Caye Caulker has two sides, and where you stay changes the trip. The back of the island faces the calm water toward the mainland. It gets the sunsets, but on a still day the air can sit heavy. The front of the island faces the barrier reef and the open Caribbean, and it catches the trade winds nearly every day. Casa Vista Belize is true beachfront on that breezy reef side, with no road between the house and the water.
Why the breeze matters
- A steady wind off the water keeps the decks, the pool and the rooftop comfortable in the heat of the day
- Moving air helps keep mosquitoes and sand flies down
- You hear the water and feel the wind from every level of the house
The catch, and our experiment
The same wind and currents that make the reef side so pleasant also carry sargassum, the floating seaweed that arrives across the Caribbean in some seasons. Most reef side properties simply live with it. We decided to try something different and get the best of both worlds: the breeze without most of the seaweed.
We built a rock seawall of coral rock and limestone boulders out in front of the beach: a north wall of 53 feet, a curved wall of 115 feet to the northeast corner and an east wall of 46 feet, with a pile wall along the dock that keeps seagrass out. The wall catches most of the sargassum before it reaches the sand. The Department of the Environment has approved the next phase, and sand is now going in behind the wall to restore the beach that had washed away. In the middle stays an open water cove, 8 to 9 feet deep, for swimming, with an opening by the dock so boats can come in.
Above is our plan for the cove, laid over an aerial photo of the property: the existing rock walls in black, the pile wall along the dock in red, and the sand fill around the open water cove.
It is an experiment, and we are honest about that. Sargassum depends on the weather and no one can promise a clear beach every day. But the wall is already doing its job most days, and the beach and cove get better as the sand goes in. You can read more in Sargassum on Caye Caulker: What to Expect and the Seawall We Built.
A reef of our own
Rock in the water draws sea life fast. The wall has become a small artificial reef, and it makes for great fishing. Cast off the wall or the dock in the evening, catch your dinner, and our caretakers will clean it and cook it for you. Right off the dock you will find bonefish and tarpon, which are catch and release under Belize law, plus snapper and barracuda for the table, along with nurse sharks, rays and moray eels. The mangroves and the cove hold a lot of bait fish, which bring in dozens of bird species that feed on them. For more on fishing and snorkeling from the property, see Snorkeling and Fishing on Caye Caulker.
Living off the land and the sea
Life at Casa Vista runs on what is right here. You are welcomed with a fresh coconut from our own palms, opened by machete in front of you. Dinner can come straight off the rock wall. The caretakers who live on the property can shop for you, cook local meals for your group and set up boat trips with captains who pick you up at our dock. Read why that matters in True Beachfront on Caye Caulker.
To ask about dates, call or text Will at (303) 506 4914.
