Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Great beaches and delicious food and accommodation in all price ranges make
Hopkins a pleasant place to spend a few days relaxing, but it's also well equipped for
numerous
outdoor activities
, from diving and snorkelling to kayaking and windsurfing.
Just north of the village, a narrow creek gives way to a large, peaceful lagoon - great for
kayaking - but construction of timeshares and condominiums threatens its
accessibility. Still, the view inland from here, with the village and the high ridges of the
Maya Mountains behind, is breathtaking.
As there are no street names in Hopkins, the best way to locate anything is in relation
to the point where the road from the Southern Highway enters the village centre. The
Belize Bank at the junction has a 24hr ATM, in a little air-conditioned booth.
ARRIVAL AND ACTIVITIES
6
HOPKINS
By bus
Buses from Dangriga loop around Hopkins before
heading south to the Sittee River; let the bus driver know
where you want to get off. Any bus on the Southern Hwy
can drop you at the turn-off 4 miles west of the village.
From here it's quite easy and common to hitch a ride into
town; a taxi may also be waiting by the bus stop to run
tourists into town for Bz$10.
Destinations
Dangriga (Mon-Sat 7am & 2pm; 30min).
Bike/motorbike rental
Several hotels supply free bikes
for guests. Otherwise, you can rent bicycles for around
Bz$20/day from Fred's Bikes or Tina's Bicycles, both at the
south end of the village. Motorbike Rentals
(
T
665 6292,
W
alternateadventures.com), opposite
Thongs Cafe
, rents
motorbikes from US$60/day.
Kayaking and windsurfing
At the south end of the
village, you can rent kayaks for Bz$15/hr at Tipple Tree Beya
(
T
533 7006,
W
tippletree.com), and windsurfers for
Bz$60/day at
Windschief
(
T
523 7249,
W
windschief.com),
which also offers windsurfing lessons for Bz$60/hr.
Snorkelling, diving and boat tours
Most hotels
can arrange snorkelling trips to the reef.
Hamanasi Resort
(see p.190) is the main dive operator, while Hopkins
Underwater Adventures (
T
633 3401,
W
hopkins
underwateradventures.com), based at
Parrot Cove Lodge
,
runs diving trips to South Water and other cayes
(from US$150 for 2 dives, including equipment rental).
Motorbike Rentals
(see above) supplies snorkel gear
(US$7/day).
ACCOMMODATION
Hopkins holds abundant accommodation to suit all budgets; many places only have a handful of rooms, however, so it's
worth reserving your preferred option well in advance. Note that while Hopkins now forms an unbroken strip along the
beach with the previously separate area known as
Sittee Point
, further south, the village's bars, shops and restaurants
are very much concentrated towards the north.
with four immaculate, whitewashed
cabañas
each sleeping
up to four, with veranda, private bath, fridge and
coffeemaker. Local guides are availa
ble. La
rge continental
breakfast included. German spoken.
US$65
Jungle Jeanie's by the Sea
South end of the village
T
533 7047,
W
junglebythesea.com.
Eight hardwood
cabañas
sleeping up to four, some on stilts, one wonderful
treehouse; all have private bath, some a fridge. Located at
the edge of a patch of jungle by the beach in a shady,
relaxed setting. The friendly owners serve international
food (stir
-fries, c
rêpes) and
rent kaya
ks. Camping available.
Cabañas
US$55
, treehouse
US$131
Lebeha Drumming Center
North end of the village
T
665 9305,
W
lebeha.com.
Set up to help perpetuate
Garifuna drumming traditions, offering very basic shared-
bath dorms for students and travellers, this has expanded to
provide a broader range of accommodation, with private
doubles by the road and some lovely wooden beach cabins
with private ba
th. D
rumming
lessons r
equest,
and wi-fi
available. Dorms
US$8
, doubles
US$16.50
, cabins
US$27.50
Tipple Tree Beya
On the beach, south end of the
HOPKINS VILLAGE
All Seasons Guest House
South end of the village
T
523 7209,
W
allseasonsbelize.com.
Four beautifully
decorated rooms with a/c, private bath, coffeemaker and
fridge, in a lovely, tranquil garden with patio, plus three
green two-bedroom
cabañas
alongside, and another three
modern self-catering apartments right on the beach. Dune
buggy rental available; German and
Dutch
spoken; long-
term rental
s are p
ossible. Rooms
US$71
,
cabañas
or
apartments
US$107
Funky Dodo
Just south of the central intersection
T
667 0558,
W
thefunkydodo.com.
Friendly Brit-owned
hostel with a reputation as a “party hostel”, very close to
the beach and main bus stop, with very basic shared-bath
dorms and private rooms. Amenities include a bar,
communal kitchen, laundry services, free wi-fi and cosy
chill-out spots, and they also run inexpensive tours to
destin
ations l
like the C
ocksco
mb Jagu
ar Reserve. Camping
US$5
, dorms
US$7.50
, rooms
US$19
★
Hopkins Inn B&B
On the beach, near the village
centre
T
533 7283,
W
hopkinsinn.com.
Friendly place
