Caye Caulker?

[MikeRiley]

any insight on what its like? ive been looking at the website and it seems like a chill, affordable little spot.
close to good sites? any good food/beaches? where exactly is it/hard to get there?

and if im not being too much of a pain... could someone compare Ambergris, Placencia and Caye Caulker??

 

[fire_diver]

I was just there a couple weeks ago. It's about as laid back as is ever possible. there are no "streets", all the roads are sand. Everyone walks or rides a bicycle except for a tractor I saw with a trailer delivering to businesess. Didn't dive there, but there are several dive shops on the island. Don't expect luxury though. I never saw a "beach" like most think of it. The island sits in a sea-grass prairie, and it extends right up to the shore. We ate at a place called "sobre las olas" and the food was good. We got there by boat from Belize City.

Can't compare it to the others, but I would like to go back and spend some more time.

 

[diversteve]

where exactly is it/hard to get there?

A little south of Ambergris Cay.



Belize Water Taxi, Caye Caulker, San Pedro Belize - Caye Caulker Water Taxi
Or you can fly. Airline of Belize - Maya Island Air Flights

 

[chillyinCanada]

Caye Caulker is a cool little island to hangout on. Very inexpensive backpacker accommodations up to more expensive digs. There was just recently a thread than compared all three places.

---------- Post added November 4th, 2014 at 07:21 PM ----------

Taken from a recent post of mine:

I love San Pedro, amongst other reasons, because there is always live music playing somewhere in the evening and during the day, the beach is a bit like main street. It's an overly busy, bustling little town most days but the island stretches long in both directions and once out of the centre of town, one can find peace and beauty. Placencia so much smaller and walking along the sidewalk is a pleasure. Very peaceful there and the beach is fabulous. 

Two very different experiences to my mind, at least the way I do it, since I stay
in centre of San Pedro instead of one of the lovely hotel/resorts further from town.

An addendum: It should be noted when i refer to the beach at San Pedro being like main street, I'm talking about town centre and not at the resorts outside of town centre. Further, it is foot traffic activity not vehicles.

I'd be more likely to compare Caye Caulker to Placencia, and in that case, CC might be the poor man's Placencia. 

 

[Downing]

I was just there a couple weeks ago.

Any topside photos you care to share?

 

[diver 85]

Caye Caulker-----wow, a name I haven't thought of since about '89, our last time to visit it........We never stayed there but visited it a couple times while staying(diving) @ Caye Chappel(next door).....Remember it was a very quaint & rustic place back then---believe with a pet monkey to 'play with' @ some hut(need to go back & look @ some vintage video from there).......Would be interesting to go back & retrace from footsteps..

 

[cmneus]

I am going there this Christmas, diving with Belize Diving Services. We are flying into Cancun and taking a bus to Chetumal then the water taxi to Caye Caulker, the links for the water taxi companies are in a post above. Probably not the easiest way to get there via Cancun but my other half really wanted to see some of the ruins on the Yucatan so it made sense to fly in and out of Cancun since it's cheaper and half our trip will be spent in the Yucatan. It can also be accessed more easily via Belize City.
For accommodation this website is very helpful: Caye Caulker Accommodations Belize
I'll be sure to post a good trip report when I return in January because I had a hard time finding info on the diving around that area as well. We will be doing several day trips out to the atolls (Lighthouse Reef, Half Moon Caye, Turneffe Atoll, etc) so I am curious to compare the diving out there to the diving near Caye Caulker.

 

[fire_diver]

You're taking a mexican bus 240 miles? That's just crazy!

 

[Downing]

Have you ever been to Cancun? I'd crawl on my hands and knees over burning broken glass for 240 miles if that were the only way to get out. A long ride on a Mexican bus? Now that might just be an adventure!

Or maybe really boring if it's just another airconditioned Greyhound like we have here in Los Estados Unidos.

Either way, you're out of Cancun.

Stop off in Playa del Carmen if you can. You'll have a blast. Chichen Itza, Tulum and Coba are very cool ruins, btw.

 

[Ralph Capeling]

You're taking a mexican bus 240 miles? That's just crazy!

I would give you odds that the bus service referred to here is much better than the one in your town or city. The only complaint I have heard about the ADO bus (which leaves in the evening and arrives in the morning both coming and going so saves a hotel night) is that you need to wear a sweater or jacket because they really crank up the AC.
Regards
Ralph