Lets face it, travel can be really hard. With so many places to see and constant stress on our bank accounts and calendars, sometimes you need to stop and do absolutely nothing. Caye Caulker, Belize is the perfect place for nothing.
This tiny island made the perfect recharge zone for us after running around Mexico for 7 weeks. Although, it was quite strange to hear English again after becoming so accustomed to Spanish. We had heard that Belize was rather expensive, but managed to stay on budget without issue (which we can’t say about parts of Mexico). Caye Caulker also had some of the best seafood of my life and I got to try a few new dishes including barracuda and conch.
Should you feel inclined to experience some of what Belize has to offer (after being fully revitalized, of course), the snorkeling and scuba trips are fantastic. With so much wildlife and crystal clear water, we highly recommend a trip. Once properly scuba certified, we’ll totally be back for the Blue Hole too.
There isn’t much of a night life on the island, so most people just hang out at the bar next to the “split” (a channel caused by a hurricane) until it closes. This is also the best swimming beach as well. The bar has something they call the “lizard juice challenge”. The challenge is to finish 4 of their potently rummy, green cocktails. To sweeten the deal, if you finish 3 they’ll give you the 4th for free. At $10 Belize ($5 US), it is quite the bang for your buck. However, be advised- everyone we’ve spoken to who attempted it blacked out. Also, do not mock the drink or talk about what a high alcohol tolerance you have near the bartenders. They will make sure that the Belizean rum puts you in your place, painfully if necessary.
While we stuck to Caye Caulker, a quick stop in San Pedro for customs/immigration was enough to see a few obvious differences between the islands. Just a quick glance at the luggage people were carrying was enough to tell which island they came from. Backpacks? Caye Caulker. Rolling suitcases? San Pedro. So depending on which type of travel luggage you prefer, there is an island for you. While pricing will likely be drastically different, I’m willing to bet that they’re equally good at doing nothing.
So, next time you feel like dying after a hellish travel day; remember this post and do nothing.
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I did space out and enjoy myself for the 6 days we were there. Here are a few gems – enjoy!
I really liked Belize. I was sad that I didn’t get a chance to to go to Cayes though. We ended up in Placencia further south instead. I also wish I had taken in some more of the ruins, but I am sure you both felt differently since you had just been in Mexico. 🙂
I am cracking up just reading this post… Ahhhh we had some good times doing nothing & not remembering a thing in Caye Caulker. Ahhh man good times!!! Hope y’all are doing well… I miss y’all bunches. Im finally leaving Playa and going home tomorrow.
ahhhh doing nothing rocks! vancouver has proven a hard first stop to do nothing in, but i’m heading toward quieter places soon! belize looks so incredibly beautiful. great pics & post shaun 🙂
Caye Caulker is the perfect place to just chill and do nothing for a few days… we didn’t have any expectations when we got there and ended up loving it! Wish we had been there with you guys and Jaime 🙂
Nothing is one of our favourite things to do! =) This looks like heaven – we were just in a little spot on the Caribbean Coast in Colombia with nothing to do but hang out with the fun locals at the bar, eat and chill in hammocks. No TV or internet – H E A V E N!
@Terri: I had heard the ruins were pretty cool but I think we were experiencing burn out by that point. I want to go back to Belize to discover the mainland a bit more. 😀
@ Jaime – Good times, indeed. We had much more fun since you were around. Although, I’m still mad at the island for swallowing my hat.
@ Lorna – The Cayes really are incredible. The water was so clear on the sailing trip we went on that we could see the ocean floor. It really was amazing.
@ Globetrottergirls – Oh, man. That would have been awesome. Even with just Jaime, doing nothing turned into quite an adventure. 😀
@ Andrea – The Caribbean makes nothing so easy. I love it.