Hopkins Archives - Real Life Recess

Hopkins to Caulker- getting there and staying there

Costa Maya rooftop hammock- Real Life Recess

Mar 22 2015

This year we wanted to stay on Caye Caulker for a few days to really get a feel for the place. We’d day tripped to the tiny island from Ambergris Caye last year and loved it but wondered if it was too small to entertain us for an extended time (we’re looking for potential places to live after all). Would we get bored? Is there enough to do on such a small swath of land? We were going to find out but first we had to get there…

I broke a bike on Phil’s birthday

Mar 15 2015

I was cruisin’. I was feeling good. Confident. Bad ass. All that changed in a moment, with the drop of a bike. It was our second day on motorcycles rented from Alternate Adventures in Hopkins. We cut our teeth the first day with a leisurely ride down the Placencia Peninsula (check out our post about that ride here). As a result I felt pretty good about a little longer ride inland to check out St. Herman’s Blue Hole Park. I really wanted to make this ride. I’d spent…

St Hermans Blue Hole Belize- Real Life Recess

Mar 06 2015

On the second day with our rented motorcycles we planned to ride out towards Belmopan from Hopkins to visit St. Herman’s Blue Hole Park. We skipped the complementary breakfast at Hopkins Inn cabana and decided to try out Thongs Cafe across from Alternate Adventures. From Hopkins Village to St. Herman’s Blue Hole park is a LONG ride. Much longer than we anticipated and more challenging than we expected (hills, one-lane bridges, oh my). But definitely worth it. The Hummingbird Highway is known for the beautiful landscapes and picturesque mountain views…

Pickled Parrot Placencia Village- Real Life Recess

Feb 27 2015

We rented motorcycles from Alternate Adventures in Hopkins and took the easy ride down the Placencia Peninsula via the Southern Highway. We learned the nightclub, Street Feet, opened nearly a year now is doing a lively business. We also asked about the big construction happening just next door and learned it was going to be a mixed-use space of offices, maybe some residential units, and a bonafide movie theater- whoa! Eugene was nice enough to store our helmets for us so we could enjoy a walk…

Feb 22 2015

One of the things I was most excited to do on this year’s trip to Belize was renting motorbikes from Motorbike Rentals and Alternate Adventures in Hopkins Village, Belize. We got our motorcycle licenses back in the fall in preparation for the trip. We figure this is a good investment in our future because when we move we will likely NOT be getting a car and if we did splurge on motorized transportation it would be in the form of a motorcycle. Gas is very expensive (more than…

Hopkins Inn view from the beach - Real Life Recess

Feb 15 2015

For our four nights in Hopkins Village we stayed at the Hopkins Inn, which is basically in the heart of the village. Its not so much an inn, but rather three concrete cabanas situated right on the beach. The owners of the inn, Rita and Greg, have their own larger home right on the grounds next to the cabanas. We weren’t overly impressed with the beaches in Hopkins compared to Placencia, however Rita and Greg kept the property and our section of the beach raked every morning and free of…

Feb 08 2015

Hopkins, the laid back Garifuna village centrally located on Belize’s mainland coast, isn’t the tourist mecca that San Pedro or even Placencia is. No, Hopkins is MUCH more quiet and undeveloped. People vacationing in Hopkins need to make their own fun and I have a few suggestions on how to do that. Rent a bicycle. Simple and cheap enough- you’ll be glad you rent a bike to explore the village because unlike Placencia or Caye Caulker, Hopkins is spread out and not easily traversed on foot alone. Explore…