Slickrock retreat on Long Caye is about as rustic a place as I think I could feel comfortable. The cabanas, located just feet from the surf, are bare-bones thatched-roofed shacks with plank bed(s), a couple of rough benches and shelves, hanger rack, and a fluorescent light. No air conditioning, and if the wind is not in the right direction they can be uncomfortably hot when the humidity and temperature are high. The outhouse (two composting toilets) is clean. The outdoor showers, surrounded by walls for privacy, use well water warmed by the sun, so the temperature depends on the time of day and the weather conditions. The well water is salty (though less so than the sea) so you never feel really clean.

That's the bad stuff. And that's the only bad stuff. It's important to know that the conditions are intentionally rustic. Very rustic! But if you like rustic, or you don't mind rustic, this place is paradise.

The activities are all detailed on their web site, and include sea kayaking, snorkeling, wind surfing, kayak surfing, lounging around, and exploring the intertidal flats at low tide. Slickrock shares the island with Off The Wall Dive Resort, so scuba diving is also an option, including "Discover Scuba" for first-timers and full certification classes. I got my PADI Open Water certification there and it was a blast! (Because the dive resort is a separate business, you must pay separately for diving. Rates are on Slickrock's web site, as well as the dive resort's own web site.)

One of the best things about Slickrock, and one of its distinctive features, are the guides, who provide complete instruction in all the activities, from beginner to advanced level, at no additional cost. And they are absolutely first-rate.

I cannot be as enthusiastic about the food as some of the other reviewers. I have been at places where the food was really fabulous. However, the food at Slickrock was good, and it was plentiful. I was never disappointed by it.

While some folks preferred the above-water sports, what I found really spectacular was the world under the surface of the ocean. The numerous spot reefs were brilliant in their diversity of color and form, and were teeming with marine life. I never cease to be amazed by the corals and the fishes. And if you choose to don scuba gear, there is a wall of coral that starts at about 40 feet and goes down deeper than you can dive. Apparently there are a hundred sites all claiming to be the second-best diving/snorkeling reefs in the world. But Long Caye is certainly one of them.

A regular activity was "paddle to snorkel." At the start of your stay, the guides will teach you how to get into and out of a kayak in deep water, and how to empty and right a kayak that has turned over and flooded. After that there are many opportunities to paddle to the many spot reefs for snorkeling. Distances range from 5 or 10 minutes to perhaps 20 minutes or so. There are also longer kayak journeys available.

If you like warm-water snorkeling or diving, and you like rustic (very rustic!) you should not miss the chance to visit Long Caye.

Fantastic place, we just wish we could have stayed longer. My wife, two of our kids (both 14) and I stayed three nights on the island in the end of April 2008. We snorkeled, kayaked, windsurfed and caught bonefish. My wife loved the paddle/snorkel trips (kayak to a reef, snorkel and kayak back). Our 14-year old girl started scuba with the Dive Shop on-island. Both kids really got into the late afternoon volleyball games with the staff. Speaking of the staff, they were friendly, fun and excellent instructors in water sports. Food was hearty and the rustic accommodations just added to the fun. The whole time I had the feeling that I was on Gilligan's Island! We can't wait to go back.

End of April is almost the end of Slickrock's season. This made for a smaller group (good), but since it was the end of the dry season the showers were salty (you still felt clean afterwards).

They have a lot of water sports equipment, including a land trainer for windsurfing and three fully rigged fishing kayaks. We went to sleep at night with the ocean breeze blowing through our cabana. In our short stay the wind didn't blow enough for the surf break to materialize, but our son took one of their longboards out on the last day and caught a couple waves anyway.

Three couples wanted to have a relaxing week in a tropical area, but with lots of activities and minimal logistical effort. Voila, Slickrock! In exchange for your ability to "endure" composting toilets, very basic cabins, and sand flies, you get to hang out with truly talented, kind, and fun guides and a small group of guests to enjoy sea kayaking, surf kayaking, low-tide discovery walks, independent birdwatching, scuba, volleyball, full moon rises, diving, professional tanning, and competitive Jenga in an environmentally respectul resort! The remote location is fantastic and the resort is ingeniously designed to minimize impact to the small island. The delicious food is freshly prepared with quality ingredients (you may gain weight if you don't get out and do some activities!), and the nights are yours to relax and watch the stars. Each morning you get to choose activities, which include lying around reading a good book, and at night there are interesting short lectures on various topics. I enjoyed Charlie's geology talks and "how stuff works", and loved playing volleyball with Mario, Edward, Apolitico, and Martin. Lucy was an amazing host and made us all feel like family. Did I mention the constant supply of freshly squeezed OJ and cold Belikins? It's Heaven! Go!!!

Slickrock is headquartered in Moab, Utah and is a very well-organized sports adventure "camp". (They also offer half island trips and half land adventure trips.) The guides were great, the equipment was great, and the setting was heavenly. The cabanas were rustic, we used composting toilets, and solar heated outside showers (very cool) and the island used wind and sun power. The cost seemed a little high but you got a lot for your money. It was well worth the price! The guides even guided us in snorkeling, helping us locate cool fish and enormous lobsters. And we loved sleeping with our screen-less windows open listening to the surf breaking 10 yards from the cabana!

Besides being very competent and patient the guides (one from Montreal and 2 Belizeans were also very personable. They even gave us very interesting short talks on geography, coral, fish, and Mayan history. There were also 2 Belizean women who cooked all the meals.

Sports: Sea kayaking, surf kayaking, snorkeling, windsurfing, and scuba (for a reasonable fee). I had the most fun windsurfing. It was the best windsurfing week of my life!! And the diving for my husband was awesome! (For safety, we had to wear helmets for windsurfing! Not a big deal.)

The guides gave us instruction and then let us do our thing. But they always offered guided activities. There are so many patch reefs nearby that we could swim or kayak to a different one twice a day if we wanted to. Other activities included a guided nature walk, low tide exploring and beach volleyball.

The snorkeling was excellent! We identified 35 varieties of fish and saw huge lobsters (since no one can fish in this preserve).

Other common things on the incredibly beautiful island were iguanas that lived in the rocks and scores of hermit crabs (all scattered away if we got too close).

The meals were delicious and generous (buffet style! They were so good I took home a few of the recipes. We especially loved the Lime cookies, Creole Shrimp and Key Lime Pie.