3 Best Caye Caulker Bars That You Should Visit | Belize

There are many bars on the island of Caye Caulker in Belize, a lot of them have swings instead of chairs which I thought was absolutely brilliant. But there are 3 particular Caye Caulker bars that stand out when it comes to drinking AND being able to enjoy the surroundings and Caribbean sea. So grab a local Belikin beer or a cocktail, relax and check out the Caye Caulker nightlife!

Bars in Caye Caulker

🦎The Lazy Lizard | 🛟Sip N Dip | 🏖️Northside Beach Club

The Lazy Lizard

I found out about The Lazy Lizard years ago and it was one of those places that I thought would be really cool to visit. Why? Because they had benches in the sea so you could enjoy the sea AND a drink at the same time. It’s probably the most iconic of the Caye Caulker bars!

Caye Caulker The Split Belize — The Split Caye Caulker

It’s located right on the tip of South Island, at the ‘Split’. It is said that the Split was created by Hurricane Hatti that hit Belize in 1961, it was a shallow divide that people could then walk across to reach North Island. The locals started dredging it so they could transport things across in boats instead. Belize was then hit by Hurricane Earl in 2016, washing away parts of The Lazy Lizard.

During my visit they were in the process of redeveloping the area. They created a brand new sea wall, added permanent benches with umbrellas that are sunk in the sea and there’s even a diving platform.

The Split is where the main swimming area is on this part of Caye Caulker. There’s not really a beach as such, so people tend to sunbathe/leave their belongings on the sea wall while they swim.

The Lazy Lizard offer Beach Cabanas to rent either for a half day or a full day with sun loungers (inside and out), chairs and a table.

Some accommodations offer some sort of sun loungers or hammocks, but outside of these, sun loungers are a bit of a rarity in Caye Caulker!

Caye Caulker Bars The Lazy Lizard Sunset — Watching the sunset in Caye Caulker

There’s plenty of deck chairs, beach games and is a popular place on the island to watch the sunset. A local told me it’s the only place on the island where you can watch both the sunset and the sunrise!

During Happy Hour you can get 2 mixed drinks for $8BZD/$4USD. Coconut rum and pineapple juice is a good way of getting something resembling a cocktail during happy hour.

A free golf cart taxi is available to transport you to and from your accommodation if you can’t be bothered to walk!

Sip N Dip

Just before you reach The Lazy Lizard, you’ll go past the Sip N Dip. It’s a big green wooden building located on a pier, currently it’s the only ‘over water’ bar in Caye Caulker!

Its ‘beer garden’ is what makes this Caye Caulker bar special! There are tubes/rubber rings, a swing set and hammocks all IN the water! This area is an adults only area, however they do have some play equipment on land for children.

The swings are slippery so I wouldn’t advise trying to jump up on them while holding a drink, but the hammocks and tubes are nice places to relax!

The bar can even provide a mini rubber ring for a bucket of beers so they can float alongside you too! You’ll have to drink them quick though because obviously the bucket will be floating in the warm water! You can sip AND dip at the same time!

Caye Caulker Bars Sip N Dip — Sip N Dip ‘beer garden’!

I did get burnt to a crisp while at this bar but then again that’s my own fault as their are seats inside in a shaded area too! Since my visit, they now have tables and chairs with umbrellas in the water, similar to those at The Lazy Lizard.

During happy hour, local rum mixed drinks are 2 for $10 and cocktails are 2 for $24

The Sip N Dip is open everyday. They often have specials on food, events, and from the recent photos it looks like they have switched to bamboo straws instead of plastic!

Northside Beach Club (Previously ‘Koko King’)

Koko King Belize — Swimming pool at Northside Beach Club Caye Caulker

The Northside Beach Club was previously called Koko King and is actually located on the less inhabited North Island. A shuttle boat runs every 20 minutes between 6.45am – Midnight from the dock on the opposite side of the island from the Ocean Ferry dock (if you come off an Ocean Ferry and walk in a straight line, you can’t go wrong!)

*TIP* – Everywhere says the shuttle is free…HOWEVER when you arrive on the other island there is a big sign that says unless you buy a drink AND food, you’ll be charged $10BZD/$5USD on return.

Before I knew this, my plan was to go over and have lunch there, but to be honest if I wasn’t planning on buying food, I’d have felt a bit mugged off that I’d been ‘sold’ something that was free when in fact it isn’t. I was given a wristband after I bought my meal but I never actually saw the rule being enforced.

Caye Caulker Beaches

Northside Beach Club is home to what I think is the best beach in Caye Caulker. It’s most definitely the biggest Caye Caulker beach, that actually has some form of sand! There are plenty of deckchairs, sun loungers and hammocks that are free to use as well as covered swinging beds that can be hired for a fee.

There are swings on the boat dock, tubes that are free to use, a volleyball net and a netted platform that are both mounted in the sea.

Koko King Belize Caye Caulker Beaches — Volleyball net at Northside Beach Club

There’s also an infinity pool BUT a day pass was $35BZD/$17.50USD during my visit. I was a little bit shocked at the price. I just couldn’t warrant spending $17USD (around £15) to use a pool that had nothing special…(putting this into perspective, on the way to Chicago airport, I stopped at a water park in Rockford, IL for the day and the ticket cost $12USD).

When the sea is free, warm and clear, the pool didn’t even tempt me.

The food is reasonably priced compared to some of the other restaurants in Caye Caulker. I had chicken nuggets (10!!!!) and chips/fries and was impressed by the size of the meal. A small ‘Mermaid Water ‘cocktail cost $8BZD.

I was told by several people that Northside Beach Club is the only bar in Caye Caulker that has a bonfire every night. There’s always music and they host movies and beach parties regularly with DJs and special themes (some events have entrance fees).

There’s not much else on North Island, it’s mainly a forest reserve. The WeYu Boutique Hotel is now open on the North Island. Guests get free use of the pool and complimentary breakfast is served in the Northside Beach Club restaurant.

The Best Bars For Caye Caulker Nightlife

If you’re after some Caye Caulker Nightlife, I’d suggest either heading to The Split or catching the shuttle boat to Northside Beach Club. Both bars host Full Moon parties once a month. Northside Beach Club has more in the form of beach parties but these often come at a price!