Laidback Living on Belize’s REAL Caribbean Escape

Laidback Living on Belize’s REAL Caribbean Escape
By Glynna Prentice

I arrived in Caye Caulker by water taxi from Ambergris Caye, as many people do. The trip takes half an hour, costs $7.50, and is worth the money—skimming across the Caribbean’s blue waves, you can watch the island’s white-sand shores, fringed with palms, gradually grow closer. This approach also drives home a reality of life here: On Caye Caulker, you really are away from it all.

The island is only five miles long and at most a mile wide. Only the southern half is developed; most of the north half is jungle and mangrove—and it’s separated from the south by a channel called the Split (the most popular swimming spot).

At Caye Caulker Village, where the water taxis come in, the island is at its narrowest: only three streets wide. These bear the imaginative names of Front, Middle, and Back and are simple packed sand. You’ll see no cars here and only a few golf carts—most people walk or get around by bicycle.

And no one’s in a rush. Here, life is all about the water. You can swim and snorkel right off the beach, and the barrier reef is a mile away, an easy trip by motorboat. In fact, you’ll see boats in many backyards and moored on the lagoon. Walking down Front or Middle Street, about every third weather-beaten, wood-frame house you pass seems to be a tour-guide operator offering diving trips off the barrier reef or the Blue Hole, or for snorkeling in Hol Chan, all big draws in the area.

If you’re a sucker for beach living, you may soon find yourself kicking back and falling for Caye Caulker’s seductive charm.

Within an hour of arrival I was going barefoot. I snorkeled. I swam. I got a tattoo. (Okay, truth? I didn’t get the tattoo. But I did think about it... seriously...which says something about the spell this island can cast.)

Canadian expats Cindy and Barry Beer have called Caye Caulker home since 2007. "As soon as we got here, we knew this was it," says Cindy. I chatted with the two on the deck of their simple wooden house, the Caribbean just a stone’s throw away. Like many houses here, theirs sits on stilts to put it above water surges—Caye Caulker is only eight feet above sea level. The Beers’ boat rests in the sand nearby.

The two admitted that they "don’t go out a lot." There’s not a lot to do on Caye Caulker once the sun goes down, except go out to dinner or drink in bars. The Beers, though, like Caye Caulker’s tranquility. They say that it’s easy to go to San Pedro when they want city thrills—and they find they seldom do.

N.P.M.

Belize Film Commissioner

Caye Caulker The Best Deal In Belize.

Affordable Islands of the Caribbean
By Glynna Prentice

I’m paddling idly in the cool waters off the Split, wondering if I should drag myself to the bar of the Lazy Lizard for a beer. I’ve spent the morning snorkeling off the Barrier Reef, viewing coral formations and brightly-colored fish. Now, with evening coming on, I’m taking a last swim in Caye Caulker’s best-known swimming spot before showering and dressing for dinner. Though here, "dressing" is pretty casual... it means I’ll probably put on flip-flops rather than going barefoot. Probably.

These days Caye Caulker, a five-mile-long island off Belize’s Caribbean coast, has the laid-back, beach-bum vibe that brought expats to nearby Ambergris Caye 20 years ago. The streets on Caye Caulker are still packed sand. Most people get around by bicycle. And for those who come here, life is all about the water.

Small-town, island beach life isn’t for everyone. But if it’s for you, it doesn’t get much better than Caye Caulker. And real estate here is still surprisingly affordable. Lots, depending on where they are, can run well under $50,000. Simple vacation cottages start at less than $100,000. And on an island this small, no place is far from the beach.

If you want to be near the action—the restaurants, bars, dive shops, and Internet cafes—look at properties in the village along the three main north-south streets. (They’re named Front, Middle, and Back.) The village is the most expensive part of the island, especially for waterfront, but you can still find bargains.

A small two-bedroom, two-bath on Middle Street, for instance, was recently for sale for $225,000. It’s not on the water—but the island at this point is only three blocks wide, so the sea is very close. Want an easy business? A large, fenced property near the village is going for $279,000. It already has four cabanas on it that are vacation rentals, with plenty of room to build more.

Most expats, though, tend to settle well south of the village area, where they can enjoy greater privacy and quiet. There are some neighborhoods here, with names like Bahía Puesta del Sol, Pelican Point, and Eden Isle. You’ll find a few homes for sale—for example, a 720-square-foot, two-bedroom home, with three extra rooms for short-term rental, is currently for sale for $178,000. But much of this area is still jungled undergrowth, and people tend to buy lots to build on. Eden Isle is still off the grid.

You get great bang for your buck on this part of the island, yet you’re only a 10- to 15-minute bicycle ride to town. A 5,400-square-foot corner lot near Caye Caulker’s southern tip, for instance, with sea views in two directions, was recently on offer for $49,000. One row back, a lot just as big was going for $34,500.

In Caye Caulker you can build homes up to three stories high. And while you can build a large, luxurious home, you don’t have to. One expat couple I met settled for a simple, one-bedroom wooden house by the sea, with an outside deck for enjoying their morning coffee. The house was built to order by workers from Belize’s industrious Mennonite community... who showed up at the lot one morning and put up the house in a flat seven days. The cost: just $10,000.

And the lifestyle: priceless.

N.P.M.

Belize Film Commissioner

How Deep Is The Water?

belizefilmfestival.com

Nigel P. Miguel
B.F.C,