You’re dreaming about a tropical vacation and you soon find yourself spending hours searching the internet for the perfect little room on the beach. As you explore exotic destinations near and far (Bali! Belize! Hawaii!), drooling over the tropical rooms, some of them over the water, you will no doubt come across a wide array of descriptions, features, and amenities. You will notice that rooms may be called bungalows, cabanas, casitas, huts, etc. – with descriptions such as “private thatch cabana,” “thatch casita,” “romantic beach bungalow,” “over water casita,” “overwater bungalow,” “private cabana over the water,” “rustic beachfront cabana,” and more.

If you are like us, you start wondering, “What is the difference between a cabana and a bungalow? Why all these different terms?”  I just want a quiet, peaceful, relaxing setting on the beach, with a clean room by the water where I can sip my drink, get five-star service, and enjoy some SCUBA diving and snorkeling...

CABANA vs. BUNGALOW vs. CASITA

Of course you can go to your dictionary, or ask Siri – and you'll get the basic definition for “bungalow” and “cabana” and “casita.” But the fact is there is no one definition for these rooms and no one enforcing rules on what resorts call their rooms! Even identically appointed rooms at two different resorts can be called a cabana by one place, and called bungalow by another.

But the good news is: you don’t need to worry about it!

It’s not what the room is called that matters, but whether the features and the amenities fit what you want:

• Do you want to stay in a regular hotel room, or something exotic and different?
• Do you need air conditioning? TV? Room service? What other amenities are important?
• Do you want to be on the beach, or are you looking for the “over the water” experience?
• Do you want to be on a private island, or in a touristy area with beach bars?

As you explore your options (here is a great site: http://www.overwaterbungalows.net), look at the pictures, read room descriptions thoroughly, and it can even a good idea to contact the resort and ask them to confirm that the pictures on their website are current and accurately portray the condition of the rooms now, especially if you will be visiting a remote location that is less regulated.

As a fellow commonwealth nation, we see a lot of Canadians in Belize, both as tourists and as ex-pats who've made Belize their new home. Especially in the winter months, known as "high season" in Belize, we tend to have many Canadian visitors seeking sunshine, warm waters, and world-class scuba diving, snorkeling, and fishing on the Belize Barrier Reef.

But ever since the decline of the Canadian dollar, we've had fewer and fewer Canadian guests. And this makes us sad. We love friendly Canadians!

So, to help more Canadians afford a 2016 trip to Belize, Cap'n Ron has rolled out a new special offer for Canadians only!

For trips now through December 17th you get full value for your Canadian dollar. That means your room rate is in Canadian dollars instead of US dollars, saving you 20%, 30%, or more on a private thatch cabana in paradise! You can choose from Overwater bungalows on the sunset side, beachfront cabanas on the sunrise side, or a garden cabana nestled in the center of the resort. 

Interested in an all-inclusive resort package? You can get the special room rate in Canadian dollars combined with any of the Adventure, Dive, Romance, or Relaxation Packages we offer.

Combine this great room rate with the incredibly affordable airfares to Belize City from many North American cities, and your dream trip to Belize in 2016 could become a reality!

We're blushing!

Thanks to the reviews from our wonderful guests, St. George's Caye Resort has earned the 2016 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor. This is the sixth year in a row (wow!) and we are honored to be recognized as one of the best island resorts in Belize. 

Huge thanks to all of the guests who took the time to share their experience and help other travelers discover our secluded island retreat for divers, honeymooners, and adventure seekers. We think our slice of paradise is pretty special and we're glad you agree! Your reviews are the best thanks we can receive. 

Most of the credit goes to the incredible staff of St. George's for providing our guests with unparalleled experiences and the ultimate in Belizean hospitality. We are especially thrilled by how many times guests specifically name the members of our staff who made their trip special. We strive to make you feel like a part of our island family when you are here. Thank you for recognizing the people who added something extra to your time in Belize.  

As anyone who has stayed with us can agree, the staff goes above and beyond to ensure you have a memorable and relaxing Belize vacation.

Here to scuba dive the Belize Barrier Reef? Let our friendly dive masters with decades of experience on the nearby reef show you their favorite spots where you'll see lots of sea life and no other divers.

Visiting Belize for a romantic island honeymoon in an overwater bungalow? Let us pamper you with coffee and juice delivered to your room each morning, a private romantic dinner outdoors, and tropical flower petals on your bed.

Cap’n Ron, owner of St. George’s Caye Resort, is a music lover and has hosted musicians for house concerts on a number of occasions at his home in Portland, Oregon.  Resort manager Barry is a huge fan of Blues music and spent part of his career (before moving to Belize to manage St. George’s!) working with Grammy-award-winning Blues pianist Pinetop Perkins.

Both Cap'n Ron and Barry felt our private island resort offered a unique and intimate atmosphere for live acoustic music, so after reaching out to some industry connections, we hosted our first Blues 'n Belize with Doug MacLeod and Phil Wiggins in November 2015.  (Read more about the inaugural event: Blues in Belize :: A Private Island Blues Experience)

“My heart was full the entire week, full with the wonderful music of Phil and Doug and their generous teacher spirit, full with the beauty of St. George's Caye, full with the welcoming spirit of the staff and guests, with the other-world beauty of the reef. I must add that my stomach was full with the delicious meals prepared by Ernesto. I believe that we all felt the magic at some point during that special week.”
– Marc P., guest at Blues ‘n Belize 2015

Popular excursions like Cave Tubing, Zip Lining and exploring the ancient Mayan temples are thoroughly enjoyed by our guests, and to many visitors are a “must-do” while in Belize. And we can't blame them -- they're a lot of fun! Many of our packages include one or more of these popular Belize Adventures. 

Excursions to these popular jungle sites are provided in a number of ways by tour operators: 1) Some operators function only on the mainland and provide services at bare-minimum standards; 2) Some tour operators use busses and take 20, 30 or more people at a time; 3) And then there is the St. George’s Caye Experience -- We not only provide boat transfers as part of our tours; we take only small groups from the resort and our top-notch professional guides give personalized tours during which everyone can hear the information. 

Our premium service costs a bit more and that has been mentioned several times in online reviews. Although we will not diminish the quality of our tour experience in order to offer the cheapest prices, we are sensitive to how much a vacation can cost, and so we are always seeking ways to reduce costs and pass the savings on to our guests. 

GOOD NEWS!

Cap'n Ron has just reduced the prices for our most popular tours -- by over 20% when we have 4 or more guests participating! 

In a time when our world often seems continuously chaotic, unfair, mean and full of bad news - I'd like to offer you some hope and faith in humanity. 

Specifically, I’d like to introduce you to Carlos Reyes and his family. If they don't give you a glimmer of hope for humans - I don't know what will! :) Meet St. George's Caye Resort Team Leader, Carlos Reyes. A 20 year veteran of Caye living Carlos knows every square inch of St. George's and is an integral part of the Resort's success. Behind the scenes he is often unseen and unheard - but we cannot function without him! 

At four years old Carlos was brought to Belize by his parents from civil war torn El Salvador. They were immigrants fleeing a less than ideal situation in their home country. Actually it was a scary place full of violence, gun fights and fear. Sound like a familiar recent story you might have heard on the news? Well, it is not too far off. 

With not much other than their family and a few backpacks Carlos, his three brothers and sisters and parents were offered hope in a community named Valley of Peace; a village in Belize set up just for El Salvadorian immigrants. His family knew how to farm and live off the land and pretty much do any job they could to make a living. His parents went on to have seven more children - thriving in a peaceful, humble atmosphere.

“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.” 

                                                Andy Warhol 

 

Leonel is like a breath of fresh air. He embodies the Belizean spirit. His smile is contagious and you can't help but want to take him home with you. Because Leonel  sees the beauty. He sees the beauty in people. And he sees the beauty in art. St George's Caye isn't complete without Leo's beautiful outlook. 

When you arrive to St. George's Caye Resort Leo is one of the first team members you'll meet. You will mostly find him mixing your favorite cocktails and making sure your beer is ice cold. But Leo also loves to entertain. He's full of fun card tricks and bar games that will leave you scratching you're head. But don't ask him how he does it - because he won't tell. Sworn to secrecy by a fellow magician Leo takes his oath seriously and won't share the tricks of the trade.

We're sorry big terrycloth cotton towels - but we're breaking up with you. Your soft, I'll give you that. Your luxurious feel is not to be forgotten. But you're bulky, hard to carry around and you take too long to dry in this humid Caribbean climate. It's not you - it's us. We still love you and take you snorkeling with us - but in the intimacy of our bathrooms we're going to have to part ways. 

 Introducing stylish, colorful Turkish cotton pestemal towels