Hopkins Bay Resort

My family and I had a horrible experience at Hopkins Bay Resort after booking one of their villas for a few nights to celebrate my son's birthday this April. It quickly felt like the resort did not cater to Belizeans. This was even hinted by the head of Security, Denton. They were multiple uncomfortable interactions, especially with the Security team continuously approaching the minors in our group without an adult present, telling them to keep their volumes down while playing a card game indoors, because you can't speak too loudly "when you come to a place like this". And that the villa doors needed to stay close to not disturb anyone. Despite there being no noise complaints, and live karaoke happening at the Rhum Shak. Kevin Sho, Security officer, also went as far as directing them away from using both pools as he "would prefer the tourist to relax on their own". The guests at the pool were actually very friendly and playing music while drinking and socializing with the adults in our group, and had no problem sharing the pool. Mind you, the kids (12-17) were approached before even going to the pool under the presumption they would disturb the tourists if they chose to go to the pool. They again were not making any noises or disturbing anyone. To make matters worse, despite requesting no housekeeping, staff entered our villa around 2pm while we were at the pool and took down all the decorations we had put up for my son's birthday that morning (balloons, table covering, confetti on the table). They also removed the towels and bath matts from the bathrooms without replacing them. Our personal stuff was thrown around and rearranged, electronics moved to another location, it was only then did we realize housekeeping had entered without our permission after clearly telling them we didnt want any and to have someone bring us a broom instead. It was only after I made a complaint to the front desk on the 2nd night about the treatment our group had been receiving and that housekeeping entered even after I had asked them not to, did someone come by and bring towels. We had still not reveived any apologies at this point even though we had issues getting basic accommodation for all the persons in our group as I was told, I made the reservation through the reservations department and not the Resort directly, so they won't accommodate everyone in the group with towels etc. Overall the experience felt unwelcoming and targeted, which completely took away from what should have been a special occasion. The resort on its own is very beautiful and the guests staying there are also very friendly people. The staff was our only issue. On our last day, I finally received a disingenuous apology from Denton when going to checkout. "I'm not sure of the incident that took place with the pool but I apologize for the entire Security Department. Its just that we sometimes like to separate the guests to make sure the tourists have a good time". While Kevin stood next to him laughing. After going to turn in the keys, I was then asked by the young lady at the front desk if someone came by to let me know we were given Late Check Out as compensation for the way we were being treated. This was not the case as no one, besides Denton, came by and we were told nothing of the sort. They watched us pack the entire villa getting everything out before 11AM and no one mentioned late check out. At this point we were exhausted from the experience and told them it was fine and left. Without getting the complimentary tokens we were promised, that the other guests had already received. Not that we needed anything from them, but its the principle. We asked why the other guests had received tokens and a grand welcome, while our group did not, we were told it was all finished. Even though we observed the international guests checking in after us, receive them. Nonetheless, I would NOT recommend if you are a Belizean looking to book for a relaxing experience. You will be treated like you won a free trip and don't deserve the same respect as the other guests.

We enjoyed staying at the resort. The Rhum Shack was great for breakfast to start out our day. Particularly friendly to us was Zamira and Jessica.

My family and I enjoyed our stay there including my Granddaughter! That was her first time being in Belize. We had an awesome time over there. The staff were so friendly and helpful also everything was beautiful!

The people were very nice and the Rum Shack was a fun atmosphere. We really enjoyed the excursion to Thatch Caye and would stay there over Hopkins Bay if we came back to Hopkins. The sargassum was pretty hard to get past and very strong. The smell was not the fault to the resort because that's nature, but there is a public beach right beside the resort that isn't raked, so the smell was pretty intense and it was completely covered. The food was just okay and the day we arrived, the pool wasn't very clean. I think with a few improvements, we would have had a better experience.

Loved this resort! Nice, clean, relaxing accommodations. The staff is extremely welcoming, helpful, and kind. We had a beachfront room - the view pictured was taken laying in the bed. The restaurant is good, but the resort restaurant next door is better. We ate breakfasts there each morning, but many other meals in town or at the other resort. We went through TripAdvisor (Get to Know Belize) for many of our excursions, but they have an activity desk available and the excursion we did through the resort was also awesome!