3 Days in Caye Caulker

If you’re looking for a relaxing beach vacation, then Caye Caulker is the place to go. The official slogan of the island is “Go slow” and this is followed religiously and preached by the locals. This colorful island is very small, but there is no shortage of things to do! I’m always looking for a thrilling adventure so I was worried that 3 days on a small island staring at the water wouldn’t fulfill me enough, but I was dead wrong. This is a perfect vacation spot for the adventure seeker or beach bum because you can truly adjust your itinerary to fit either personality and have a memorable vacation.

Important Need to Knows
Do not convert your money! Although the official currency is the Belize dollar, USD is preferred and you will be just fine if this is all you bring. $1 USD is equivalent to $2 Belize so if you’re given a price in Belize, then just do the math to convert it to USD and they take it no problem! You’ll receive change back in either USD or Belize so don’t be surprised.
Cash is highly preferred so bring plenty of it. We were shocked at how many restaurants and venues turned down VISA cards, but luckily we brought enough cash where it wasn’t an issue. However, after speaking with other tourists who frequented the same venues we discovered that those who asked about using VISA before entering or sitting down were told it was accepted. Obviously, the businesses prefer cash so just be polite and ask if you really prefer to use card!

Getting to the Island
The Belize Water Taxi is the most common and cheapest way to go. From the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport it’s $25 to the taxi station and about a 30 minute ride. Right after exiting the airport you’ll see the taxis and it’s very easy and straightforward. Once you arrive at the boat terminal, DO NOT FREAK OUT when they take your bags and disappear and you most likely won’t even see them load it onto the
boat. You won’t see your bag until you arrive at the island but I promise it made it on board and is in good hands! Our cost for 2 people roundtrip was $36 total, which is a steal!

Where to Stay
The big hangout place is known as the Split, which is where the island is literally split in half from a hurricane, and I recommend staying near here. We stayed at the Caye Caulker Plaza Hotel and it was a decent price and great location. It’s right near where the water taxi drops you off and about a 10 minute walk to the Split so you’ll get to
pass all the restaurants and shops. It’s also right next to the taxi station to go to Koko King, an amazing place I’ll be mentioning later. Overall, you really can’t go wrong picking a hotel since the island is so small and you can rent a bicycle very cheap to get around!

What to Do
The Split
Any article you read is going to mention the Split because it’s
literally the place to be and hang out on the island. You can get food and drinks all day from the Lazy Lizard and there’s often DJ’s playing when it gets later into the night. However, this isn’t a “true” beach. It’s build on concrete so the sand is hard and you need to go down a ladder to get into the water. It’s still very enjoyable and you’re able to rent kayaks and paddle boards nearby! This is also a great spot to go to watch the sunset!

Koko King
I HIGHLY recommend you go over to KoKo King! This beach is located on the North Side of the island so you need to take a water taxi because of the split in the island. The taxi is free as long as you purchase something while you’re over there. The station is located directly across from where the water taxi dropped you off when you first arrived. Literally, just keep walking straight until you hit the other end of the island (maybe a 5 minute walk) and you’re there! KoKo King is a private beach and I recommend getting there early before it
gets too crowded. The beach chairs are free and first come first served, but for $25 you can rent a swing bed which was the BEST IDEA WE EVER HAD. I probably took 3 naps throughout the day, but hey I’m on vacation right? There’s also food and drinks served all day and drinks go down to $1.50 at 2 pm when happy hour starts! We stayed here the entire day and spent $75 total between the 2 of us for the
swing bed, food, and drinks and definitely got our money’s worth. The beach had some other fun activities to keep us entertained throughout the day like swings, a water trampoline, volleyball, and inner tubes. Stay for sunset because you’ll get the best view! Also, be sure to grab a
wristband from the bar before you head back on the taxi so you don’t get charged.

Snorkeling
Caye Caulker is the home to the world’s second largest barrier reef so spend a day getting up close and personal with it. We booked our snorkeling tour with Caveman Snorkeling Tours and the crew was amazing! Booking was a little nerve wrecking since you send a request on their website for the day and tour you’d like to go on and we
received an email back saying it was all booked up. We went in person once we arrived and the employee said the website requests are handled by a third party and we received incorrect information since no one had signed up yet for the tour we wanted to go on in 2 days. He said
the tours don’t usually fill up until the day before since most people just walk in and signup throughout the day, which was true since our tour was full by Saturday morning with 16 people! We opted for the full day snorkeling tour which advertised 5 stops, but we actually got 9 since there were some sightseeing ones included! It was definitely a great experience and I highly recommend going on the full day if
you’re able to since you’ll get a great deal and adventure. On our tour, we saw sharks, turtles, manatees, sting rays, seahorses, tarpons, and plenty of coral and other fish. The full day tour also includes lunch and fruit throughout the day.

Where to Eat
You HAVE to go to Roy’s Blue Water Grill. This was hands down my favorite meal of the entire trip and some of the best seafood I’ve ever had. I ordered their special of the day, which was this enormous stuffed lobster and it was heavenly.
Sip n Dip was a fun spot for drinks and happy hour since it’s located on a pier with great ocean views. There’s also the option to drink at the in water tables and water hammocks! This place is located closer to the Split so the prices were higher here compared to other places, but still a great choice!
Fantasy Dining Wine N’ Dine is located right by the water taxi station and has great food and an AMAZING happy hour. We ate here our last night and were seafooded out so we opted for a burger and it did not disappoint!

And that’s how we did 3 days in Caye Caulker! There are plenty of other activities and tours to do so I will definitely be back! I’m super interested in diving in the famous Blue Hole, but it was expensive and I had heard it gets cancelled often since there has to be a certain number of people to go. Nevertheless, I will get there someday!

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