Staying at Oasi on Caye Caulker

When it comes to accommodations, we can go either way. For short trips and trips where we are crazy busy running around, a clean, safe place to fall into bed is all that is really needed. For a more relaxed trip where we know we will be spending a decent amount of time at our accommodation, we tend to be more selective.

Though I  take Tripadvisor reviews with a grain of salt, I have never seen so many glowing reviews as I did when I was reading up on Oasi. Review after review raved about the wonderfulness of Oais and its owner Luciana. Since it ticked off most of the boxes for a place we would want to stay, I decided I had to see the wonderfulness for myself.

The Owner

As you can probably tell by her name, Luciana is originally from Italy. Artist, entrepreneur, scuba dive instructor, she is an amazing, renaissance woman. She had the perfect balance of letting us do our own thing, while ensuring that we had everything we needed, and making sure we were enjoying ourselves. She was friendly, energetic, and offered great suggestions. She mentioned that we should eat at Aladdin’s, and it ended up being our favorite meal of trip. I believe that Oasi minus Luciana would not be the same.

Other Cast of Characters 

Also encountered at Oasi was Micheal, Luciana’s other half, and Mama, Luciana’s Italian speaking mother. I wish I knew Italian because Mama was a friendly,lively lady. There were dogs and cats on ground. We grew particularly fond of Fifi, as she usually let us pet her and give her attention.

Some guests included two friends from Texas, a couple from New York, and by far our favorite guests, Brian and Evelyn from Ontario, Canada. We got to talk with them for a bit while enjoying some afternoon drinks. Brian and Evelyn were staying at Oasi for two months. Brian is a writer. He wrote a noir novel, Belizean Sextet:Six Tales of Adventure. I plan on acquiring it once my to-read pile reduces. Brian is also a travel blogger. You can check out his blog, Brian's Belize, here. Before we left for home, Evelyn was kind enough to give me a copy of a Canadian Geographic Travel Magazine. The magazine featured  Canada’s national parks. It definitely provided more places for us to add to the list.

The Apartment 

Oasi is comprised of four apartments. We stayed in apartment 3. 

There was air-conditioning, but we never used it. It was cool enough in the evenings to sleep with just the fan and the windows open, delivering fresh island air throughout the night. During the afternoons we hung out outside on our lovely little patio, because... hammock. 

There is no better nap, than the one taken in a hammock. 

If our stay was longer, we probably would have taken more advantage of the kitchen. It was nice having a refrigerator to store our juice. Our room also had a water cooler, so we could refill our water bottles.

Our room was always clean, and there were nice touches, like the fresh flowers that adorned  our table.

The Grounds

We found out during the week that Michael is a landscaper, which I’m sure attributed to the loveliness of the grounds. I always have to take the obligatory picture of a hibiscus.

The Location

Perhaps the only slight downside of Oasi, is that it isn’t on the water, but we did have use of a dock, and that was just fine. The dock almost looked too beautiful to be real.

Oasi is right near the island’s airport. It was fun relaxing in the lounge chairs while watching the planes and boats go by. 

We happened to visit during a few days of constant breeze. Really great for keeping things cooled down, and keeping the bugs away, but it made the water surrounding the dock too choppy for swimming (the water at The Split was still calm). 

No worries though, as Oasi had a pool. 

The pool was great for cooling off during the warm afternoons. The pool's water temperature was perfect. We said it over and over again,

“The water is perfect. How can it be so perfect?”  The pool had a nice deck with chairs that were great for reading.

The distance from the main town area is a plus or a minus, depending on how you look at it. Oasi is located away from the main town near the opposite end of the island. We enjoyed being able to walk to town, and then escaping back to the relaxed quietness of Oasi. It’s an easy walk to town, and given that our day jobs are rather sedentary, we enjoyed indulging in the physical activity, especially after a filling dinner and ice cream. If you prefer to peddle instead of pad, there were bikes assigned to each apartment that were free for guests to use.

 Il Baretto 

On the grounds of Oasi there is a wine bar, Il Barreto. Wine is pretty scarce on the island, where beer and rum abound. The bar opens only in the evening, and serves drinks and bruschetta. One of the evenings there was live music, so we decided to relax for a spell before dinner. 

Tommy, the musician, did a great job. I enjoyed all of the songs that he played. Note that Mama had a special, on stage seat. 

I liked that we were able to choose from a variety of bruschetta. 

The one with grilled peppers was my favorite, followed by the eggplant, which was like an eggplant spread. It was nice to have a little snack, a glass of wine, and some good music. Even if you don’t end up staying at Oasi, I’d recommend music night at Il Barreto.

A Special Event 

If you knew me well, you would know that the sign caused laughter, because of course we just happened to be staying at Oasi when it was hosting a Book Fair and Art Exhibition. 

I’m obsessed with books.

The event was very nice and well attended. 

I think our favorite part though was watching all of the local artists and authors setting up. Maybe I just like organization and logistics a little too much, and what artist, no matter their craft, hasn’t fantasized about painting, writing, sculpting, etc…while living on an island. Here folks are living that dream.

I am in desperate need of a new camera and deeply regret that the picture I took of Luciana with her artwork did not turn out, but believe me when I say that she is a very talented lady.

Just like the reviews on Tripadvisor, I couldn’t think of a single complaint about Oasi. The apartment was ideal, the grounds and pool are lovely. The company and Luciana were amazing, and it offered a quiet, relaxed atmosphere, while still being in walking distance to town.  I couldn’t imagine staying anywhere else while on Caye Caulker. It was wonderful.