Stay at Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort when you visit Hopkins, Belize for an adventurous getaway.
You know it’s a good sign when you don’t want to leave at the end of your stay!
There are many great options in Belize. We decided on Hamanasi after lots of research and I want to tell you all about our experience in case this is what you’re looking for when you go to Belize. Spoiler alert: I loved staying at Hamanasi and think it’s a perfect place for a dive trip, honeymoon, or even family vacation.
Why Hamanasi?
Hamanasi is an adventure and dive resort located in Hopkins, in the southern part of Belize. The closest airport is in Dangriga, about a 40-minute drive, and we took a 20-minute flight on a small commercial airplane after landing in Belize City. The resort books your connecting flight from Belize City to Dangriga and arranges your shuttle from Dangriga to the resort.
We chose Hamanasi because:
- Celebrating my milestone birthday meant a little more luxurious splurge.
- They’re a PADI 5-Star Resort, perfect for top-of-the-line diving options.
- They’re located in Southern Belize, where the better diving in Belize is, and they have options to dive the atolls.
- They have options for outdoor, cultural, and historical activities.
- Their all-inclusive packages minimalized the planning. There are so many options in Belize! (I’ll show you soon.) After the extensive indecisive planning, we decided to make it easy. This took out research for restaurants, tour companies, and transportation.
- They have beautiful treehouse accommodations!
- They have great reviews.
But I was sad to miss:
- Staying “in town” and getting the feel of walking around a city. BUT the resort is located in Hopkins and you can ride a bike (they have complimentary for you to use) or get dropped off to the main part of town (3-5 mins away by car) to explore.
- Conversing with locals in their daily life, though we loved getting to know the staff at Hamanasi!
- Discovering local restaurants off the beaten path.
- Exploring different parts of the country, though we did see it from the air and on our long ride to Mayan ruins.
Even though I felt a little “restricted” at first (because I can’t sit still) staying at a resort, we had the BEST time and I would recommend visiting. As I mentioned, their packages made meals and activities very easy. Our Reef and Rainforest package included:
- Accommodations
- Continental breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Roundtrip air transfers from Belize International Airport to Dangriga
- Roundtrip ground transfers from Dangriga to Hamanasi
- Welcome drink upon arrival
- Five adventures/excursions (They have packages of one to five adventures based on the number of nights you stay.)
What’s the crowd like at Hamanasi?
The resort has about 60 guests at the maximum, so we saw many of the same guests on our adventures and in the restaurant. It was fun to catch up with everyone at the end of the day and hear about everyone’s adventures.
There were guests of all ages at Hamanasi. Many were couples, from honeymooners to retirees. There was a bachelorette party, a couple with an infant, and a family with teenagers. The resort with all its options fits all ages.
Accommodations
Hamanasi has 16 treehouses that are rooms on stilts and surrounded by trees. I loved that it felt secluded while being a short walk to the main building. They also have 12 beachfront rooms in two buildings. The rooms had everything we needed, like the usual amenities of shampoo and a hairdryer. Hamanasi gets handmade soap from a local company and they are wonderful! We got different kinds when they needed to be replaced. They provide daily housekeeping to restock your soap and towels and a turn-down service where they get your bed ready and close all your blinds.
One thing I want to note is there is no Wi-Fi or TVs in the rooms, which for us felt nice! There is Wi-Fi in the main building where the restaurant, bar, and lounging area are and there is a TV in the library, which is also in the main building. We would check in to all the internet happenings for about an hour during happy hour but otherwise, we were focused on relaxing and having fun!
Food at Singanga Restaurant
Their one, spacious restaurant in the main building serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Downstairs was their bar, which was a happening place for happy hour. For lunch, you also had the option of sitting in the tables downstairs by the pool.
- Breakfast options are a buffet with pastries, fruit, yogurt, and cereal or you can order a la carte. We usually got the daily egg special (dishes like frittata, omelette, huevos rancheros) and sides like hash browns and bacon. Of course, you can’t forget Belizean coffee!
- Lunch is a menu of salads, sandwiches, tacos, burgers, and dishes like grilled fish. If you are going on a day-long excursion, you’ll order your lunch of a sandwich or wrap the day before and your guide will have it for you during the trip.
- Dinner is a full menu with appetizers, entrees, and dessert. Our package included a three-course meal every night! Yes, I ate dessert every night! 😉
- Happy hour at the bar included a few drink specials plus complimentary snacks.
- We definitely did not go hungry at Hamanasi. Their portions are big and the food is tasty. I like that there are options for traditional Belizean dishes on all their menus.
Beach and Resort Grounds
With essentially 28 rooms, Hamanasi has a limited number of guests, which makes the resort feel roomy yet cozy. The pool is the focal point of the outdoor area but the beachfront is only steps away. The beach area also has games like cornhole and sand volleyball. You’ll also find paddleboards and kayaks to use nearby.
Hamanasi is an eco-friendly resort, meaning they focus on reducing, reusing, recycling, and having eco-friendly practices. They give guests reusable water bottles to use on their adventures and recycling bins in the guest rooms. Their bar drinks feature reusable bamboo straws. They compost and have a garden on-site that provides fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruit for their dishes. We got a fun tour with one of the gardeners and learned all about it! Lastly, they also donate to organizations that help the environment.
Adventures/Excursions
They have plenty of marine and inland activities to choose from. They have a tentative schedule on their website but they are very flexible. They take into consideration what guests want to do and adjust the schedule so everyone can fit the adventures they want. Have a schedule of what you want to do in your head, and when you arrive, you’ll talk to someone about how the official schedule is shaping out for the week.
All their guides are in-house (not part of an outside tour company) and very knowledgeable about each trip. We ended up doing four dive days, a waterfall hike, a Mayan ruins history tour, and a chocolate tour. Check out their inland/rainforest adventures here.
For diving, the Southern Barrier Reef trips were fully included in the package while the bigger dive trips (like Blue Hole) cost one adventure plus an additional charge. You can see all the reef/marine adventures here.
Conclusion
This is not a sponsored post! We found this resort during our trip research and are very happy we did. It was the perfect combination of the things we enjoy when we travel: diving, cultural experiences, and local food and drink. The cherry on top was the great Hamanasi team. They were always greeting us, many times by name. Hamanasi made our trip to Belize memorable and relaxing!
What hotel or resort do you have fond memories of?
P.S. Looking for similar luxury travel experiences? I recommend this resort in Costa Rica or eating at this restaurant in Thailand.
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