The hidden gem of San Pedro is hidden for a reason: it’s an excruciating one hour drive in a golf cart along ridiculously bumpy roads to get there. But man, is the pay-off worth it! Here is how to find Secret Beach, the best beach on Ambergris Caye, in our opinion.

We headed off on our journey to Secret Beach with no idea of what lay ahead – and that’s probably a good thing or we might never have gone!

I’d read on a blog that it was a “fun drive through the jungle”. Well, that was the misrepresentation of the year. The road is definitely the worst “road” I’ve ever driven on. It’s hard-packed dirt, with both large and small rocks as well as pot holes – CONSTANTLY. There is no relief. Ladies who’ve had babies: don’t try this if you have to pee!

Part way there, Charlotte was begging us to turn around, but we were determined that if we’d suffered through it that far, we weren’t giving up now! (and little did we know, the worst was still to come)

We pulled through it mostly thanks to singing silly songs that allowed Charlotte to use the words “stupid” and “I hate you” in reference to the roads. Charlotte was also developing a plan to fix the roads – “If we just got a truck to bring a bunch of dirt, we could fill in all the holes!”

We were following the signs for Wayne’s World Beach Bar, which at least injected a bit of levity into what was sometimes a tense situation, and luckily we ended up there eventually.

On this visit, we stayed at Wayne’s World (heehee!), but we did come back one more time and discovered an even more fantastic area of the beach. This only solidified our opinion that Secret Beach is the best beach on Ambergris Caye – and not only because of the seagrass situation on the other beaches (more on that here).

First Visit to Secret Beach, the Best Beach on Ambergris Caye

Here is what our first visit was like, staying at Wayne’s World Bar & Grill.

When we finally found the beach, we were immediately rewarded for our perseverance: the water and view was stunning!

When you finally arrive, follow the hand painted signs for “Parking” to the left, and you’ll end up at Wayne’s World Beach Bar.

If you stay straight ahead, you’ll end up at a larger beach club – which might be your scene, but wasn’t our cup of tea. It was a busy party scene by mid-afternoon, whereas we had Wayne’s World to ourselves for almost an hour, and it never really got properly busy. Had a nice mix of locals and tourists, and was really chill.

We preferred its laid back vibe, complete with lounge chairs, hammocks, corn hole games, lots of shade options, and a lovely little swimming dock for entering the water.

“There is a beach club with a large, soft sand beach, shallow clear water, and lots of lounge chairs in the shade.”

The water is crystal clear and turquoise, but there are a number of rough spots on the bottom (just rocks and/or seaweed), so picky kids might prefer some water shoes for this one. There isn’t much sand going into the water itself at Wayne’s World – you enter down a few steps from the swimming dock into very shallow water – but there is still a lovely sand beach to lounge and play on.

The water is shallow for quite a way out, which is fun for the younger ones. Because Secret Beach is on the inland side of the Caye, there is zero seagrass – just gorgeous water as far as the eye can see.

There are little paths you can wander along through the bush, if you need to explore on land. A flamingo wandered around near us for a bit, which was fun, and we saw a few little crabs scuttling about.

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Wayne’s World Beach Bar had delicious, decently priced drinks and snack/lunch options for all eaters – the bean Empanadas were super delicious, and you could easily have made the Burritos, Tacos, and Tostadas vegan if you asked for a few adjustments. (disclaimer: I didn’t ask for ingredient lists, so can’t guarantee there wasn’t a trace of milk or eggs in the empanada batter or things like that).

We had packed snacks for the day, intending to save our money and not purchase food or drinks, but after such an investment in getting there, we decided to throw caution to the wind and forget about giving Aria a reasonable nap time. This meant our snacks were gone by lunch time and we had to supplement with some empanadas – some of the best $15 I’ve ever spent!

Second Visit to Secret Beach, the Best Beach on Ambergris Caye

On our second trip, we turned right instead of left when we arrived at the end of the road, and discovered an amazing beach club called Secret Paradise. It had a large, soft sand beach, shallow clear water, and lots of lounge chairs in the shade.

You aren’t supposed to bring your own food or drink, so it is a more expensive option – we ended up buying drinks and food so we could stay there. But it was well worth it for a day trip!

We met some other families with kids, so they snorkelled together and played in the warm, amazingly-clear shallow water. Jonathan enjoyed some relaxation – and Insta photo time! – on the dock, and I just revelled in watching my little Aria play in the shallows and do her thing.