belizeadventure.com

Sometimes we have a huge group that wants to rent the island. We’ll do this for 28 guests+ in the ‘high’ season (Dec – April, except on holiday weeks) and for 15+ guests the rest of the year (except hurricane season: Sept/Oct). Renting the island includes all the sports gear and guides. We don’t allow our gear to be used without our staff supervision. If you want to rent the island without any sports gear at all included, you can send us an email to inquire about this possibility [slickrock(at)slickrock(dot)com].

First and foremost, our island is truly a private island. There is no one on the island but us and the dive shop. The entire Slickrock facility would be yours. This is unheard of in the Caribbean. Second, our island is an undeveloped as possible. If you come from a camping background, you would consider it cushy, but if your background and expectations are from a more traditional standpoint, you would call it “rustic”.

We are an eco-resort. We do not have flush toilets but use ecologically friendly composting toilets (we flush nothing into the sea.) Also, there are no toilets attached to the rooms, you must walk to the toilets and showers, which are unheated. You can see our accommodations, our facilities and many other aspects of our operation by visiting our web pages: http://www.slickrock.com/longcayebelize.html, http://www.slickrock.com/accommodationsbelize.html and http://www.slickrock.com/islandfacilities.html

Here are the main parameters of chartering a trip, all covered in more detail in the charter policy, which you can request from us:

1 Minimums are listed in the first paragraph. We can sleep 36 in cabanas, double (and sometimes triple) occupancy.

2 For groups up to 20, the cost is 18% off of our regular rate of $1975/person, which comes to $1620 each. For groups larger than 20, the discount is higher, request charter policy. Children pay the same as adults, unless you don’t need to count them towards your total to reach a certain size for a higher discount. If you wish to pay children’s rates, request our kid’s policy.

3 Free spots: one free spot for groups 15-18 paying guests, 2 free spots for 19+ paying guests.

4 This is for one week on the island, (6 full days, 2 half days, 7 nights) with hotels and restaurant meals before and after.

INCLUDED
All transport and meals in itinerary (see http://www.slickrock.com/glvitin.html)
Hotel and island accommodations listed in itinerary (booked double occupancy if possible)
Cabanas include linens, mattresses, pillow and blankets
All kayaks, fishing kayaks, windsurfers, surf kayaks, surf boards and accessories
Daily guided activities, all day, every day
3-6 staff per trip, depending on group size
Cold beer, soda, juice, and water on the island (alcoholic beverages to take out to the island are available in Belize City before we depart)
Glover’s park entrance fees
Fishing license fees
All taxes, all other fees
Slickrock t-shirt

NOT INCLUDED
Flights to and from Belize
Taxis to and from Belize International Airport to the Biltmore
Any services not listed in itinerary
Fees and equipment for scuba activities
Snorkeling gear (mask, fins, snorkel)
Fishing gear, motor boats and guides for fishing (can quote as extra cost if you are interested)
Any extra expenses due to late arrivals or delays
Belize departure tax: approx. $35
Alcoholic beverages (except beer on the island)–most people bring out a bottle or two of rum, which costs about $10 each
Tips for staff

Twenty years ago when we first explored Belize’s stunning Barrier Reef looking for a new kayaking trip no one there had ever seen a sea kayak. We began as a traditional sea kayak outfitter, running self-contained camping trips on islands near the coast. As this amazing country became increasingly popular with its tropical climate and idyllic reefs, we began looking for a more exclusive experience.

Searching for more than just translucent turquoise water to paddle in, a given in Belize, we sought a more remote and pristine place to call home. We needed the ideal sea kayaking, diving and snorkeling environment and hoped to add other sports like surfing and windsurfing. The first time we saw 13-acre Long Caye with its forest of palms shading white sand beaches we knew we had found exactly what we wanted. What an island! We have a consistent wave break just offshore for surfers, a near-constant 12-15 knot wind for windsurfers, a private coral reef within swimming distance for snorkelers and divers, and a clear neon-blue ocean full of rays and dolphins to paddle with.

We only had to build a few simple palm-thatch cabanas to transform it into a comfortable place for our clients. By keeping our development low-key and our groups small we have attained the ideal balance between comfort and the wildness of this pristine coral eco-system. This allows sea turtles to continue to nest and tropical fish to swim right up to the shore.

We have just posted a new detailed Belize map online. Earlier this winter I was searching for an accurate Belize map online and could not find anything useful, so I created one. Anyone looking for a specific island or town will hopefully find this map valuable. Visit our website: http://www.slickrock.com/detailedbelizemap.html

New Slickrock action videos We just completed a website video project, check out our website to see a series of six videos of our island and adventure sports. We shot the footage during our Dec. 18, 2009 trip with the help of David and Diane Wilcox of Seattle, a team of professional film makers who attended one of our trips with their families. They employed the latest HD cameras, including a very small ‘cam’ style waterproof cameras which we were able to attach to our kayaks, windsurfers, helmets, and boards to get some real POV footage of some of our staff and friends in action. These videos really bring to life the fun and excitement of surfing, sailing, paddling, and diving at our island in Belize.

Belize windsurfing video
Belize sea kayak and snorkel video
Belize paddleboarding video
Belize private island video
Belize kiteboard training video

Belizeans have a diet quite unlike ours. We are used to having the world’s cuisine at our fingertips, but Belizeans have about 7-10 dishes that they eat over and over: rice and beans, stew beans and rice (two different dishes, believe it or not), stew chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, vegetable salad (what they call a tossed salad), whole fried fish, scrambled eggs, fry jacks, Jonny Cakes, cassava bread, fried plantain, and coconut rice are their mainstays. They will eat some version of these dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One could describe their diet this way: Comfort Food 24/7.

One time a friend of mine from Dangriga came up to visit me in the big city of Belize. We planned to go out for lunch. I asked him: “Where do you want to go for lunch? My favorite is the Lebanese, want to go there?” He looked at me with scorn and replied in a heated tone: “I am not Lebanese, I am Belizean! I eat rice and beans!” So we went to the regular Belize restaurant that served all the same dishes he ate everyday.

Belizean Stew Chicken is a wonderful way to prepare chicken. Here’s the traditional recipe that we serve on the island:

Serves 6-8

3 whole chicken, cut into pieces
juice from 3 limes
Belizean recado: spice paste sold in balls, aka red achiote paste
1-1/2 T chicken bouillion
½ can salsa casera
½ T Season All
¼ bottle BarBQ sauce
1 T garlic salt
½ T thyme
½ t black pepper
1 onion
1 green pepper
½ head garlic
1 T chopped fresh cilantro

Wash the chicken with lime juice. Skin it and put it in a big bowl. Mix enough recado with a little water just to color and add to bowl. Slice onion, chop pepper, mince cilantro, and garlic and add that and everything else to bowl. Mix well. Let sit for at least an hour. Remove chicken from bowl. Saute’ chicken in frying pan until almost done. Add onions, garlic and pepper from bowl on top of the chicken and let it finish cooking.

Belize Snorkeling Tours: On our Belize private island trips, no other item is as important as snorkel gear; exploring the underwater world is the trip’s highlight. You get what you pay for; cheap gear may mean that you spend your snorkel session with salt water in your eyes and throat, or blisters forming on your feet. We don’t provide snorkel gear because this is personal gear; it must fit your body. It’s a good idea to test your gear in a pool so you know it will work for you before you get to Belize. Everything can be ordered online, but it may be best to buy your mask at a dive shop; they can help you with the fit.

Do not presume you can buy snorkel gear in Belize. It is simply not available (except possibly on Ambergris Caye); all snorkel gear in Belize is imported from the US. You may be able to rent it in the US and bring it down if you don’t want to buy it.

After years of working with beginning snorkelers on our island, we have the following recommendations:

Fins:
The most important aspect of any fin is how flexible it is. Trying to snorkel with fin that is unyielding is like strapping a board to your foot and trying to swim. To test a fin you are thinking of buying, grasp the fin down at the end where your foot goes and aggressively wave it up and down. A good fin should flap easily. You can spot a good fin because it will have a visible weak spot built into the structure of the fin. This acts like a hinge that allows the fin to “flip” up and down when you kick your foot. Fins that are just a flat piece of synthetic material without holes or hinges may be too stiff and difficult to propel ones’ body through the water with.

How to turn $20 fins into $80 fins

Last season we figured out how to alter a pair of stiff fins, so that they act more like expensive fins. We don’t recommend buying cheap fins just to change them, but if you already own cheap fins this works. It’s a huge improvement if you alter your fins this way. This takes about 30 min/pair, using only a sharp Exacto knife. It’s best to copy a pair of expensive fins so you know how far up to split the fin and where to put the weak spot that creates the hinge. These pictures represent “before” and “after” the fix. This pair of fins was a particularly awful set, and the inspiration for figuring out how to make them work. It was do that or throw them away, they were that bad.

There are two kinds of fins: (1) fins with a built-in shoe and (2) fins with a strap on the back that fit over your booties. The 2nd system is preferable, although those fins are more expensive. If you have fins with a built-in shoe, you might need regular socks also to discourage blisters. Even with the built-in shoe kind you still need booties to walk out to snorkel spots, but then you leave the booties on shore and continue walking backwards in the fins to get to where you can begin swimming. If you choose the second type, buy your booties first and then make sure the toe cup of the fin fits over your booties.

Snorkel:
Get a snorkel advertised as a “dry” snorkel. This will have a device on the top of the tube that keeps waves from entering the tube and then funneling salt water into your mouth. The Impulse snorkels are fantastic, although expensive ($50). They are only sold at authorized dealers, not online. To find dealers: aqualung.com. Your dive shop may have a different recommendation. The mouthpiece is another important part of the snorkel. Get a very flexible mouthpiece or else you will create intense jaw-pain from clutching a stiff piece of rubber with your teeth.

Mask:
There are many good masks available, just be sure to get a good fit. This is the best reason to buy snorkel gear in person at a dive shop; they know how to spot a good fit. Persons who need corrective lenses can easily purchase corrected masks. They are not your exact prescription, but there are various standardized prescription lenses that will be a big improvement over clear glass for those who need correction. A neoprene snorkel strap (one brand is called “slap strap”) is a wonderful thing for people with long hair. The strap included with your mask will get caught easily; the slap strap is soft and supple and doesn’t get as easily tangled. Slap straps usually also float, which is handy if your mask is stored on the deck of your kayak and you tip over inadvertently, causing all of your gear to come off of the kayak.

In summary, what you are seeking in snorkel equipment is gear that is so comfortable, and fits so well, that you cease to notice it. A snorkel session spent fiddling with leaky or chaffing gear is no fun. Take the time to search out the gear that is just right for your body, so that when you are swimming through the sea you don’t think of anything but the turtles, colorful fish, and coral you are seeing right before you!

Our island manager Charlie Woodward traveled to Belize via Cancun, Mexico this year. He sent me an email about how to get to Belize via bus from the Cancun airport.

From time to time, there are very cheap air fares from the US and Europe into Cancun, Mexico, about 450 km. north of Belize City. I recently chose to come to Slickrock via Cancun, at least in part because I actually like the Maya Riveria area also, and have been there before. My flight arrived in Cancun at 3:45, and judging by the scheduled flights I looked at, many other flights also arrive mid –afternoon. There is a flight on Maya Island Air from Cancun to Belize City for $169 US one-way—but it doesn’t connect well with a lot of flights arriving from the US. It leaves about 3PM. . .

The Cancun airport is about ½ hour drive south of Cancun on Rt. 307. If you exit the baggage area and follow the signs to “ground transportation” you wind up in an area of taxis, hotel busses, and public busses. Cancun area busses work very well, and are nicer than many north American busses! One can get a bus north into Cancun, and the abundant “big” accommodations there. It is easy to book hotels in the Cancun area on the internet or via agents. Since I was traveling south, I went to the public bus area to look for the #2 bus to Playa del Carmen, the next large town to the south. A young man told me the bus had just left, but he could get me a taxi to Playa for $90 US. I told him I liked to travel simply, and would wait for the bus, which came in about 10 minutes. It cost 100 pesos, ($9US), to get to the bus station in Playa, about a block from the beach, and right on La Quinta, ( 5th street, where the action is…) It is about a 45 minute ride. I looked for the posada where I stayed last time I was in Playa about 7 years ago, but it had become a trinket shop. I returned to La Quinta, luggage dangling off me, and within a half block had been offered several rooms- I stayed at the DeMarco Apts, one of 4 units above a store—nice cement building, tiled floors,two queens, nice bath, clean, for $30 US a night. This seems to be “budget” these days in the tourist zone- about 350 pesos and up.

By 5:45, I was showered, and out looking for cold cervesa and a walk on the beach. There are a number of large hotels in Playa, but I prefer to do the budget traveler route, and stay in simpler digs. There are MANY tourist accommodations in the La Quinta area, and a few blocks farther from the beach, you get into the small local hotels where the locals stay for much less. There are youth hostels right up to 5-star accommodations. I’ve never had problems getting a place in Playa, but you may wish to book ahead, especially during the holidays. La Quinta still has lots of restaurants, street musicians, street dancers, artists, trinket hawkers and most everything else one could want. It’s like going to the circus and being part of the show. There are mainly 2 bus companies which take travelers to Chetumal on the Belize border: ADO and Mayab. ADO has more busses and nicer busses, Mayab is cheaper. ADO also has a web site where you can check schedules. The ADO express 1st class bus is 258 pesos, the Mayab local bus is 158 pesos, from Playa to Chetumal. .

There is a posted schedule, but inquiring as to what bus leaves when is essential—buy your tickets in advance for the bus you want or it may be too full for you! There are busses from Cancun roughly once an hour to Chetumal, from early morning all the way up to 11:45 at night. Same in Playa. The latest bus to leave Playa reaches Chetumal at 6AM. On an express bus, Chetumal is about 4 hours from Playa; on the local bus, about 5 hours.

In Chetumal: you land at a bus station, and you need to spend pesos ( 140) to buy a ticket to Belize City. The first bus in the morning to Belize City is at 9 AM; the last in the afternoon is at 4:45 PM. The Belize bus goes a lot slower than the Mexican busses and typically takes about 3.5 hours to get to Belize City. If you are going to Slickrock and staying the Belize Biltmore, the bus goes right past. I asked the driver nicely, and he dropped me off right in front of the hotel, so I didn’t need to get a taxi back from downtown.

So- the CHEAP way to get to Belize via Cancun: Take a bus to Playa del Carmen, south of the airport. Go get some dinner and a couple of cervesas AFTER buying your ticket for a late bus from Playa to Chetumal. Catch the late bus and sleep on it to Chetumal. Hang out in the bus station until you get the 9AM bus to Belize City. The more enjoyable way to get to Belize via Cancun: take the bus to either Cancun or Playa from the airport. You can book accommodations ahead if you wish, or just wing it.

Stay on the Maya Riveria for one or more nights. Have a nice evening out. I happen to like Playa a lot. Catch a morning bus to Chetumal, arriving early enough to get a good connecting bus to Belize City. Enjoy seeing the countryside along the way. Bus plus connection time is usually around 10 hours.

The trip in reverse might be a little harder, because a LOT of the flights leaving Cancun for the US depart at 7 AM +/-, so you would need to stay near the airport. There is a second set about 11:30 AM too, which would work better for those staying some distance away.

Travel Well!
Charlie Woodward

The creation of this blog is long overdue. There are so many amazing things that I have always wanted to communicate about our Belize travel company: photos of new kayaks and surf boards being delivered to my yard in Moab, hilarious photos guests send us from their trip, hot tips from our staff of other cool places to visit in Central America, more about how to choose the perfect snorkeling fins… all of this I have thought about posting but felt that they didn’t really fit within the format of our regular website. With this new blog I hope to give a more complete view of all that goes into running private island adventure tours in Belize.