spending some time on Thorn Tree as budget places don't get talked about as much here. Glover's sound fantastic too so I will read more about it and think about staying there vs. the appeal of Tranquility Bay and being able to swim to the reef from there.