...anyone been? Any insights? I'll be there in in late May.

Yes, its small enough that you will find most things. Its not as big as the either caye, but there are quite a few restaurants/bars. Do you have a place to stay already?

I went to Ambergris but fly fished around Caye Caulker. Can't speak to the island itself, but if you are into fishing it's a great place. I definitely enjoyed the Belizean beer Belikin.

The people in Belize were very nice. We did have a couple that was staying at our hotel in Ambergris get robbed one night late on the beach. Just as likely to happen on Miami Beach as there, but just use caution.

I wasnt too much of a fan of Belikin, but it is all that you will get there...

As for safety, I didnt have a problem in Caye Caulker, and never felt endangered either....but things like that happen anywhere as you did say.

been there. had a great time. did some fishing out near the reef, stayed in a cheap little place for probably $15/night...felt completely safe. this place was very tranquil.

i wanna say there was a restaurant there called habaneros or something ... owned and run by a couple from Austin that got tired of the rat race

Going for a wedding there in July. Staying at the Seaside Cabanas. Does anybody know anything about that place?

Will be there for a week and would like to do some fishing, but not sure what the options are there. Is it just fly fishing for tarpon and the like, or anything that gets out in deeper sea for snapper, grouper or any of the billfish? Also, about what would prices run for a fishing trip from there?

At one point, we were looking at going to Tikal, across the border, but not sure that's going to fit in the schedule now.

Any other insight/advice on the area?

Wayner, they have all types of fishing. You can fly fish the flats for bonefish/tarpon/permit, spin cast the flats for those, or deep sea fish. My guide was about $300 for a full day fly fishing, just me and him. I took a service out of Ambergris, but there will be plenty of guides out of Caulker.

If you aren't staying in the jungle area, a day trip to Tikal or Caracol would be tough. We stayed in the jungle and did that, and I would highly recommend it.

De Real Macaw is a great cheap place to stay at caye caulker. Great little cabanas that have sea views with hamacks on the porches. Pretty safe place as well, even late at night.

Use Big Steve for snorkeling and sailing tours. There are also local fishing guides that are really cheap if you just want to catch snapper and other shallow water fish to eat. The European girls are pretty easy to pick up as well...

'European girls' is the best information I've seen so far ;p

Yes, I have a place to stay - a stand-alone cabana down near the split (close to the Lizard). I just wondered about the 'feel' of the place - sounded very laid back, like it would be a good place to go nurse a buzz for several days and get away from 'civilization'.

quote:

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At one point, we were looking at going to Tikal, across the border, but not sure that's going to fit in the schedule now.

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You wont be able to do it as a day trip....

We caught a mini-bus from Belize City to Flores (which we highly recommend in Guatemala) and that took around 6 hrs to get there. We ended up staying in Guat more days than originally planned because we liked it more. So if you are going to do it, you probably need 3 days (one day to get there, visit the town, next day for Tikal, next day for traveling home). You could probably do it in 2, but that would require you to leave Tikal and go straight to Belize.

There maybe day trips, but I dont see how it would really be possible from Belize City...

Caulker is definitely a laid-back tranquil place. We stayed at Seaside Cabanas. They are right at the entrance to the water taxi dock but it is only busy there when the taxis come in. They stop at dark so there shouldn't be much commotion at night. Next time we would like to try Da Real Macaw. Some restaurants we ate at are Rasta Pasta and Habaneros. The Lazy Lizard at "The Split" is a popular hangout. There is a small grocery and several little tiendas wher you can buy some necessities and beer (was that redundant?). The local guys can be agressive towards women (flirting, not physically). DO NOT walk around with an open beer, the cops may hassle you a bit and tell you someone could use it as a weapon.

http://www.gocayecaulker.com/
http://www.cayecaulker.org/
http://www.gocayecaulker.net/