Barefoot Beach Belize Hotel — Hotel in South Caye Caulker

I booked this 5 months in advance at which time I asked for an early check in. When I got here yesterday at around noon I was told that "there is no way you can check in before 3:00 pm". I had also asked ahead of time for their complimentary pickup from the water taxi. I confirmed this twice in the 2 days before I arrived. Since no one showed up to meet me I ended up getting a taxi instead. I asked about this when I got to the hotel and was told "you should have verified this". I said I did-- twice. And she said "No you didn't". I was told at the time when I DID verify my arrival time that someone would be there to meet me. Which, of course, they were not. Somehow things fell through the cracks. This happens, I get it. I just think it could have been handled differently. In my opinion my concerns were not validated and I did not feel welcome at the hotel upon arrival. That was my first impression. Having said all that, this is a very nice facility! The rooms are spacious and colorful and very well equipped. There is a large bed, a couch, lots of furniture with drawers space, a frig, a sink, pots and pans and even a very cool oven/hot plate combination. I've never seen that before! There is AC as well. And the location is awesome. Just steps to the beach. It is mostly quiet back here too since it is not in the middle of all the activities. They supply bikes if you want to go into town. Or you can walk there in about 10 minutes. Caye Caulker is a very beautiful place and it has alot to offer--something for everyone. Having now spent a night here, I really like the accommodations. Very comfortable and a good value for the money. I would have given a solid 5 stars if we didn't get off to such a rough start....

The location is perfect! The sea grass doesn’t seem to get trapped right there which is really nice because it’s quite stinky in other locations on the island. Our tour guide picked us up & dropped us off at the dock that was steps away. We loved chilling on the dock each evening after our daily adventures! Close enough to walk to many great restaurants and a lil market. We really appreciated the bikes to cruise around the island. The cabins are cute and have everything you need. The a/c worked great. The pool is really refreshing when you’re ready to for a break from the salt water. The Wi-Fi was down for several hours one evening and down completely for an entire day (over 24 hours) 1 of the 5 days we stayed there which was a little disappointing because I didn’t have cell service otherwise. I would give 5 stars, I’ve been home for 2 weeks now and I’m still having nightmares about that mattress. The mattress in cabin 7….oh I’ve slept on some terrible beds in my years of traveling, and that’s just the follies of traveling….but that bed was by far the absolute worst bed I’ve ever ever ever encountered. You can feel every spring poking through, it’s horrendously loud just turning over, the springs make this creaking noise and then slowly uncoil making the noise again for several seconds after you roll over, you bottom out in many places which just makes the springs poke you in worst places. Ive never slept on a mattress that bad. I slept on the couch. I’ve had several massages & chiropractors visits...

Pros: the owners and staff are amazing ! One big barefoot family. They have a great little beach bar with two amazing bartenders complete with a nice sandy area with chairs and a fire area. A nice dock with a tiki hut complete with two Hammocks ( It would have been perfect if there were 4) free beach bikes to use for everyone ( they have a whole fleet and they are constantly trying to upkeep them under the harsh saltwater conditions) they have a boat on site and we were able to make arrangements for an outing (we saw dolphins up close, I mean they were swimming under the front of the pontoons with us ! And then a beautiful sunset, it was cool seeing the island from the water, Captain Dev was very knowledgeable, awesome guy !) You stay here and you become family ! We stayed in a little simple cabin with air-conditioning. Cons: Note: that we did not complain about any of the following and I am certain that the barefoot team would have tried to address these issues, they just weren't a big enough inconvenience for us to bring up. We were here to relax and go slow and feel the positive vibrations of the island 😎 The tap water sometimes has a funky smell and we didn't always have hot water. The mattress had one spring that stuck out a bit. If you are looking for simple accommodations and want to make new friends. This place is awesome ! Hats off to the Barefoot family: Ricky & Laura, Bugs, Captain Dev, Uncle...