Ambergris Caye is one of over 450 offshore Cayes (islands) off the eastern coast of Belize, sitting right in the Caribbean Sea. It is the largest island in Belize, and is where many of
the tourists that DO go to Belize end up at some point. The island has a very low-key vibe and offers just enough to do to not get bored, but not too much to the point where it’s crowded and super touristy. We spent 2 of our 3 nights here at the PUR Boutique Cabanas and were blown away! Not even joking, we left with my husband getting all kinds of ideas of replicating our cabana as a guest home someday – for a house we have yet to find or own 🙂 We actually arrived for their opening weekend and were one of the first (if not the actual first) to stay in our cabana, the Eagle Ray king suite.
Side note: even if you don’t end up staying here, at least check out their page on recommended activities if you’re headed to Ambergris Caye! That page is helpful no matter where you’re staying.
To get to the island, you have to either take a small little island-hopper plane, or a water taxi (ferry). We chose to do the water taxi since it was cheaper. We took a cab from the airport in Belize City to the water taxi terminal ($25), which was about a 20 minute ride. Once at the water taxi terminal, we bought tickets for a one-way ticket to Ambergris Caye ($28/person). There are scheduled departure times, so plan accordingly if you can – the schedule is usually posted online here. Our 100-person taxi boat left at 1:30, stopped at
Caye Caulker to drop off passengers and pick up new ones, and arrived to Ambergris around 3:15. Nelson, from PUR, met us at the water taxi dock with cold washcloths and water and took us to the hotel (only a 10 minute ride). Fun fact about Ambergris – they basically all get around in golf carts! There a few random cars on the island, but everyone just either walks, or rents/owns a golf cart to get around, which makes it a really fun and unique way to see the island! Upon arriving at the hotel, we sat down with the owner, Dave, who gave us a super helpful rundown of the facilities and amenities, made even better with the complimentary rum punch 🙂 The owners actually own a hotel down in the mainland beach town of Placencia as well, which won the 2017 Belize Tourism Award for Best Small Hotel of the Year, which explains how they know what they’re doing so well! They bring that same level of excellence to this brand new second location, and I fully expect to see this second location awarded as such within the coming years.
There are only 6 cabanas on site, so it is a small and private adults-only location that we absolutely loved! Many times we had the pool and the swim-up bar all to 
ourselves!  There is a full bar on site that also serves food, complete with a taco bar that you just won’t be able to get enough of. We loved topping off our night with a huge ($7) plate of nachos, and starting the morning with their enormous footlong breakfast burritos ($6). They even have a reserve osmosis water system that filters and cleans the water so that you can drink it….it was the only place on the whole island where we actually drank non-bottled water.
The private cabana that we stayed in was absolutely incredible…it had a king bed, full kitchenette (stove, dishes, sink, mini fridge, toaster, etc.), TV, porch hammock, and a completely private side porch with an outdoor shower and hot tub. Each cabana varies a bit, so you’ll have to do some research, but I think the Eagle Ray suite is the only one with the hot tub/plunge pool. The prices are very reasonable right now with the establishment being so new, so the Eagle Ray suit is definitely worth the splurge (prices seem range from $125-$199 depending on the season). TOTALLY worth it – even for budget travelers!
Location-wise PUR is right in the Tres Cocos area, which is a great, quiet little trendy area that is close to the main town of San Pedro, but far enough away not to be crowded. It is considered “North” of the bridge, and San Pedro is “South” of the bridge. The bridge does cost about $2 to cross by golf cart each way, so be sure to bring cash with you if you plan to cross it via cart. While the Tres Cocos area is nice and quiet, there are still areas
nearby to get drinks and food if you like, so you have plenty of options. PUR is about a 30 minute golf cart ride to Secret Beach, which is the best beach on the island, and you can rent golf carts from PUR that are already on the premises for $50/day, which is pretty standard for rentals on the island. The cabanas are also only a short walk to the beach, and while the cabanas aren’t beachfront, the beach is super close. All in all, the location was absolutely perfect for us and was exactly what we were looking for! PUR Boutique Cabanas will definitely fall within our top 5 favorite accommodations, and we would HIGHLY recommend this gorgeous boutique hotel….we are looking forward to returning ourselves!
To learn more about what we did in Belize read that post here, check out where to eat here, or to see where we stayed on the mainland (hint: jungle resort) check that out here! Happy Planning 🙂
*This post was a collaboration with PUR Boutique Cabanas, but all opinions and photos are my own.
 Caribbean “jerk” spices, grilled on a charcoal grill for about 30 minutes, and served with BBQ sauce. He also offers a few other dishes, some of which is fish, which is also fabulous. This was one of our favorite meals on the island, and we only paid $17 total! Robin is the owner and grills everyday and is super friendly. Half the experience is just hanging out with Robin and is worth the trip for that experience alone! Pro tip: bring your own alcohol if you want it, Robin’s doesn’t have it on the menu but allows you to bring your own.
Tres Cocos area where we had fantastic fresh seafood dishes, but the atmosphere and location were even better! They are located right on the water and have several hammocks you can relax on, a dock, cornhole, beach chairs, and a swing set in the water itself! If it wasn’t a seaweed year it would have been absolutely perfect and we would have returned every day, but unfortunately since the seaweed was bad at the time we visited no one was getting in the water there. Any other time though this would have been our favorite spot so check it out!
 pool with a full swim-up bar, and serve food that is great for snacking if you’re in the mood for snacks and drinks! Stop by for a huge plate of nachos for only $7, taco bar, or their footlong breakfast burritos ($6). Since it’s north of the bridge in the Tres Cocos area, it’s a great spot to stop for breakfast if you’re headed up to Secret Beach, which is only about 30 minutes away from PUR.
the walls as you wait. We tried the coffee and absolutely nutty flavors, which were full of flavor and super great! We had 2 double scoops for $10 total…would be a great place to bring kids to!
Pilot Life for Me 