In a country that has always favored small-scale development, Caye Chapel was not without controversy. But Construction Managers Cynthia and Brad Ringgold reported that Addington had far exceeded everything the government of Belize asked him to do. Seeming to bear out her claims, fish by the tens of thousands were schooling at the base of the new wall while two lobster fishermen were setting their traps close to shore. Addington also has spent a king's ransom for antifungal injection treatment for more than two thousand coconut palm trees to fend off the leaf-yellowing disease that has devastated so many of the Caribbean's palms. And all of that flawless grass in the fairways is a specially imported Paspalum grass, a variety that stays green even with near-constant exposure to salt air and splashing seawater.
Most transportation is by foot, bicycle and golf cart.
From the long line of small seaside resorts, I chose the colonial-styled Victoria House, an old favorite, and prepared for a hard schedule of fishing, snorkeling and hammock riding. Because Belize is the site of the world's second-longest barrier reef, snorkeling or diving is a must. Setting out from the Victoria House pier, my group made a first stop at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, where a deep channel through the coral reef has underwater visibilities of a hundred feet, thousands of colorful fish and at least one very large moray eel. Trust me, the name is well given. Reassured that we were indeed expected to swim with these masters of the deep, I slipped into the water with vows of keeping my distance, only to have our guide dive to the bottom and, in a move previously known as a bear hug, his arms around the largest of the sharks.