We flew into the Belize airport then took. small airplane (Tropic Air) to the resort town. As a former pilot, I loved it.. my wife was hesitant but admitted it was a neat trip and you got to see the area from the air. We arrived on... read moreWe flew into the Belize airport then took. small airplane (Tropic Air) to the resort town. As a former pilot, I loved it.. my wife was hesitant but admitted it was a neat trip and you got to see the area from the air. We arrived on a Monday and left on Saturday morning. If you are expecting a large resort with a spa, gym, etc., this is not your place but if you want a place that is totally relaxing and where the staff makes you feel like old friends who have FINALLY come to visit, then go here. The rooms and views are to die for, food is excellent, pool is the right size for this small resort, it is right on the beach, AND the staff is attentive to your every need. We had a air conditioned room on the third floor - the view was fantastic as was the room. No TV and no phone... just the wonderful sound of the ocean and tropical birds playing outside our door, a very comfortable bed, and the room was nicely appointed. My ONLY beef with the whole trip was that the room had only one mirror (in the batroom) so my wife and I had to sequence getting ready. We were there for 5 nights. So we took several of the excursions. We took the 1/2 day snorkeling trip which was amazing. Our guide was the perfect host... We flew into the Belize airport then took. small airplane (Tropic Air) to the resort town. As a former pilot, I loved it.. my wife was hesitant but admitted it was a neat trip and you got to see the area from the air. We arrived on a Monday and left on Saturday morning.
If you are expecting a large resort with a spa, gym, etc., this is not your place but if you want a place that is totally relaxing and where the staff makes you feel like old friends who have FINALLY come to visit, then go here. The rooms and views are to die for, food is excellent, pool is the right size for this small resort, it is right on the beach, AND the staff is attentive to your every need.
We had a air conditioned room on the third floor - the view was fantastic as was the room. No TV and no phone... just the wonderful sound of the ocean and tropical birds playing outside our door, a very comfortable bed, and the room was nicely appointed. My ONLY beef with the whole trip was that the room had only one mirror (in the batroom) so my wife and I had to sequence getting ready.
We were there for 5 nights. So we took several of the excursions.
We took the 1/2 day snorkeling trip which was amazing. Our guide was the perfect host making sure we were safe and saw an abundance of fish. We've been to the Great Barrier Reef and I would call this a smaller but still interesting version and a great trip out to and on the reef.
We also did the Mayan Ruins tour. It was hot the day we went but the guide was informative and knew the complete history of the area and the Mayan culture. VERY well prepared to guide the tour. After the ruins, we stopped for a quick lunch at a local bodega - food was very tasty and plenty to eat. We then went cave tubbing which was great since the weather was hot, the cool water was a welcome relief and, again, our guide was well informed and gave us an impressive tour. Then we went to the Blue Hole... interesting but at that point I was tired. Thankfully we did not spend much time there.
Finally, we went birding. I was expecting to go to a bird sanctuary but nope... we just drove out into the country and looked for birds which was a blast!! Our guide would stop and listen and then tell us what birds where in the area and off we would go to find them. We must have seen over 30 species on our tour. Again, a bit warm but we went early in the day and were back at resort before lunch.
The restaurant at the hotel is very good and, with the basic menu a bit sparse, but they vary the specials each day so there is always something interesting to eat. If you like seafood, there will be a seafood special each day. My wife had the special just about every day and raved about them. I am not a big fan of seafood but always found plenty to eat that was delicious. AND the restaurant staff will know you name and what you like and don't like after your first visit. They will greet you by name when you arrive! Again, we felt like the staff treated us as old friends who had come to visit.
This was the perfect getaway for my wife and I. WONDERFUL trip that we throughly enjoyed, It is small resort and it was fully booked for the entire time we were there so book early.
I had read about. the insects - sand flys - but we had a steady breeze the whole time were were there and insects were never a problem. We did cover up during our excursions and brought sunscreen and insect repellent which we were religious about applying so we had no problems at all with the bugs. BUT, there was a couple that had arrived the day before us and the bugs had devoured them. They commented that the bugs has essentially disappeared with the breeze that was blowing.
We had an all inclusive package deal so we had an "allowance" for our meals and all the drinks (local stuff) we wanted. the staff will give you glasses and a bottle of wine or beer to take back to your room if you would like... very nice touch! HINT: Do bring some small bills - $5, $10s, and $20s to tip your guides and other staff members. We always felt the guides more than earned a tip and they were very appreciative of the extra cash.
I was worried about the covid restrictions but the hotel provided all the information we needed for entry into Belize and arranged for us to have a COVID test before we left and we had no trouble getting back in the USA.
BTW, we did not venture downtown Hopkins, We had everything we needed at the resort and didn't feel the need to explore after taking the excursions. Some of the people we met ventured downtown for souvenirs and to take in the local cuisine and gave good reports though it is rustic.
Bottom line: GREAT place to visit and GREAT staff!!! We would love to go again. From initial contact to coordinating our stay and excursions to being treated very well by the staff every minute we were there, we were totally impressed. More read less - capnollie
