This is part of a series of posts made by Fay describing her time as a social media manager for Beaches & Dreams.
Hello, it’s Fay, and I’m here to bring you a very special post… because it’s my last. Yes, it’s true: after a whole summer of unsuccessfully trying to promote Beaches & Dreams on social media, they finally decided to cut their losses and fire me once and for all. (Of course, I’m going back to college in a week, and this was described from the start as a “summer job,” but I’m pretty sure they hate me also.)
In my previous posts, I’ve talked a lot about myself and the tours I’ve been going on, but a vacation to Belize is far more than your planned itinerary. There’s a whole village to explore right next to Beaches & Dreams, and you’ll be missing out if you never step foot in it!
Hopkins, just like any village, is too large to be fully described in just one blog post, but I’ll be walking you through a few of the businesses you’ll see on your initial drive in. Now settle in and enjoy your mini virtual tour!
The first thing you’ll see when you arrive from the highway into Hopkins proper is a gorgeous mural welcoming you to Hopkins – it’s a little faded, but still a sight to remember! On the other side of the road, there’s a collection of signs advertising many of the resorts in Hopkins. You’ll notice a distinct absence of Beaches & Dreams, but as I am unfortunately only in charge of digital marketing, you’ll have to take that up with the boss.
Right next to the signs is the Funky Dodo, a backpacker’s hotel, and not far off from that is Happy Shopping Center, one of a few grocery stores in Hopkins.
Our next stop is at the Hopkins Community Library, located right in front of our elementary school. It’s small, but a great feature of the village! Very close by is FiWeMart, the largest grocery store in Hopkins. This is a great place to stop by for almost all of your grocery needs.
Now, here’s the reason I say almost all: a fruit & vegetable stand, located right next to FiWeMart. There are several of these located throughout the village, and they usually have fresher fruits and vegetables than the grocery stores. If you want to check out some fruits that are exotic for you and local for us, look no further than one of these stands! Also nearby is the Golden Gift Shop, which is a great place to stop in for some souvenirs.
Of course, I would be remiss to make a list of stops in Hopkins without bringing up Ella’s Cool Spot. I tried to figure out the best angle to photograph it from, but there’s just too much going on to get in just one spot! Ella’s is a favorite of many people in the village, with amazing food, great service, and a community feel that makes you want to stay even after you’re done eating. And fun fact: the owner, Ella, recently became chairwoman of Hopkins Village! If that’s not proof of a good business, I don’t know what is!
As you start to head out of the village, you’ll see Arts by Alex, a place where you can get custom, handcrafted wooden souvenirs that are truly authentic. And right when you’ve left the main village and started to head down the road to the resort side, there’s GariMaya, proudly showing off its Hopkins sign. GariMaya is a great gift shop for all kinds of souvenirs, but even if you aren’t interested in shopping, I highly recommend stopping by for a photo of its iconic sign.
I hope that this post has familiarized you a bit more with Hopkins village, but I have to remind you that this has just grazed the surface of everything there is to explore – I only went in one direction, and only on the main road! Plus, I’m sure I missed out on many areas that couldn’t squeeze into one post.
So, for the end of this post and for the end of Fay’s Social Media Summer(TM), I will once again tell you to come visit Beaches & Dreams for yourself, so you can truly know what it’s like to vacation here. Who knows? If you come during summer or winter break, I might even be here to meet you!
Thank you to the two or three adoring fans that have no doubt been reading along for every post and will be devastated at my departure. They can’t exactly fire me if you don’t follow our social media pages, because I’ve already been fired, but check them out anyway to keep me in your heart.
Goodbye, and here’s hoping for a great start of the school year!
– Fay
