Lonely Planet describes Tobacco Caye:
"Sitting right on the barrier reef, 12 miles from Dangriga, tiny Tobacco Caye is the budget destination among the central cayes... it shows in the fairly basic array of cabanas and lodge rooms, but the setting and the surrounding azure waters are still dreamy. Mainly composed of sand, palm trees and some guesthouses, just 200yd long and 100yd wide... a fabulous place for snorkeling, diving, fishing or hanging out on a hammock."
So it sounded to us like a great place to spend Christmas and relax! We booked way ahead at JoJoe's by the Reef, and asked for special permission to fit the four of us in a 3 person room. (Many accommodation choices in Belize offered one double or queen bed with one single bed for 3 persons maximum, and many would not let us book for 4 people.) The cost of staying there included all meals.
We weren't entirely sure if we were to pay for our own ferry transport to/from Dangriga, or if our accommodation would arrange that for us. We should have clarified better when we booked.
But we arrived at the ferry dock and talked to a boat captain, who was able to call the island for us and confirm our situation. So the captain said we could go out on his boat at 9am, which gave us some time to get breakfast and some snacks in Dangriga. We were also able to leave our bags at the cafe after we ate, while we walked around and shopped. (FYI - I think staying in Dangriga overnight for 1 night would have been just fine.)
 |
| Ferry dock in Dangriga |
 |
Breakfast of fryjacks at the cafe next to ferry dock |
 |
| The big supermarket in town |
 |
| Guy in plaid shirt gets SOAKED |
We sat near the front of the speedboat, which means that we didn't get very wet, but the people sitting behind us got soaked! It was a choppy ride, and bouncing along was mostly fun but a little unnerving, and our boat captain did an amazing job. We sped through other little islands on our way, wondering which one was our island. It was about 40 min on the fast boat before we pulled into the dock of Tobacco Caye and were welcomed by the host and his three young grandsons, who were very excited that two new kids had arrived to play.
 |
| The view from our room front door |
We checked in (it was about 10am) and enjoyed the beauty of Tobacco Caye with its beautiful white sand and blue water. We had kayaks and stand up paddle boards to use, hammocks to relax in, and snorkeling gear all included. We also got lunch and dinner (Christmas Eve turkey dinner) on the 24th, 3 meals on the 25th, and breakfast on the 26th before we left. The head cook (Carmen) did an excellent job with fantastic food. Our kids were served huge portions, so Jason and I had way more than we could eat with their leftovers. We would have done fine without bringing any snacks with us at all.
 |
| The dining room for meals |
The island had a small protected little lagoon with shallow water for paddling and wading in, although there were conch shells and coral (sharp) and some plastic bottles/trash here and there, as well as stingrays to watch out for. But it was safe and protected compared to the choppier and deep ocean around the island.
The girls were not really interested in snorkeling, which really did require stronger swimming skills to get to the prettier coral.
On Christmas day we decided to make up a "duathlon", where we ran around the whole island 3 times and then jumped in the water. Each lap of the island took less than 3 min, and provided technical challenges, such as jumping over ropes or dodging coconut shells or sharper rocks or coral bits. It was really fun and silly.
One evening we walked out on the boardwalk and saw 4 huge gray Southern Stingrays swimming around with 2 eagle rays. We watched them for about an hour, and it was very special and calming. Watching the pelicans fish was also great.
I spend about two hours one morning just lying in a hammock reading my novel. I didn't have to cook or clean, it was warm and peaceful, and my children were happily playing safely nearby and didn't need me to watch their every move. As a mother, I think this is one of the most relaxed things I have experienced, and it felt like a huge 'win' as we have clearly reached a new phase in our lives where relaxation is possible. I've never done an all-inclusive resort before this, but our 48 hours of all inclusive beach life were fantastic.
The sunrises and sunsets were outstanding.
 |
| Dinner on Dec 25 |
On Boxing Day, we packed up our things, ate a delicious breakfast, and got on the speedboat back to Dangriga. It was a much calmer day and nobody got wet. We saw a little tiny island full of birds, and enjoyed watching the huge red throats of the male frigate birds.
 |
| Frigate bird with a large red throat |
No comments:
Post a Comment