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.
My husband and I took our honeymoon to Beaches and Dreams in the beginning of March 2023. It was the most amazing experience! The front... read moreMy husband and I took our honeymoon to Beaches and Dreams in the beginning of March 2023. It was the most amazing experience! The front staff was so welcoming and accommodating. My husband and I really wanted a cabana but it was unavailable for the date when we were first arriving. The staff was able to set it up for us to be able to get the cabana a couple days after we arrived. The room change was flawless and they took care of everything while we were out on a tour that day. We didn't have to lift a finger. The wait staff, Miss P, Armando, Cesar, Ben, and Amanda, were outstanding and really got to know you, they remembered your name room and always made sure everything was satisfactory. Amanda was even great because when I couldn't decide what i wanted and asked her to chose for me and surprise me, she loved that and had so much fun with it. I'm indecisive about food/desert sometimes and I run into a lot of people that don't want to enjoy the freedom in helping me choose. She went above and beyond with it! The tours were incredible and very knowledgeable. Oz did an amazing job when he took us to the Mayan ruins and was also very knowledgeable on the Belizean history. Jeremy took us on the monkey river and he was great! He gave us a great show with the howler monkeys and even though we didn't see a crocodile Jeremy went in every nook and cranny on the river trying to find us one. We had an issue come up with one of our night turs because of the phase of the moon (completely out of Beaches and Dreams control) and originally had to cancel our bioluminescent tour. We were bummed but Mike and Floyd kept an eye on the sundown time and the time the moon rose and were able to take us on the tour the night before we left. It was just my husband and I and they went above and beyond to make sure we got to experience that. The experience that Beaches and Dreams gave us was way more than either of could have imagined and we are so thankful for what an incredible honeymoon they helped us have. Thank you sooo much! I cannot wait until we can come back!!!! read less - Meagan