Ambergris Caye, Belize; such a cool island with a cool vibe. Everything here is laid back and relaxed, even more so if you stay on Caye Caulker instead. One of my favorite trips, for sure. So much to do, see and eat in this wonderful place.
We flew into Belize City; from there, you can take the ferry to Ambergris and Caulker, or you can take a quick flight with Maya Air. For the sake of saving time, it was worth it for us to book the extra flight. We stayed in San Pedro Town at a private rental (I know, you’re shocked), and let me tell you, Frank has or can get everything you need. Need a golf cart? No problem, he’ll charge less than the local rental places and bill you for it later. Recommendations for food, dive centers or bars? Done. The apartment wasn’t right on the beach, but we were allowed to sneak through Ramon’s, which was a short walk away. Pro Tip: if you buy a drink at the resort, you can use their beach chairs, and the beach is gorgeous.
Oh, and just a heads up: there are lots of dogs on the island. Most appear to be strays, but everyone chips in and takes care of them. You’ll see them wandering all over; they don’t really care that you’re there and will probably leave you alone. They’re just here to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Things to Do & See
On to the “things to do” portion of this page: the answer is tons. Here’s our shortlist:
Snorkeling with Island Dream Tours – these guys are awesome. We had an absolute blast on the full-day “Chill” cruise. Snorkeling with rays and nurse sharks is a bucket-list-worthy adventure. A quick stop at Caye Caulker is included, as are drinks, meal and snacks. The crew is great; it’s a very social experience, and we hung out with some of our fellow travelers and a couple crew members at the end of the night.
This excursion was ah-mazing. If you don’t have swimming with rays and nurse sharks on your Bucket List, add it today. (Nurse sharks are generally gentle, so don’t expect a shark cage with Great Whites). It was totally surreal, these giant creatures swimming around you. Rumor has it that the rays and sharks started coming around years, if not decades, ago when fishermen would meet and clean the day’s catch.
Scuba Diving – You may have heard of the Great Blue Hole. It’s reportedly beautiful, and a Scuba diver’s dream. While we didn’t visit (it’s about a 2-hour boat ride from Ambergris), many people who travel to Belize do. In fact, there were a ton of skydivers that we ran into who were planning daily jumps into the hole. Regardless, Jacques Cousteau claimed the spot to be one of the Top Ten dive spots in the world. Even though we didn’t make it there, Belize has plenty to offer in the way of snorkeling and scuba diving, so don’t be afraid to give it a try.
I’ll start by saying that we are not scuba certified. Had never been scuba diving before this trip. Snorkeling? Definitely. But never scuba. Because the depth of the water at Hol Chan and Mexico Rocks is not too deep, the team at Belize Pro Dive Center offers a quick, in-pool tutorial, and then bring you out to the reef. This was a cool experience; Shawn had a blast, Jen snorkeled with full scuba gear on (I panicked! I’ve never been a strong swimmer). One thing I learned on our scuba adventure is that I’m perfectly happy with floating at the top of the water to view marine life.
Mexico Rocks – A quick boat ride, and you are in a shallow patch reef that’s a part of the Belize Barrier Reef system and Hol Chan Marine Reserve. We booked a snorkel dive with Belize Pro Dive Center. It was very serene in comparison to Hol Chain and Shark Ray Alley – less traffic, and a different collection of fish, but beautiful. It was just the two of us with our guide, and we may have stayed and snorkeled longer than usual.
Palapa Bar & Grill – Hurricane Earl struck Ambergris in 2016, and the bar was destroyed. Fortunately, it had been rebuilt by the time we were there in February of ‘18, and it’s a cool spot. The bar is pretty big, and somewhere in there, our names are on the wall. The best part is the back, which faces the ocean, and in which you can walk into the water and make your way to the tethered inner tubes and float along. Run out of beer? Don’t worry; the servers can drop it down to you from the railing above in a bucket. Seriously, this is the life…
Secret Beach – not really a secret anymore, but it’s a little difficult to get to on an island that doesn’t have a lot of cars, so there aren’t a ton of people out there. Traveling to the beach by golf cart is a little treacherous, as most of the roads are unpaved. But once you get there, it’s beautiful. There are a few bars you can eat/drink at, including the Secret Paradise Beach Bar.
Cahal Pech – We booked a Ruins/Cave Tubing tour on the mainland with Inland And Sea Adventures. We did take a ferry for this excursion, and were met by our tour guide at the ferry dock in Belize City. Due to weather were not able to go to Xunatunich as planned. Instead, our guide took us to Cahal Pech, which means The Place of Ticks.
I’ll start by saying that the cave tubing was a fun experience, and the ruins are amazing. Experiencing ruins that are thousands of years old is humbling, and the country has done a fantastic job of preserving the sites.
Here’s the deal – we’re normally pretty easy going and can make the best out of a not-so-great situation (see our trip to Albuquerque), but we would definitely recommend NOT booking with a tour with Inland and Sea. Ultimately, weather and poor planning on the part of another operator meant that we were at risk of missing the last ferry back, which prompted a dangerously reckless drive back to Belize City. Like, fearing-for-our-lives dangerous. We were willing to miss the ferry, pony up for a hotel in B.C. for the night, even spring for a room for one of the guys on the tour who had only brought enough cash with him for the day. That did not stop our guide, who insisted we call him “Brown Sugar” and referred to himself in the third-person all day, from speeding and weaving his way back to the ferry dock while we begged him to slow down. And then he complained when no one tipped him when we were dropped off at the ferry dock. In case you were wondering, we did make it with about 20 minutes to spare, and we are normally excellent tippers.
Eats
Now, time for the best part: where to eat. We love food. Love to try new things, and when we’re traveling, we love to eat what the locals eat. We’ll ask rental hosts, tour operators, and the guy at the convenience store where to go for good, local food. Our recommend-ers on Ambergris did not disappoint.
First, some tips, then on to the food list.
- Eat ceviche. It’s delicious and fresh. And most restaurants sell some version of it.
- Whenever you get the chance, eat lobster. Just be aware that there is no lobster harvesting Between February 16 – June 14, so once you get closer to mid-February, lobster supply (on Ambergris, anyway) will be lower than usual and harder to come by.
- Try salbutes and pupusas. They will not disappoint.
Try these spots…
- The Hungry Grouper – this place is a hidden treasure. Closer to the bay side of the island, the food is delicious, and the owner is wonderful, a friendly guy. Recommended by our Airbnb host, Frank, as well as a ton of his former guests.
- Estel’s Dine By The Sea for breakfast – right on the beach, it’s a cafeteria-style joint where you order from a menu written in chalk on blackboards. Go early, as it gets busy around brunch time.
- El Fogon – Salbutes: my mouth is watering…
- Briana’s Food Place – Recommended by several locals when we asked where to go for genuine Belizean food.
- Waruguma – Papusas. So good. We wished we’d found this place sooner, but if we had, we’d probably eat every meal at this place. (I may be drooling as I write this…) Also, some of the best rum punch on the island.
- Blue Water Grill – Our first stop once we made it to the Caye offered good drinks and good food. Everything was very fresh (try the fish, there are tons of options), and it’s right on the beach.
For more recommendations of things to do and where to eat in Belize, visit our Tripadvisor Belize and Ambergris Caye reviews and pics.