“No Shirt, No Shoes…No Problem.”
Initially I booked a trip to Hawaii for my birthday in March. Unfortunately, days prior to my trip the government decided to shut down everything except for essential services. The airlines only agreed to give me a credit instead of refunding the trip, so I eventually agreed to rebook my trip for Christmas holidays 2020. Hawaii required everyone to get tested no more than 72 hours prior to arrival but the test must be administered only by their trusted partners. I spent months reading travel restrictions, searching for reviews from other tourists from Hawaii. Followed the guidelines to the letter. It would be sufficient if it were solely based on us. AFC Urgent Care is one of the trusted partners and the closest to us at the time. I got tested 2 days prior to the trip; they handed us our negative test letter; flew to Hawaii to only uncover that AFC provided the wrong result format and it should have been on Hawaii results letterhead, so my traveling partner’s test was not accepted. She got quarantine and Hawaii did not allow her to retake the test at arrival. I already had a rental car waiting for me, so I visited the botanical garden, a few local spots, and the beach. After several attempts to get the quarantine lifted without any luck, we were presented with 2 options: remaining in our room or head back home. I mean if only this was true; the universe wished I would give up so easily. I instead got on the net and booked our ticket to the Caribbean. At the very least I knew there the restrictions would be more lenient. Out of the many escapades that I already planned around the world, I selected Belize. The following day we were landing at San Pedro, Belize by late afternoon.
One of my hobbies is searching the web and planning itineraries. Out of the blue one day I came across this island name Caye Caulker in Belize; pronounced “key cal-ker”. I mapped out a random travel plan that was quite useful for this escapade. From the airport in San Pedro caught a taxi to the ferry terminal just a few minutes away. Caye Caulker was the first stop just about 30 minutes.
Caye Caulker is a natural charming Caribbean five-mile-long island that offers a relax, slow pace and tranquil lifestyle. All the streets are in sand, cars are blissfully absent, dogs nap in the middle of the dirt road while cyclists pedal around them. The few traffic sign instructs golf carts and bicycles to go slow. I felt elated and at peace by the sounds of birds squeaking and waves splashing against the shore as soon as I stepped on the waterfront. This island is all about the Caribbean Sea, and its gorgeous natural setting. Snorkeling, fishing, sailing and water sports are popular activities on the island due to the second longest barrier reef in the world and the wealth of tropical fish. Adorned with pastel-colored hotels, bars, tour agent booth, massage parlor, souvenir shops and restaurants. The island has a robust Creole presence which vibrates to a timeless reggae beat and is home to a small community of Rastafarians. Could you believe that there is an island on earth with just three main roads the Front Street, Middle Street, and Back Street. We biked around the whole island in 30 minutes. After the year that I’ve had the feeling of being away from it all was exactly what I needed.
My hotel Iguana Reef Inn was the highlight of my trip and quickly became my favorite place on the island. It is not a luxury hotel like in Bali, Maldives, Dubai, or Sandals in the Caribbean but it was surely the finest hotel on Caye Caulker. They are on the board walk in a secluded section of the village. The pool was always clean and refreshing. The habitat on the beach is conducive to marine life; the beachside bar area was stunning and well preserved; hammocks and swings hanged in the water. They made a seahorse nursery with rope; animals such as moray eels, tarpons, nurse sharks, stingrays are free to come and go. In the evening they gave us sardine to feed the stingrays and pelicans. While feeding the nurse sharks I was able to swim with them. The word around Caye Caulker is that the Iguana Reef Inn is the best place to catch the sunset.
The cost of food on the island is very affordable. For $50 US per day, I was able to eat gigantic plates of breakfast, lunch, dinner, 2 cocktails for each meal and lets not forget my daily stop at the supermarket on the middle street for snacks, juice and liquor.
I recommend a visit to the Split, specifically Lazy Lizard Bar & Grill. The Split is an actual split in the island where the main part for the island was split from the north end, or North Caye, by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. This section of town is most famous for swimming because of its clear, turquoise waters. It is the perfect place to meet people and party all day long. Many activities are offered such as: boats, kayaks, paddleboards, and swimmers’ float. There are also cabanas for rent, high platform to jump off into the sea, tables in the water for dining. Their restaurant was more expensive than the rest of the town, but the ceviche was mouth-watering.
Doing my stay, I enjoyed biking around the 3 main roads, swim in the clear waters and sitting back at the beachside bar lounge at Iguana Reef Inn sipping on pina coladas, rum punch, panty rippers, mojitos while reading my book. I was a bit disappointed because the locals do not make use of the many coconut trees gently swaying in the breeze. Caye Caulker was the perfect destination to unwind and appreciate the natural surroundings of the tropics.
Collect Memories One Escapade at a Time 