On the last 3 days of our trip to Belize, we traded in our hiking shoes for flip-flops at Turneffe Island's Blackbird Caye Resort on Belize’s Barrier Reef.
The resort only consists of a few bungalows, so it is a quiet place. We visited Belize in late April, which is the off-season, so there were not many tourists. However, the weather was perfect and we were very happy that we selected this time of year to visit the island. Other than one couple staying in a bungalow on the other side of the resort, we were the only guests. We had a good part of the beach all to ourselves for the entire 3 days.
The Oceanic Society is about a mile down the beach and is the nearest neighbor to the resort, other than the geckos hiding behind the pictures. If you are feeling ambitious, you can visit the Oceanic Society’s nightly presentations on the local aquatic life they are currently doing research studies on.
The island is completely self-sufficient, providing its own electricity and water. There are no phones or cell-phone signals. Unlike the smooth and sandy beaches typical of the Caribbean, Blackbird Caye is a rustic and rough little island consisting mostly of coral or cement surface, with a dusting of sand, sea grass, crooked palm trees, and broken conchs and coconuts. Because of the islands rough exterior, this isn’t the type of beach you want to go prancing about and swimming in the water. The floor of surf is covered with plants and coral and isn’t what you want to be wading in. However, you can take a boat out several yards for superb swimming, snorkeling, and diving. Though we did our share of those activities, we also spent some time lazying around and reading through the common library of trashy romance novels left behind by previous guests.
Each night there is a dinner where you can interact with the other guests, staff, and the keepers of the resort. However, this resort is a very activity-focused facility, and there isn’t room for a lot of guests. Most guests are couples and/or families. If you are looking for a socially scenic/people-watching beach, this is not the area for you. However, if you are looking for the opportunity to do various types of water activities and see a lot of aquatic life in a short amount of time, this is definitely the resort for you.