When September rolls around each year in Hopkins, Belize, the streets get a lot quieter. This is the start of slow season for us. Many hotels and restaurants in our area will close down for a month or two. We typically close for two weeks, which allows our staff to...
Hopkins Garifuna Settlement Day
Last week, our village of Hopkins, Belize celebrated Garifuna Settlement Day. This is a national Belizean holiday celebrated each year on November 19. The main event of Garifuna Settlement day is the re-enactment of boats arriving to the shores of Belize. (The side events are parties and drumming all weekend...
Yes! All our rooms now have A/C
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,...
Living part-time in Belize City for school
Introducing our split life When we moved to Hopkins Belize, I could not have predicted the split life I am now leading. I live part time in Belize City and part time in Hopkins because of the kids' school. For the first three years in Belize, both of my kids...
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...
Choosing a High School in Belize
When we moved to Belize in 2017, Fay was 9 and Rex was 7. They were both still in primary school and I felt lucky to have found public school nearby that we have really enjoyed being a part of. Our primary school, Sittee River Methodist, is small and has...
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...
Punta Gorda Overnight: Maya Kitchen, Earthship, Fancy Hotel
After living in Belize for almost 3 years, there are still many parts of the country I do not know well. One area I haven't visited very much is in the south of Belize, Punta Gorda (PG). PG is consider (even) more rural than the rest of Belize; there are...
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...