Steve Egner
Contributor
I'm not sure how we ended up selecting Hopkins as our Belize trip destination, but I'm glad we did. We flew into Belize city, and drove through the rainy night on the Western Highway to Belmopan, and on the Hummingbird Highway toward Dangriga, and then on to Hopkins. Driving in Belize is just like driving anywhere else where they have few street lights, poorly marked directional signs, rutted streets with pedestrians roaming the edges, one-lane bridges, and jarring elevated pedestrian crosswalks. It was an adventure. No problem.
We chose to stay at the Hopkins Bay Villas. Professionally managed, the staff were delightful. When we encountered an electrical problem with our rental car, the Villa staff assisted in having a new car delivered from Belize city the same night. No big deal, right? It's only 100 miles or so. We also learned how tightly woven their community is; The rental car driver was the fiance of Rena, a member of Hamanasi Resort's guest services, the location of Hopkins Divers. Everyone in Hopkins village knew everyone else as well. I've never made so many personal connections during a vacation, I came back enriched and uplifted.
Hopkins Bay Villas:
One day, a 10 year old girl came by our villa, while I reviewed photos and finished my dive log for the day. She was selling Banana Cake, and since I make a habit of buying from anyone with the courage to go door-to-door, I chatted with her for a while. Alia is one of 10 children who still live at home, in a small house with a detached bathroom. When I asked what she wanted for Christmas, she thoughtfully considered for a moment, and then said," Glue". "Glue?" I said. "You want glue for Christmas?" "Yes, for my school." She couldn't have known that my wife and sister had packed two suitcases full of school supplies, to deliver to the children here. 24 gift bags, each containing glue, pencils, paints, markers, books, and a few small toys were just inside our villa. When she saw the bags, she was bug-eyed with joy, but said, "It is not enough. There are many children in my school, it is not enough." I gave her permission to take three of the bags, and told her to return in a couple of hours with her mother, when we would distribute the rest, when my wife and sister would be home as well. 30 minutes later, there were almost 30 people at my deck, 20 or so kids and their mothers. My wife, Rachel, arrived at the same time, and a bunch of happy kids paraded through our villa selecting their surprise gifts. Alia came back to visit us many more times throughout our stay.
Having a car allowed me to meet lots of the locals; Hitchhiking is common, and I gave lifts to people every day. Coming back from diving, to or from the grocery store, someone always appreciated the lift, and I got to meet someone new. This is a special place, and I'd love to come back.
We chose to stay at the Hopkins Bay Villas. Professionally managed, the staff were delightful. When we encountered an electrical problem with our rental car, the Villa staff assisted in having a new car delivered from Belize city the same night. No big deal, right? It's only 100 miles or so. We also learned how tightly woven their community is; The rental car driver was the fiance of Rena, a member of Hamanasi Resort's guest services, the location of Hopkins Divers. Everyone in Hopkins village knew everyone else as well. I've never made so many personal connections during a vacation, I came back enriched and uplifted.
Hopkins Bay Villas:
One day, a 10 year old girl came by our villa, while I reviewed photos and finished my dive log for the day. She was selling Banana Cake, and since I make a habit of buying from anyone with the courage to go door-to-door, I chatted with her for a while. Alia is one of 10 children who still live at home, in a small house with a detached bathroom. When I asked what she wanted for Christmas, she thoughtfully considered for a moment, and then said," Glue". "Glue?" I said. "You want glue for Christmas?" "Yes, for my school." She couldn't have known that my wife and sister had packed two suitcases full of school supplies, to deliver to the children here. 24 gift bags, each containing glue, pencils, paints, markers, books, and a few small toys were just inside our villa. When she saw the bags, she was bug-eyed with joy, but said, "It is not enough. There are many children in my school, it is not enough." I gave her permission to take three of the bags, and told her to return in a couple of hours with her mother, when we would distribute the rest, when my wife and sister would be home as well. 30 minutes later, there were almost 30 people at my deck, 20 or so kids and their mothers. My wife, Rachel, arrived at the same time, and a bunch of happy kids paraded through our villa selecting their surprise gifts. Alia came back to visit us many more times throughout our stay.
Having a car allowed me to meet lots of the locals; Hitchhiking is common, and I gave lifts to people every day. Coming back from diving, to or from the grocery store, someone always appreciated the lift, and I got to meet someone new. This is a special place, and I'd love to come back.
