This is a pretty exciting post. When Ryan and I moved here 6 years ago, we had bought this hotel with 11 rooms. Six of the rooms had A/C and 5 did not. We talked about one day installing A/C in the cabanas and treehouse rooms. But, as things happen,...
Family Vacation from Hopkins Belize to Northern Belize
Summer 2020, we took a family vacation weekend to Northern Belize. We celebrated two birthdays and spent time with friends. I cannot say enough good things about our day trip to Lamanai. Lets start with the fact that you arrive at the site by boat...
Visiting Belize Safely in 2020
Reopening! On October 1, 2020, Belize opened its international airport, after being closed for 6 months. We are welcoming all international travelers including from the USA and Canada. The government of Belize has created a new set of safety protocols and recommendations for hotels, restaurants and tours so that we...
Covid Quarantine in Belize
Its April 28th. We are at the beginning of week 6 since the borders closed. It is a strange new world. A little recap to remember this moment in time... The beginning of the end here was the weekend of March 14th. We spent a spontaneous weekend on the island...
Our amazing B&D team, our amazing Hopkins community
This week was a tough one. One that we couldn't have gotten through without such an amazing team at Beaches and Dreams and without the help of our amazing community. This week, I saw people go above and beyond their jobs and rearrange their personal lives to help others. And...
The Slow Pace of Slow Season
When you run a hotel there is a busy season and a slow season. Even with the relatively consistent weather that we have in Hopkins Belize this seasonality applies to us as well. For us, December through April (Christmas through Easter) is high season. This is when hotels and restaurants...
Newbie bloopers
I think my mistakes in life are the things that make me laugh the hardest. Once enough time has passed, the most embarrassing moments are usually the funniest to think back on. It will be fun to put some of these in writing and have them to look back on...
Hopkins Garifuna Immersion
After living here for a year, there are still a few tours offered by our resort that I have not taken myself. I've heard so many amazing things about the Garifuna Immersion tour from day one, so this past summer I decided to take the kids. The Garifuna Immersion is...
Scam or not, you decide
We've owned the hotel and restaurant for one year now. I have to say, the best part of owning this business is meeting and talking with all the guests. I really really enjoy meeting people and hearing about their lives back home: their stories. Some guests I click with so...
Our mini-break…or Trucks, Buses, Vans and Canoes
A Rough Start The title of this post is referencing an old movie called "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" which is a comedy of errors about a man trying to get home for the holidays. While taking 2 day mini-escape from our resort over Easter break we needed quite a few...