The biggest caye: restaurants, a golf-cart town, and the reef a few minutes offshore.
Ambergris is the caye with the most choice. San Pedro town runs along the south of the island in sand streets and golf carts, with the barrier reef breaking white a short way offshore. North of the river the island gets quieter, the resorts get further apart, and you need a water taxi or a long cart ride to get to dinner.
It's where we put people who want a good restaurant every night, a dive shop at the end of the dock, and the option of doing nothing at all. It's also the easiest caye to reach by air, which matters if you're arriving late or travelling with a lot of luggage.
Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley
The marine reserve off the south of the island, for nurse sharks, rays and turtles in shallow water. Reserve fees apply.Check before you travel
The lagoon side
Flats on the west side for bonefish and permit, and the evening light from Secret Beach.
North of the river
Fewer people, longer beaches, and resorts reached by boat or a bumpy cart track.
Day trips out
Turneffe and, on calm days, Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole are within range by boat.
San Pedro town
Fry jacks for breakfast, fish tacos at lunch, and a proper dinner without a long drive.
Bacalar Chico
The reserve at the island's far north, near the Mexican border, for a long day out.Check before you travel
Boat and flight times are ranges and depend on the weather and the operator. How we get around
We choose places to stay for the setting, the people running them, and how they fit your plans.
Ambergris is busy by Belizean standards, especially around San Pedro town and at Easter. If you want a caye where you hear nothing but the wind, it isn't this one, or at least not the town end of it.
The east side faces the trade winds. That keeps sandflies down and the air moving, but in windy spells the snorkel boats may stay inside the reef.
A small caye with sand streets, wooden docks and no hurry at all.
The biggest of the three atolls: mangrove cayes, walls and flats, and very few people.