Staying at Hilda's was the best part of our trip! My boyfriend and I went on to stay at a fancy-ish resort condo with amenities on another island, but it just didn't compare to the homey, cozy bungalow Hilda maintains.
We arrived after dark on Caye Caulker. Hilda offered a taxi service several times to pick us from the dock three or so sandy blocks away, but being young, adventurous people we insisted on walking. The streets were quietly lively with tourists and locals, shopping, playing soccer, going about their evening run to the many small corner markets. The street signs aren't really visible or aren't there altogether, however it wasn't really a problem as Hilda's place was recognizable from the photos and description. We found her awaiting us in the driveway. Walking to the front door through the part-patio-part-sandbox courtyard you are washed by the scent of a night-blooming palm of some sort, its magical. The unit was much nicer than we expected: brand new tile flooring, a SPOTLESS kitchen with simple and basic supplies for cooking, new AC units, a new screen on every window, NO BUGS, fans, and cheerfully painted. The curtains in the bedroom keep out a fair amount of light if you like to sleep in, but I woke up early anyway, in part due to the fruit/coconut vendor, in his best baritone, calling out his wares, "CO! conuuuuts!". My first morning, the kitchen window shutters being open, I'm greeted by the calls of a variety of tropical bird. I made my way to the bathroom which is privately situated off the kitchen, outside and up a couple of wooden steps. From there I could see the back part of the reggae bar, which for whatever reason wasn't ever loud or packed during our stay. The bathroom was "no-frills", with a large shower, but also very clean. The whole experience was island life at it's simplest, and we wouldn't have wanted it any other way.