Great trip report, MKEbound. Thanks! ^ It sort of helps me re-live the trip.

I second the Caliente for the Maya Mar.

FYI, my cousin just came back on Saturday from speding a week on Ambergris Caye. Sunday, started to get sick. Today, went to the ER. Doctor says it looks like something she picked up in Belize. Intestinal.

Just returned from CC.

One should note that a few higher end accomodations have on line booking, lesser accomodations will respond to your emails, and some you just walk up to to see if they have rooms.

I'm not much of a risk taker, so I always make reservations. But even in January, there seemed to be plenty of availability - and even discounts - for walk ups. They were calling it the Obama inauguration special.

no one, however, should attempt CC over Easter without reservations.

Back with the family from Caulker. Definitely a very worthwhile and pleasant trip. Here are some of my thoughts and suggestions.

Flying AA. Not so great. No scheduling effort is made to ensure good connections, so the trip is loooong. I could practically get to Hawaii in the same amount of time. AA equipment is old and the service is barebones -- I would rather have been flying WN for some extra legroom! On the outbound, we had a last minute mechanical and sat on the plane at DFW for about an hour and 15. Arrived 45 minutes before the last ferry boat to Caulker! We went straight to the "Belizian citizens" line and after a brief explanation and a slightly annoyed stare, they let us through. Made it to the dock with about 8 minutes to spare (we also ran into some traffic and road work which added time to the normally 20 minute taxi ride).

We also had to pay the departure tax. Almost US$180 for 5. Ouch! BTW, I thought this fare was only $60 roundtrip plus taxes. I paid about $130 all in. I guess that was just US departure taxes and PFCs.

If you've got a family, the ferry IS the way to get to Caulker. That only cost about US $55 for all of us roundtrip. A pleasant ride, as long as the seas are relatively calm (ours was fine).

Caulker's a nice village. Supposedly about 1000 people, perhaps including tourists. You can easily walk to anything, especially if you stay in the central area. Nothing to do on the island except eat, drink, relax, sunbathe, snorkel/dive and sleep. But I think most folks would be happy doing this for about 4 or 5 days. We spent that much time on the island and while the pace was relaxed, we weren't bored. I saw Ambergris from offshore and was horrified by the size and development of the place; I'm really not sure why you'd want to go there instead of the much calmer (and more laid back) Caulker. Maybe for nightlife? Development is definitely coming to Caulker, too, so go now while it's still "a village."

Most of the tourists on Caulker seemed quite young, in their 20s. Indeed, there might be a good singles scene, if you knew where to meet up! Definitely not a "party island" though -- we were a couple doors down from the main hostel and noise was never a big issue. Very few families on the island during our stay, but that didn't bother us at all. A few young "retirees" as well. By your third day, it feels like you know dozens of people. Most tourists are Americans, but I met a ton of Canadians. A good sprinkling of Europeans as well. The locals are a mix of many ethnicities and races, with a pronouced creole/island vibe. Think "Jamaica light." Very friendly and fun.


Because you'll be spending so much time "chilling," I would try to find decent accomodations. You'll be hanging out there, especially if your accomodations are decent. I rented a seaside "condo" that slept 5 for under $100. I found it hard to find family accomodations; those who are a couple or less will find it MUCH easier. Indeed, if you're not coming at a peak time, I would consider showing up, looking around and bargaining. Of course, if you can reserve a top tripadvisor-rated place in advance for a good price, that would also be a good way to go.

The top thing to do on Caulker is snorkel or dive. Indeed, if you don't want to do these things, a one day visit is probably adequate. We snorkeled. The best value trip is a "half day" to nearby Caulker reef areas. About 3 minutes by motor boat, and then you switch sites to see different coral and species. Less than US$25 for adults, and some operators will take kids for half price. Highly recommended -- great corals and marine life If you have only 1 day, do this.

There is also the full day snorkel to Hol Chan. This is something like 20 minutes by motorboat and an hour by sailboat. I recommend Ragamuffin for this trip because they do it by sailboat. A nice ride that way. The operators will tell you this reef is "better" than the local reef, but I found it similar. Less than US$43, including light lunch and rum punch on the way back.

The third trip we did was the night snorkel. My wife found it a little freaky; I found it calm. The children had mixed feelings. It was an interesting once-in-a-lifetime experience (you can see lobster, urchins and octopus and sometimes bioluminesence), but not as enjoyable as day snorkeling. Slightly more expensive than the local day snorkel.

You can do a little snorkeling from the broken concrete pier at "the split." That's also where tourists go to sunbathe and swim. No real beach there, though -- indeed, there's no real beach on the island.

Dining is great fun on Caulker. Lobster is the thing to eat. Unfortunately, there is apparently no lobster from mid-February to mid-June, so if you come then you are apparently out of luck. You can get a complete lobster dinner, including drinks, for between USD $10 and $15 in the local open-air joints. Non-lobster dishes are a little cheaper. Fran's along the water is decent, but as you head south and west in the village, prices are a bit lower. Little Kitchen and Marin's both have cheap and tasty lobster meals (Marin's also has a decent $2.50 lobster burger). Sandbox has a good breakfast menu with good prices. Glenda's is good for breakfast, too, but fewer choices. Amor and Cafe attracts a Starbucks crowd; fairly tasty, but limited choices. Wish Willy's has good local flavor (breakfast and dinner). Chan's/Pirates has tasty "fast food" throughout the day. The local bakery is tasty and cheap, as are the guys peddling breads and cakes in town. The sports bar, bamboo and the lazy lizard are all decent (and inexpensive) watering holes. I found it pleasant to buy a bottle of coconut rum and mix my own drinks with the fresh juice you can buy everywhere on the island. There are several small to medium size food markets on the island, but I can't imagine trying to cook anything myself -- the restaurants are cheap. Cheapest market I found (at least for rum) was Chinatown on the south side.

Bring plenty of US money; always accepted at a 2 to 1 ratio. Only one ATM on the island, and it can be unreliable, especially on weekends. Expect to pay for EVERYTHING with cash. Most of the few places that take credit cards tack on an extra 5% fee, including hotels.

I didn't make any mainland trips (except to the airport), but I think I would if I returned to Belize. I think a day of touring a Mayan ruin would be fun. I'd probably do that from the mainland, to save the travel time. FWIW, I didn't find downtown Belize City to be as "scary" as its reputation, but it's probably no place to linger.

Nice trip report on CC!

I had one last thought; the aiport has a small duty free liquore store, post security that had the best prices on Belize booze (please note I didn't do a whole lot of shopping, so better prices might exist). I grabbed a bottle of cashew wine $4, and a bottle of Lemon Rum $6, on the way out.

Yeah, I noticed the good rum prices there, too. The crew also bought booze there, which is a good sign of low prices (btw, the best liquor prices I've ever run into were at the Aquadilla PR airport -- a bit disturbing when both the pilot and co-pilot are buying by the case!).

There are also other small airport shops, some with lower-than-you'd-expect prices. I almost never shop at airports, but since there were almost no shops on Caulker, I browsed. I picked up a couple Belikin beer glasses (you'll see them everywhere in Belize) for US$1.50 each. I got my daughter a locally-printed shirt for US$6.00.

I should also mention that the Departure Tax window does NOT take Belizian money! So don't have any "left over" (you can spend the Belizian money at the shops). I was thinking of using the airport ATM to pay the departure tax with Belizian money and asked the clerk beforehand -- glad I did! Indeed, since everybody takes US dollars in Belize (but usually gives you your change in Belizian dollars), try to minimize your Belizian money, especially toward the end of your trip. If you're a non-US citizen, this would be a little annoying since you wouldn't want to go home with extra US dollars. The Atlantic bank at the airport does seem to offer exchange (not sure the rate), but they keep odd hours (in the afternoon, I think it was 1:30 to 3:30).

I forgot to mention the large number of folks connecting to the Belize flights from EWR. We all joked about it -- everyone had "the deal"! (BTW, news of the deal reached Caulker, and lots of "locals" flew in their family and friends on the rate). It was the first time I ever saw the impact of a "Flyertalk fare" at the airport!

LOL, at least 15 people on my EWR-DFW flight were on the DFW-BZE flight. We ran into another couple who were on the mainland and had taken the ferry to San Pedro for the day who got the fare too!

Interesting thread--as least as helpful as the dedicated destination fora like Fodor's etc. Couple questions esp for you lucky devils that just visited on the FT fare from ewr:

Three travelers, me (62), one daughter (27), and one granddaughter (13). We're going for spring break, March 15-24. FF miles on AA, and they've already messed with both the arriving and departing flights. :(

We're going inland for the first few days (Cohune Palms in Bullett Tree Falls), then one of the cayes (although Placencia remains a possibility instead). Snorkeling is high on the wish list for my daughter, though, and I think it's better on the cayes than Placencia. On the other hand, I want to try kayaking. The sense I get from previous posts is Caulker. Any discussion there? I don't have res yet, except Cohune Palms. Are they tight? Should I jump right on that task? And what about your sense of safety; a dive operator in my town was aghast at the thought of us going to Belize. Probably because not on one of his trips, maybe?

What about baggage allowance on Tropic Air? We're not the lightest of packers and wonder if hauling gear would be worthwhile and if the airline would transport it? I'm talking maybe one duffel of masks, fins, beach towels, sunscreen, bug stuff. Plus a carryon each, and maybe a bag with provisions for us and spare books for the school. It would be well within the allowance of AA, at least as of today, lol.

jfhscott and MKE, thanks for the insights. You, too, PSUhorty--how 'bout them Steelers!!!

So I got back last week but haven't had time... I'll add and clarify a few things up to date as of 2/16-20

Entering - fixed taxi rate of 25 US from int'l to ferry terminal
Ferry to caulker is 25BZ r/t, 30 is also possible (and 20, but i only found out afterwards and still don't know how to do it)
Tom's Hotel was 19US/night for a room w/ 3 beds and a shared bath. A casita was 30US/night w/ 3 beds and private bath. Either are good options whether sharing a room or not. Very clean. Talking to people staying at miramar, the hostel, and daisy's it sounds like Tom's Hotel was much cleaner. Very basic but it has its own dock..
Wish Willy's was worth it - just ask for what's good. He's a professionally trained cook that now lives in CC 6 months/year.
Jolly Roger and Frans also the same. Since drinks were "included" but too weak for our tastes, we bought a bottle of 1 barrel rum and they had no problem with us doing so.
Salbutes from the mexi place on front street are cheap cheap cheap and great.
The ham/cheese thing at the bakery is worth waking up for and costs perhaps a dollar. Other items there also worth it - very cheap.
Rasta Pasta is closed, in its place is a bar not really worth mentioning other than it has free wifi.
The sports bar also has free wifi.
Bottles of rum are about the same cost on the island as off (~$9US for a 750 of decent rum) and cheapest at the chinese market on middle street. Get one of those and a box of pineapple juice and a cup and you're good to go.
Diving I couldn't get any discount other than a free shirt... was just over $100US for Hol Chan 2 tank dive and just over 130US for turneffe 3 tank including lunch - which I thought was a great deal overall.
The various markets will have anything you need and other than things like bug spray the prices aren't as high as you would expect.
If you put bugspray on your ankles and feet, don't forget the bottom of your feet :)
Leaving - taxi from ferry to intl was 40US for 5 people - I think we got screwed and should have been charged the flat 25, but wasn't paying attention..
I couldn't imagine doing a day trip to a maya site from CC... you'd spend half the day traveling uncomfortably.
San Pedro from a distance when on the water looked too big, am glad I was on CC.
Departure from airport was 37.50US cash or credit, didn't matter what airline you were on.
Duty free I thought was nothing exceptional - could buy at the same price either in belize or guatemala, in some cases cheaper. Marie sharps hot sauce was 4 or 8BZ depending on size and type.. only slightly more than non-airport. They give change in US, so no worries there.

I was in guatemala as well, and they did not credit the exit fees previously paid (it was ~19US leaving by car).. guatemala entry and exit fees were approx 1.30US. Zacapa rum was cheaper in guatemala than bze duty free.

hope that helps someone..

I've got 10 people going to BZE this week and we would like to fly into San Pedro instead of taking the water taxi. Since the municipal airport is half the price on tropic air, we'd like to go out of there--does anyone know how much approximately a taxi is each way and how long it takes to get there?

Google is your friend....

http://www.sanpedrowatertaxi.com/files/schedule.html

Thanks for the link. I know about the water ferry, but want to fly out of the municipal airport--was looking to see price to the airport and time to get there.

I just got back from my trip to Ambergris Caye with my group of 10 and had a great time. I want to thank everyone who's contributed to this thread for the advice and recommendations, because it made life very easy down there.

Ramons Village was a great place to stay--with the exception of water pressure in the shower--and everyone was extremely nice. I wish I could move Estel's and the water to OKC and sit there every morning--best bloody mary anywhere. We took the $25/cab ride to the municipal airport to save on the flights, and it was about as easy as it gets getting there and back for half the price of the international airport to San Pedro.

There were hardly any tourists there, so it kind of felt like it was our own little resort town for the few days--my only regret is not staying longer, and I didn't take on the Mayan ruin tours. Once again, thanks to everyone for all the help and trip reports!

Yes, Estel's is awesome. I had the same bloody mary's almost every morning! Agreed... the biggest regret is always not staying longer.

hello, is there an ATM machine in BZE airport? We are landing on a sunday, and I heard that banks will be closed.

also another question: (this was posted elsewhere, but no replies):
Anyone know if some vegetarian food can be found in Dangriga Town?