I though I should share this email with cayecaulker folk.
I planned a trip to Belize this month. Of course I really did not consider the full ramifications of such a trip before I planned the trip. Once I bought plane tickets I started to do more research. Of course I never should have done the research. Now I am aware that a long time resident of Caye Caulker was murdered in her home early this month. I am also aware that there is to be a replacement of the police force on Caye Caulker. I am now also aware of a sizeable number of thefts that have taken place on Caye Caulker. I also learned that malaria and deunge fever are contracted in the interior parts of Belize. There are other maladies that people contract in Belize.
Of course, I live in Houston, Texas where many people are murdered every year. We have our share of diseases. We also have wonderful birdwatching in this area.
So, I guess I am writing to you to ask you if you would advise me to stay somewhere other than Caye Caulker? Would some other island be safer at about the same price? I do not really fear for my safety. I will be traveling with my wife and children. The children are 15, 13, and 10. I want to come down there and feel comfortable. I want to know that my wife and children will be safe.
I do not know anyone in Belize. This is why I am seeking advice from several people that live there.
Many thanks for any assistance,
Any comments?

You will be fine. I felt very safe there. Stuff happens
everywhere. It is a wonderful place for your kids. We
have problems even in our affluent community in USA
where we live. Don't pass up this opportunity to enjoy
Caye Caulker!! I am a experienced tourist from Oregon
USA and have nothing to do with Caye Caulker other than
respect and fond memories. Go enjoy yourself and stop
the parents worry. I can't imagine any normal human being
not having a great time in Caye Caulker.

We chose Caye Caulker years ago and still think it's one of the safest places to be for our family.

I was born on CC a long time ago. I live in San Diego now and go to Belize frequently. As always when you travel anywhere take your safety very seriously. Get to know the local business owners etc who can give you good advice on what to do and where to go safely. Unfortunately bad things happen everywhere these days..Caye Caulker is still a great place to visit. Hope you go and enjoy!

We live outside Detroit and just returned from Ambergris Caye in September. Our teenagers did not want to go home. We felt safe. We loved the people, the surroundings. We cannot wait to return. Anywhere you travel you could come up against a bad situation. Safety is in numbers, but it can happen anywhere, at anytime. Be as cautious as you are in the city your live in.

Go on your trip, leave your worries behind and enjoy these beautiful islands and the wonderful people that live there. Wish we were just leaving instead of just returning!

Caye Caulker will be the last place in the world I return to.
I was sorry to hear about the murder. The people at Tropic Air were very pleasant. No beach, corrupt police department.
People entering your rental in the middle of the night. Corruption is everywhere in this world. I just happened to experience it in CC. It seemed like the ideal place to vacation but I was wrong. I know the residents don't want to hear it and I'll get many negative remarks. Who cares?????

Nobody should come to any place in Belize expecting to find "great" beaches. We don't have fantastic beaches, we have a living coral reef teeming with amazing sea creatures.

SCgirl....You should care...your vacations was not a pleasant one...there are people on the Caye dealing with what you experienced and trying to make a change...and this makes me think that nothing will be ideal to your negative thoughts....maybe if you made an informed decision and used the internet for positive reasons you would have known that Belize is all about jungle and reef....not beaches.......and Caye Caulker is safe and beautiful

Give me a break the "beaches" was something I just threw in.
It is really all about the crime that is not acknowledged.

I am the person that originally sent the message that started this thread. I really was looking for information from people that actually live in Belize. While I value opinions of others, it would be difficult for them to have the same amount of information as someone living in Belize. So, if you live in San Ignacio and can address the malaria/deunge fever question; or, if you live on Caye Caulker and would like to address the crime issue, I would love to hear from you. I am not going to change my plans. I will visit both locations. I just am looking for more information.

Peace,

Cleatus

You shouldn't change your plans. Although the murder was an absolutely awful event it is not the norm for Caye Caulker.

In regards to malaria and dengue - it is a true and credible concern and you should take the relevant precautions. If you choose not to take the pills (talk to your doctor) at minimum you should wear repellent and suitable attire to avoid being bitten.

Caye Caulker isn't for everybody, and if you decide it isn't for you then you can try the next island over, Ambergris Caye or move to another mainland location.

I am sure your family is going to have a memorable and enjoyable vacation if you come here with an open mind ready for some adventure and new experiences.

There is malaria and Dengue in Belize in certain areas. There is Lyme's Desease on the east coast of the US. There is Rocky Mountain tick fever in the rockies, Swine Flu is everywhere. The point is that is you let that all control your decisions, you would stay home and never go out.
CC is beautiful, although a bit laid back for my tastes. AC is a more active. Both are really safe if you use basic common sense.
If you have children, I can not imagine a better place to vacation with fun for all age groups. I even had my 89 year old Dad here for a while and he loved the bird watching and all the attention that the lovely Belizean people showed him.

You should not discount the travelers advice either. Sometimes residents (locals)view things a little less important and do not understand how the difference in living standards can affect a vacation.
That being said, my wife and I have been to both islands and the mainland many times. CC is a wonderful village with the most laid back people who are welcoming and friendly. AC has more activities, but also more visitors (not crowded though) There is obviously more to explore on AC because it is so much bigger. The mainland is yet another world alltogether. Beautiful and undeveloped (except a few cities). You must take precautions anywhere you go. We have never had any medical issues or felt unsafe, but we take precautions. We don't stagger around drunk at 2 in the morning, waving our wallets. I don't know what your kids enjoy, but have heard from many travelers that AC is more to the younger ones liking.
You are doing the right thing by asking questions. Relax, you will love this trip and plan another right after returning.

I am not the sort of person who would try to sugar-coat something as awful as the murder on CC. To the contrary, I have ticked off local politicians by being openly critical of (some aspects of) their response to that sad and gruesome event.
How do I feel about Caye Caulker at this moment? It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. And rhe people are so welcoming and gracious that my wife and I will probably spend the rest of our lives here.
How safe is it? I walk the streets alone nearly every night carrying nothing but a book. I don't feel threatened by the people around me, I feel protected by the people around me.
I am skeptical about the politicians on this island (and everyplace else) but politicians on CC realize that it is in their own best interest to make CC as safe as is humanly possible. Whether they are motivated by morality or greed, EVERYONE on the island is committed to making Caye Caulker as safe as it is beautiful.

Well said.

I thought I would follow up on my original post with a post- vacation message. My son was bit by a dog on the island. As a light sleeper I was awakened many times at night by dogs barking. I had discounted this complaint by another traveler who had reviewed the hotel I stayed in.

I was dismayed that in the middle of the lodging area of the island there was an animal rescue site with excessive numbers of cats and dogs were housed. I love animals. However, on Caye Caulker, the dogs and cats have displaced the native wildlife except the birds that do not live on or near the ground. It seems to me that if the residents and businesses on the island wanted to increase tourism there would be an effort made to protect the island wildlife from introduced species.

Here in Houston people are required to pick up the mess their animals leave. I would think that Caye Caulker, a place where walking barefoot is encouraged should adopt an ordinance that required people to keep their animals on a leash and pick up their mess.

With a little bit of common sense one can have a safe trip to Caye Caulker. It would be nice if the bottler of the water and drinks would create a plastic recycling program for Belize. Litter is everywhere.

I believed that I would have a relaxing and restful time on the island. Instead my son was bit by a dog and I could not sleep because of dogs barking all night. The snorkeling and sailing was very nice. My daughter donated a laptop computer to the new high school.

I understand that I am an outsider. I also recognize that trash and noise complaints exist everywhere. I just believe that if I were given a free trip back to Caye Caulker I would turn it down. If I did not care at all about the residents of the island I would not have encouraged my daughter to donate her laptop. I would not have even posted this note. I hope and pray that Caye Caulker will expend serious effort to enact local ordinances to require their residents to reduce the damage that their animals do to the island.

Boy I am not happy to be hearing about this!! The dog situation mentioned by Cleatus above. Someone saying they would turn down a free trip to Caye Caulker - well that says a L0T!! Better take care of stuff like this, as you have done with the police force, or tourists are going to be scared off of this island. ME INCLUDED........and I am booked to come there for Christmas. Not sounding good at all this year for various things I have heard on this message board since September, when everyone apparently was getting the swine flu.....followed by the argument about poisoning the animals, and then the motorized vehicles you were going to allow, to the murder that took place, to having to monitor your police force, to a fire that destroyed property that we would have maybe booked into, and now above, this person says they wouldn't return due to the dog doo and all night barking. NOT SOUNDING LIKE A GREAT TROURISTA DESTINATION TO ME!!!!!!! Maybe Mexico woud be better!?? And it would be much cheaper!! any comments from the islanders? For many this is your livlihood!!

More knowledge through the internet is not always a good thing.

Going to a new destination with an open mind and an open heart, is a good thing.

If you go prepared to be annoyed and you will more likely be annoyed.

So instead, go prepared to enjoy yourself and you are more likely to enjoy.

trash is a problem everywhere in Belize, and other Central American countries as well

Well, I for one won't put one foot in Mexico again, I'm likely to get murdered as so many other North Americans have lately and the Mexican police will just cover it up. Maybe Jamaica again? Oh right, I can't get out of my 'compound' because I'll get robbed or just harassed to death and have to pay exorbitant prices for an 'excursion' which includes being put on one of twenty buses along with a hundred other tourists to see a 'point of interest' while being hit on by all the hustlers. Friends of mine went to Cuba recently but were very disappointed and say it's no Caye Caulker. I have introduced a number of friends to Belize and Caye Caulker in the last several years and every single one of them has felt safe and been absolutely blown away by the unspoiled beauty, the gracious and friendly people, the ability to get in touch with a different culture which in turn, allows them to educate their children about how other people live and allows them a hands-on experience with nature, and frankly, if you add up everything you spend versus what you get in return, it's an incredibly inexpensive experience when you factor in the permanent life-changing effect this all has on one's soul and overall life-experience. I don't get this 'full package' deal from anywhere else in the world and I have travelled extensively. I have never touched a stingray or shark before, or held an iguana. As someone, until now, who had a phobia of water, I am lost in amazement under the ocean thanks to some very skilled and trustworthy tour guides. I've seen and heard howler monkeys in their natural habitat, I can eat lobster on the beach, I can hang with the locals, I can't possibly list all the amazing mind-expanding things I've seen, heard and experienced.

I meet the most interesting people from all over the world in Caye Caulker and Belize in general, many I am still in touch with. I have never had that happen since I was a 20 year old backpacker. Belize attracts interesting people who want real life experiences.

Some people are made for all-inclusive compounds and Disney World facilities. All safe and squeeky clean with all the comforts of home. Personally, I'll take the stray dogs, the roosters far too early in the morning for my liking, the daily trips on the rusty bike to the local grocery store with the chain snapping off just as a rain storm kicks in, all balanced out by the sounds of wind and waves at night as I fall asleep instead of the overly loud 'forced' entertainment into the night at the Holiday Inn Sunspree, the 24 hour traffic of New York, the inconvenience of constant rain and bone chilling cold of London, being robbed in Rome, being highjacked on a bus in Spain, the rudeness and corruption of Mexico, beaches so groomed that children can't find anything of interest to discover, in fact I can find issues almost everywhere I have travelled, if I wanted to. And some trips just simply have better 'karma' than others, and that's my problem not the place I've visited.

No, I don't like the treatment of animals in Belize or in a number of other countries, the neighbor's noise late at night or early in the morning, but I think if one came from Caye Caulker and stayed in your home the traffic, the honking cabs, the constant glow of our city lights, our heating systems, the garbage trucks, the construction noises, the buses, might be disturbing their sleep as well. I have a friend who moved to the country and found the nights too dark and quiet so she couldn't fall sleep easily and then the birds too noisy in the morning. I think when you stay somewhere long enough you eventually get used to the noises in that particular place. Believe me, if the locals heard the noises the same way you did, they would do something about it. They are not being rude, they just most likely aren't bothered by it and most of them have to be up in the morning to work and their children need sleep as well. And if biting dogs were an ongoing issue, I'm sure the local children would be bitten as well and again, something would be done about it. Our children have had nothing but wonderful experiences with the stray animals. Fire happens everywhere, it's not even worth mentioning here as a reason not to visit. Nor is swine flu, which all the children had in my neighborhood last month in our big city community. If a dog is disturbing you at night in your hotel, I think it's more effective to talk to the hotel owner directly rather than posting it here. The last hotel I stayed at in Europe had TV issues so bad the guests had to turn them up loudly in order to make out the words, so you can imagine the noise through the walls late at night when you're trying to sleep before your neighbor is. A simple call to the hotel desk fixed the problem. They couldn't do anything about the constant honking and garbage trucks outside the window though since that was simply life where I was visiting. Yet I found no need to post anything for the world to see. Too often I see on this board a litany of minor complaints by travelers (tourists?) who could likely find a hundred issues anywhere they travelled in the world that would equal or far surpass what's noted here, but for some reason think that Caye Caulker should be exempt from these isolated issues. I don't mean to minimize any acts of violence, but has anyone read the papers recently??? And how safe is it where you live?

Is the crime going up in Caye Caulker? Of course, as it is in all areas of the world (my car has been broken into twice in the last four months sitting in front of my house). But nowhere have I seen so many citizens stick together as a community and make positive changes when things do shows signs of change for the worse. I don't see that in my own city community. There is not one negative thing you can say about Caye Caulker that you can't say tenfold about almost every other place in the world, yet few places give so much in return.

So yes, Caye Caulker, be vigilant, your paradise needs to be protected, there is always room for improvement, but you are still at the top of the list for us and many others.

I live on Ambergris Caye. Caye Caulker as anyone who knows me will attest to, is my get away. In fact I just "got away" there 2 weeks ago, and go over about twice a month. I travel alone and as such try to be reasonable and responsible. I always have a great time and have made some great friends. The last time I went over I stayed at Caye Reef and loved it. I felt safe, and had the best sleep I'd had in a long time.

I have also lived on the mainland in "mosquito land" and just like my native British Columbia where West Nile disease lurks, you try not to get all bitten up. Insect repellent and common sense will get you a long way.

By the way, someone mentioned Cuba less than favorably, and I would just like to put a good word in for Old Havana and Varadero, I have been 4 times,and can't wait to go back.

I have found with my overactive Capricorn mind, that at some point I have to stop researching every single aspect of my upcoming travel destination or eventually I find the dark underbelly. Keep up the positive thoughts, and have a great time!

Well said Verbatim!!! I couldn't have said it better! I'm from Canada and love Caye Caulker more than any place in the world

Ditto.......Thank you Verbatim....you have just reminded me of all I left behind 8 years ago, and I think I was getting into the negative vibes like others on this site in the past two months. You made some excellent points. And it is true that people always go back to Caye Caulker.....and if not they carry the island and the people and the experiences in their hearts for always. Thanks again for making it all come back to me. I hope everyone who is looking for a travel destination reads your post.

We've been vacationing in Caye Caulker for 3 years now, and will be coming back again January. Every year, we bring one or two more friends with us. Nothing could stop us from returning. Bad stuff happens everywhere. You just have to live your life and try and focus on the good stuff.

Caye Caulker is a lovely, laid-back, happy and genuine place. We always feel welcome and safe. I can't wait for January!

"By the way, someone mentioned Cuba less than favorably, and I would just like to put a good word in for Old Havana and Varadero, I have been 4 times,and can't wait to go back. "

No offence meant Malibu, I would consider Cuba as well at some point in the future. My friends experienced Caye Caulker first with their children who had incredible adventures they will remember for the rest of their lives, Cuba just didn't seem to do it for them. But again, no one was with them, like me, to give them the lay of the land and they did the 'tourist' thing I suspect so I can see why they are more eager to return to Caye Caulker. My point was it depends on your trip 'karma' sometimes, how you plan your trip, etc. and anyone can find something wrong on any trip. In fact, the only place I find perfection and comfort is home. My own bed, my own TV, all the conveniences I need, it's set up perfectly for me after years of making it that way. But like everyone, I need a break to get 'out of the box', reassess my life, my value system, etc.

"I think I was getting into the negative vibes like others on this site in the past two months."

I hear you Without Regret, I've let off steam too about the possibility of noisy golf carts, high airfares, crime and animal care. I think we get passionate about all these issues because we care so much what happens there and want to preserve that which is so special to us all. If you weigh cost, safety, life altering experiences, beauty, sense of community, like many I find it hard to want to go anywhere else in the world. And I too keep turning more and more friends onto this amazing place.

And may I add, the thing that bothers me the most on any of my travels are the late night inconsiderate ravings of other (usually inebriated) travelers keeping us up through the night. I imagine the locals who have to work and send their children to school the next day don't appreciate it much either.

I would absolutely believe that Mexico would be much worse. Don't change your plans. Just be mindful of the many lodging choices; and, choose wisely.

I went to Caye Caulker with an open mind. I really only posted the follow up message because there are certainly issues that need to be addressed. If I did not care about that island I would simply never have posted any message.

Recapping once again: food was fabulous, snorkeling was wonderful, Kayaking, kite surfing, and other water sport opportunities were available. People for the most part were wonderful to spend time with.

It would be wise to take groceries if you are going for an extended stay. Look for reviews of the lodging. Believe the reviews.

I am sure that the lodging we stayed in must have been more noisy than most. It was not one dog; it was many. I was not the only patron of the establishment that was annoyed by the dogs. Obviously it was a dog owner problem, not a dog problem. People should be required to control their animals to keep them from annoying/biting the tourists.

My 2 cents worth:

On my first visit to Belize in 2006, I took a day trip to CC (from AC) & really enjoyed it.

So when I was planning my last trip (Nov 09), I thought I would give CC a try. As a woman traveling alone, I obviously have to be very cautious, so I did alot of looking for hotels on CC and just didn't get the good vibe on any that I found.

So, I decided to go back to AC for my holiday. And it was a great trip.

I have to say that I am glad I did not go to CC, as I met some great new friends at one of the dive shops on AC. It ended up being a trip of a lifetime.

My findings are the exact opposite from phishhippegirl. My first trip was in 2004, stayed at Bannana Beach in AC. I took a day trip to CC and reeally enjoyed it. I just returned from my 8th trip to Belize. I have stayed on CC ever since that first time and have nothing but good things to say about the many hotels and beach houses I have rented. I normally spend a half day in San Pedro, pretty much get my fill of car exhaust and paved streets. It's a nice half day just not the same as CC.