Life in Hopkins, Belize
Get the inside story of life here in Hopkins Village, Belize.
Hopkins is the finest vacation destination in the world. That’s the reason I used to give when friends asked me 7 months ago why I was uprooting my wife and two children from our home in Manhattan to take over Beaches and Dreams here in Hopkins, Belize. I felt like I had good reason to say it too. My wife and I had been looking nearly two years for the perfect spot to bring our family and Hopkins seemed to have it all.
I still believe Hopkins is a fantastic vacation destination, but not for the same reasons. Then I would have listed four things—beach, adventure, culture, and food. The beach was table stakes. There’s something about a beach vacation that just makes it a little extra special, and Hopkins has the largest white sand beach on the mainland of Belize. This is as true now as it was then.
As to adventure, from our beach our guests can travel to the Maya ruins; dive or snorkel the Belize Barrier Reef; troll, fly or reel fish the reef, the flats, or the Sittee River; and explore Belize’s jungles and caves via kayak, tube, zipline, horse, or ATV. Many beaches try to generate fun with slides or parasailing—in Hopkins it’s hard to pack it all in.
Many Caribbean destinations encourage their guests to stay on the resort—we provide free bikes to explore our village! In tiny Hopkins, we’ve got Garifuna, Maya, Mestizo, and Creole cultures all openly celebrating what makes their culture great. And the food! Our restaurants incorporate each of these cultures, along with some of the best comfort food and fine dining I’ve seen anywhere outside of the States.
These are the reasons we came to Hopkins, but they are not the reason we will stay. What Hopkins has that I never understood until starting a business here is community. Whether it’s celebrating Friday nights at Windchief’s or Easter at Ella’s Cool Spot, pulling together to pick up the garbage or raising money for the school, it’s the moments when I’ve found myself sitting next to a neighbor talking about how we can collectively make Hopkins great, that I’ve found what’s truly special about this village.
As a visitor, you may not have the opportunity to attend a council meeting or join the road committee. You may have to stick with exploring our beach, our adventures, our cultures, and our food. But even if you don’t live in the community—you’ll still feel it. And it’s that feeling of being in a place where neighbors still care about each other that, although it won’t show up in your pictures, will cause that little wince of pain as your plane lifts off and you look back at what has already begun to feel like home.
Where to begin?! My boyfriend and I came across Beaches & Dreams through a Google search and booked pretty quickly. We were a bit nervous... read moreWhere to begin?! My boyfriend and I came across Beaches & Dreams through a Google search and booked pretty quickly. We were a bit nervous as we felt we booked a little spontaneously and wondered if more research should have been done. However, upon arriving we quickly realized we had found such a gem and knew instantly we would be coming back throughout our lives.
We stayed in The Garden Room, which is one of the beach-front Cabanas, had the all-inclusive package and had booked three excursions (1/2 day Fishing, Monkey River and 1/2 day Snorkeling). We felt this was a good amount of excursions as we wanted time at the resort as well to relax, use the amenities and chat up the staff.
The cabanas were wonderful. Very spacious and clean upon arrival, with cleaning services happening throughout our week-long stay. Although there was no AC, we felt very comfortable as the beach offers such a breeze and fans were provided in our room.
The excursions exceeded all of our expectations. Fishing was insanely fun and the weather was perfect. We kept three fish and that night the chef even prepared our best fish for us FOUR DIFFERENT WAYS. We felt that excursion led into the whole night. Monkey River was wonderful and a great way to see more inland areas of Belize. We saw so many animals and felt it was a great cultural experience. Snorkeling was incredible - They make sure you feel comfortable in your gear before going out to two different snorkeling sites. I always felt safe and the views were incredible. Our guide even caught lobster while we were there, which was then served to us for dinner that night. Again - what a full day experience!
The resort is so quaint and beautiful. The beach was always clean and there are so many amenities to keep you busy if you do not have an excursion booked. But, truly what made our experience was the staff. You could not ask for kinder, funnier, warm-hearted individuals to spend your week with. Shoutout to all of those who made our trip what it was (Oz, Darnell, Laren, Armondo, Amanda, Flyod, Kimike, Bird, Milky, Ben, Cesar, and those working behind the scenes) - We cannot thank you enough!!
We escaped from reality for a week and we are already planning our next trip. There are not enough words to encapsulate how highly we think of this resort. The drinks and food were out of this world! There isn't a single thing on the menu that we wouldn't order twice.
Thank you for providing such hospitality, offering white-glove service, fine dining and a personable staff. We can't wait to be back! read less - Cassandra