Jewel and Pigeon Cays

Some 400 people live on Jewel (or Suc-Suc) Cay and Pigeon Cay, which are connected by a narrow causeway and generally referred to jointly as Pigeon Cay. These islanders are descended from the first residents, who came to Utila [1] from the Cayman Islands in the 1830s. Originally, the migrants settled on the main island but soon moved out to the cays, reputedly to avoid the sand flies, which are much less common than on the main island, especially when the easterly breeze is up.

If you found Utila residents to be an odd Caribbean subculture, the Pigeon Cay population is odder still—a small, isolated group who tend to keep to themselves, but nevertheless welcome the occasional visitor with friendly smiles.

At the east end of the causeway on Jewel Cay is the small Hotel Kayla (no phone), with simple rooms with private baths (cold water only, US$10 s/d). Check at Captain Morgan’s Dive Shop [2] (tel. 504/425-3349, www.divingutila.com [3]) to find out if rooms are available—all the divers from the shop stay there. Another hotel next door (Kayla 2) has similar rooms.

For food, Susan’s Restaurant is famed for excellent fish burgers and conch stew. It also sells bando (an Utilian fish stew) to go, for those on their way to Water Cay [4].

At Bessie’s Fish Factory, visitors heading out to Water Cay and looking to make a cookout can buy a couple of fresh fish—and if you ask nicely, the proprietors will fillet and season the fish for you. They also sell conch, lobster, and (in season) crab. Food is cheaper here than on Utila [1] proper, and there are far fewer sand fleas.