The Iguana Reef Inn, the premier hotel on Caye Caulker in Belize, is ideal for experiencing the spectacular Scuba, diving, snorkeling, fishing and windsurfing at the Belize barrier reef. http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Belize/iguanareefinn/hotel/383/3/ en-us Copyright 1998 e-TravelMedia.com/CaribbeanMag.com Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:50:49 EST Discover the Iguana Reef Inn on Caye Caulker - a resort that blends casual elegance with barefoot informality. Located on the water's edge, on the quiet lee side of the island in the heart of a charming fishing village, the Inn offers decidedly upscale accommodations and the enchantment of the "Old Caribbean" island lifestyle. Relax on the verandah of one of the Inn's twelve richly textured suites and settle into the unhurried pace of the island's residents. The Inn's ideal location is just minutes away from the restaurants and night spots on Caye Caulker and a short walk away from the "Split" beach - a popular place to chill out. Belize is gaining notoriety as a top angling destination because of the variety of fishing in an unspoiled setting. Such diversity includes permit, bonefish and tarpon in the flats surrounding most of the cayes; snapper, grouper and barracuda around the barrier reef; and kingfish, marlin and wahoo in the open sea beyond the barrier reef. Click here ... "Hustler" Fishing Charter ... for a chronicle of the inaugural Iguana Reef Inn deep-sea fishing trip. Most popular flats species are plentiful year-round. Bonefish on Turneffe, a prime location for flats fishing, average 5-6 pounds. Permit average 10+ pounds. Throughout the year Belize hosts a number of fishing tournaments. In a billfish tournament in February 1997 a 492-pound blue marlin was the winner. Also, the many rivers winding through the Belize mainland offer fishing for snook, snapper and tarpon to name a few. Caye Caulker, sitting practically on top of the barrier reef, provides easy access to the offshore fishing. Whether you're interested in fly-fishing the flats or open water fishing around the barrier reef or deep-sea fishing "the blue" the Iguana Reef Inn will set you up with local fishing guides on Caye Caulker or Ambergris Caye (San Pedro). Pictured left is one of our former guests, Andy Emerson from Columbus, Ohio, fly-fishing on one of the many wading flats. Andy was an experienced fly-fisherman but in fresh water only, not in salt water. Thanks to some pointers from his guide, Porfilio Guzman (a.k.a., "Piggy"), he was quickly up to speed and catching 5+ pound bonefish. After about a 20 minute battle, Andy landed the fish in the photograph to the right. In a span of about 2-3 hours he caught 3 bonefish this size and hit one about 8-9 pounds but lost it when the line snapped ... not bad for a salt-water rookie. Of course you can always just drop a line in the water off the end of a pier. There is a good chance that you'll catch a fair amount of fish. The waters surrounding the caye are shallow so you are likely to see bonefish. Andy said the shallows just of our beach are excellent for bonefishing ... you can almost see them tailing on a daily basis. Every self-respecting webpage about fishing should have a "big fish" story. Pictured left are four wahoo caught during the inaugural Iguana Reef Inn deep-sea fishing trip in January 1999. These four fish, caught in a span of about 90 minutes at the Turneffe Atoll (about 20 miles east of Caye Caulker), weigh between 30 and 40 pounds. We can't guarantee this kind of productivity but we're sure that if you come to Belize for the fishing or just take a day off from diving or snorkeling and try your hand at fishing you won't be disappointed. AMENITIES: Guest rooms are spacious and colorful, featuring tiled floors, in-room refrigerators, air-conditioning and ceiling fans and furniture and artwork by local artists. Choose between junior suites with two queen-size beds or a single queen-size bed and a futon (pictured right) or deluxe suites with a semi-private veranda, two queen-size beds and a sitting area with a futon and coffee table; a cozy first floor suite or a spacious second-floor suite with vaulted ceilings. Each room has been given its own character with vibrant colors, rustic furniture and decorative accessories crafted from local materials - creating an aura of understated elegance. ACTIVITIES: The mission of the Iguana Reef Inn is to create the most comfortable and relaxed environment for our clientele. Wake up and enjoy a complimentry cup of coffee or tea on your verandah. If you choose to just relax during the day and do nothing - a favorite activity down here - we have chaisse lounge chairs and umbrellas on our private beach. Or settle into a hammock beneath our thatched-covered deck and enjoy the refreshing Caribbean trade winds. At the end of the day savor a Passionate Iguana or other beverage from our bar, served on the verandah overlooking the water where you'll have a ringside seat for the spectacular Caye Caulker sunsets. We feature one of the most extensive cocktail menus on the island, including over 20 different rums, and a diverse selection of classic Caribbean and jazz CDs. The world's second largest barrier reef (the largest in the western hemisphere) is less than a mile from the Iguana Reef Inn. Divers can explore the colorful underwater life that is abundant along the 185 miles of the Belize barrier reef. The plethora of marine life includes brain coral, star coral, sponges, sea fans, parrotfish, snapper, angelfish, moray eels, stingrays, sharks and turtles to name a few. Belize also hosts three of the four offshore atolls in all of the Caribbean. Turneffe Reef, Lighthouse Reef and Glover's Reef each offer world-class diving. Belize is a world leader in conservation of natural resources. One of the many reserves in Belize, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, is one of the most popular diving and snorkeling sites. Hol Chan, about 10 miles north of Caye Caulker, features a natural break in the barrier reef that gives rise to spectacular coral formations and serves as a home for a wide variety of fishes and other marine life. Established in 1987, Hol Chan is the first reserve of its kind in Central America. Just to the south of Hol Chan is another popular dive site called Shark-Ray Alley. Shark-Ray Alley is a shallow cut in the reef where divers are almost assured of encountering nurse sharks and stingrays. There are far too many dive sites along the barrier reef to describe in detail. Some of the other locations include the Love Tunnels, Amigo's Wreck, Pescador Cavern, Buena Vista Point and the North Caye Caulker Cut. Each site offers its own unique diving experience including underwater cleaning stations, coral canyons, caverns and wrecks. You may even see a manatee or a whale shark. The best diving Belize has to offer is found at the three outer atolls. You should try and fit a trip into your schedule. Turneffe, located about 20 miles from Caye Caulker, is the largest of the atolls. Turneffe offers a variety of underwater terrain for drift dives and wall dives. One of the favorite attractions, the "Elbow", includes a steep drop-off with a shallow reef and a ship wreck. Glover's Reef, approximately 50 miles from Caye Caulker, is a circular reef surrounding an 80 square-mile lagoon. The most popular, and famous, of the atolls is Lighthouse Reef, home of the "Blue Hole". Lighthouse Reef, also about 50 miles from Caye Caulker, boasts true world-class wall diving; or take a break on Half-Moon Caye and enjoy the beaches or try a beach dive. The Blue Hole, located in the center of the Lighthouse Reef Atoll, was formed when the roof of an underwater cave collapsed over 10,000 years ago. It measures over 1,000 feet in diameter and over 450 feet deep. Once inside you'll discover huge stalagmites and stalactites and its own unique variety of marine life. Dive tour operators offer a selection of day trips and overnight trips to the outer atolls. The Iguana Reef Inn doesn't operate its own dive shop. We work closely with Paradise Down Dive Shop, conveniently located very near to the Iguana Reef Inn. They operate a quality, full-service dive operation including local barrier reef dives, outer atoll dives and full certification courses. Their 45 ft. boat pictured above left will get you to the Blue Hole in comfort. DINING/RESTARUANTS: Type: Resort Beach Location: Near Beach (Walking Distance) http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Belize/iguanareefinn/hotel/383/3/ Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:50:49 EST