February 2, 2011 (Hopkins Town Part 2)

When Kirby and I arrived in Hopkins on February 2 we checked into a nice-looking place near the center of town called Larubeya-- shown in the photo below. Each unit at Larubeya is a free-standing "box on stilts" and the units were certainly not fancy but were clean and comfortable. The first cabin we looked at was literally right on the beach (with an amazing view and breeze) -- but it only had one bed. We told the owner that we weren't THAT good of friends... We ended up "swapping" cabins with a nice gentleman from Ohio who had an adjacent  unit with two beds. All was good!

Our Accommodations in Hopkins: Larubeya

Hopkins is located at a very convenient spot along the Caribbean - with an absolutely stunning view of the sea,. Hopkins is near a number of superb land-based points of interest as well-- including nearby authentic Maya villages, a jaguar preserve, and the Maya Mountain Forest Reserve, and a real rainforest jungle. The two highest mountain peaks in Belize are only a short distance from Hopkins, in addition to the Mayflower Maya ruins site. Nearby Sittee River Village, a small Creole village just south of Hopkins, and the Sittee River, offer a number of activities including canoeing, boating, fishing, kayaking, and others at a number of places including Jaguar Reef Lodge. The Sittee River and the surrounding Caribbean reportedly offer some of the best fishing in Belize. There is bus service several times a day between Hopkins and Dangriga, but the main road to Hopkins is unpaved and the village has limited infrastructure at this point. There are a number of options for tourists interested in visiting Hopkins. At the main intersection where the bus from Dangriga drops its passengers each day-- and others (such as Kirby and I) are shuttled from the Southern Highway by a private vehicle -- there is a nice and authentic restaurant/bar by the name of "King Cassava Cultural Restaurant and Bar" owned and run by Mark Nunez, a lifelong resident of Hopkins. Mark is quite the entrepreneur and a really nice guy. He became a friend during our brief visit to Hopkins.

King Cassava Cultural Restaurant and Bar

Mark also operates "King Cassava Taxi and Guide Service" and the "King Cassava Apartments". Whether you want to fish, travel by boat to a nearby caye or to the reef to snorkel or dive, Mark can hook you up. He can feed you, entertain you with African drumming, and even rent you a place to stay. Directly across the street from Mark is another tiny but wonderful business that goes by the name of Barb and El's Taxi and Charters. El and Barbara were the saviors who picked Kirby and I up after we had jumped off the bus which runs between Dangriga and Punta Gorda. El and Barbara can arrange visits to Maya ruins sites, cave tubing, jungle tours, and dozens of other adventures.

Elwin and Barbara Posing by their Van

Mark Nunez and several of his family and friends are also expert in the ancient art of African drumming-- the subject of a separate upcoming blog entry.There's not a lot of "action" in the Hopkins area -- such as you will be able to experience in places like San Pedro and even Caye Caulker-- but the serenity and beauty it offers more than make up for the lack of nightlife.