Hey, Lakegirl. Where is Gun Lake Michigan? I'm from Linden, MI just south of Flint. In any event, here are my thoughts.
I haven't stayed at Banana Beach so I can't attest to the accommodations but I do know it is a far walk into town. Far meaning if you want to do it a couple of times a day.
Exotic Caye is about 10 minutes from town, walking. It has some really nice condo units. Some of them do butt up against the road and I can't attest to the noise as I have been renting unit 2B which is one of the side condos. Each condo does have an ocean view, which is nice.
The pool is above ground with a wooden deck. Not the nicest that I've seen, like at Banyan Bay where I stayed in March but nice enough to cool off after you've been laying in the sun.
Crazy Canucks is a fun beach bar on site. It usually only gets crazy on Monday nights which is Punta Night. The remaining nights can get busy but it doesn't get all that crazy or noisy.
Monkey Bites is the restaurant on site. It's open from 7:00 - 3:00 p.m. The food isn't bad but if you stay there, you'll definitely go into town and experience more of the restaurants. There are a ton to choose from.
There is a new dive shop on site now at Exotic Caye and Don and Carol, the managers, can hook you up for those excursions or basically anything else you'll want to do. They are very nice.
Exotic has a nice beach area and the sea grass gets cleaned up every morning that gets washed to shore.
Bottom line, I enjoy the Exotic Caye. It's close to town, fits my pocket book and I like having the beach bar right outside my condo. There are many resorts on the island, it's all personal choice and how much you want to spend.
If you want you can email me at
[email protected] and I'll be glad to answer any other questions you may have.
Take care!