Is Caye Caulker Right for You?

After a satisfying dinner, we slowly walk back to Oasi. On our way  we pass through the now familiar part of our evening stroll. A few lights shine down through the palm trees, creating interesting shadows that spread out across the dirt road. There is something magical about those shadows. We love it here. We are sure a lot of other people would love it here too, but we admit that Caye Caulker probably isn’t for everyone.

In my upcoming posts I will gush love for the Belize island that is Caye Caulker. It was exactly the kind of place that we like, but I didn’t want to be deceptive. What we like isn’t what everyone likes, and for your sake, as well as the island’s sake, I thought I would discuss some of the realistic aspects of the island.  

Beach

It is a common misconception that just because Caye Caulker is an island, it contains vast, sprawling beaches of white sand. There isn’t much beach on Caye Caulker. There are a few small, sandy, beachy spots, 

but if you think you will be spending your days building castles on white fluffy sand, you may be disappointed.

There are lots of picturesque docks stretching out into the blue water. 

Many hotels and restaurants do their best to create cool waterfront hang out spots.

If all else fails, you can always go and hang out on the dock at The Split (really you should just do that anyway).

Things to do

We once took a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina with a bunch of other couples. One of the couples found the Outer Banks so boring, they packed up their stuff in the middle of the week, and left.

Caye Caulker’s motto is, Go Slow. 

You won’t find an amusement park or a ton of fancy, flashy entertainment. Watching the sunrise and sunset is a legitimate activity. 

There are plenty of tours available, especially for scuba divers and snorkelers. 

Of course plain old swimming is also fun. 

Windsurfing is also popular. 

Our days pretty much consisted of sauntering to town for breakfast, then taking a walk. Afternoons consisted of reading, followed by a swim in the pool at Oasi. In the evening, we headed back to town to catch the sunset, and then enjoyed a leisurely dinner. Not having to run around or feel pressured to make sure that we saw this thing or did that thing was pure bliss (not that we don’t enjoy those types of trips too).

If you like taking it easy and having a laid back time, Caye Caulker is great. If you are someone who requires a lot of stimulation and entertainment, or have children who require that, you might get bored.

It's a Real Place

Caye Caulker is a real place. This is an island where people live and work. One day while heading back to Oasi, we found ourselves walking with the kids going home from school.

This isn’t an island that exists specifically to cater to high maintenance tourists. It isn’t an all- inclusive resort where everything is pristine and people are clamoring to bring you drinks in pineapples (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

There is beautiful scenery with blue skies, and bluer waters. Palm trees sway in the breeze. Bright, colorful flowers abound. 

This is Caye Caulker.

This is also Caye Cauker. 

There are some run down looking spots. There are vacant lots. There is trash laying around in various places. I just want to be realistic because I can see people criticizing this lovely little island for not being completely perfect. If you like completely perfect when you go on a trip, that’s cool, but you might want to think twice before visiting Caye Caulker.  

There it is. I laid it out as best I could. Caye Caulker was definitely a place that was right for us, but you must decide if it is a place that is right for you.