Family run resort in Belize

Our Story

Building a tropical sanctuary, for us, our team, and our guests.

We’re the Janssen family, Ryan, Jessica, Fay and Rex. We left the Lower East Side of Manhattan to build a home that represents a simpler way to live—not just for us, but for anyone who needs to get away from their busy lives. Beaches and Dreams is that home!

We didn’t just want a place where people could lie on the beach and eat mediocre resort food either.  We wanted a place where the beach was combined with world-class dining and fantastic adventures during the day.  We searched the world over, but it wasn’t until we stumbled upon a little Garifuna village in Belize, called Hopkins, that we found what we were looking for.

Hopkins runs along a beautiful 6 mile long beach on the Caribbean Ocean. Crammed into this tiny village are 4 distinct cultures (Garifuna, Maya, Creole, and Mestizo), several fantastic resorts, and dozens of quality restaurants. Together, we’ve created a real community, not a tourist destination.  Not only that, because it’s perfectly positioned between the Maya mountains and the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, we’re able to offer dozens of incredible marine, jungle, and cultural adventures right from the resort.

Beaches and Dreams, itself, perfectly combines the three elements of beach, food and adventure we believe makes for a great vacation.  Every one of our 11 rooms is within 100 feet of the ocean, 8 are ocean-front, and our Sea Bar is the best party on the beach.  Our fine-dining restaurant, The Barracuda, has a long culinary history, stemming from the original owner of the resort, chef, Tony Marsico.  Finally, our guests can depart for any adventure, from diving and snorkeling to visiting the Maya ruins of Xunanatunich right from our adventure office Amped Coffee and Tours or our busy pier, both located at the resort.

Most importantly, Beaches and Dreams is about community.  We’ve built our team entirely from locals and given them a real sense of ownership, so when you’re at Beaches and Dreams, you’re a guest in our collective home. Coming from NYC to Belize has been quite an adventure, but we believe we’ve become part of something special here, and we welcome you to join us!

Highly recommend, particularly for groups. We had six families, 21 people, and Beaches and Dreams staff worked with us to coordinate a group trip with different packages to meet the needs of each family. The resort itself is the perfect size for such a trip. Our teenagers (and several of the adults) could play volleyball any time they wanted. There was never a battle for pool chairs or space. The paddle boards, bikes, and golf carts were readily available most of the time.

But the best thing about Beaches and Dreams is, by far, the people. Every one of them is friendly, enthusiastic, and so good at what they do. The bartenders kept the drinks flowing, with a variety of delicious cocktails (included in the drink package) and even got creative and a few new ones to hit the spot with our party. The restaurant, Barracuda, was fantastic. They managed our group of 21 perfectly, and the food was delicious every time. Between the regular menu and specials, I had something different every time and still left without trying everything I wanted to. The tour guides and drivers for the excursions are so knowledgeable about the area and happy to share that information. The people of Hopkins are friendly and we felt safe and welcomed at all times.

Thanks for a great week, Beaches and Dreams! - Kelly - 7/14/2024 
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