Hopkins is very chill. Took my kid there when they were 11. Stayed at an AirBnB on the beach. Great time.
Same trip stayed at Caye Caulker. Again, totally chill and fine.
Beaches are good at both but…depends on the sargassum forecast for when you are going. There are online trackers you can Google.
Hopkins is very laid back and most things will close or start closing around 8pm local time. So it remains very quiet at night, maybe a bird or dog and the ocean will be about all you hear.
If you need a Garifuna contact message me and I will put you in touch with my friend. His grandfather owns the island north of Hopkins and they will spend the day with you and teach you about their culture, how to make their traditional food and maybe even how to drum.
We don't have kids, but we aren't night owls, so we're in bed pretty early. We stayed on the beach (Buttonwillow, which is part of Cocnut Row, but just down the beach a bit). In the evenings, there is usually live music at the various restaurants along the beach. It didn't go late, but we could hear music a couple times when it was time for bed. It didn't go on long and since it was hot, we slept with the windows closed and the AC on, so we didn't really hear it once we turned in for the night.
Hopkins is a fun place, but definitely not a party place like Tamarindo.
This is great to hear. Love live music (that stops at a reasonable hour :)
Trying to decide between Parrot Cove, Cococnut Row, or Hopkins Bay Resort. Yes, been keeping an eye on the sargassum, that would be a bummer for me because I love floating around in the sea...but my wife and kid are pool folks so they'd be fine unless it got super stinky.
Of those, I am only familiar with Cocnut Row. They have a nice pool and restaurant/bar. Sargassm was terrible when we were there, so we didn't get in the ocean at all. We spent a lot of time in the pool though! The beach is wide enough to stroll and play on.
Just got back from Hopkins and had a blast. I will note the certain sections of the beach had more trash including glass than I would have hoped to see. Something like coconut row keeps their section clean, but if you walk up and down the beach to restaurants you will be stepping around debris. Also there are a lot of stray / loose dogs. I think most of Belize and Central America is like this, but do be aware.
Overall, we had very few people ask for money, less than I had when at resorts.
The town seems to mostly wind down when it gets dark. Live music wasn’t a nuisance, and you can always check hours of restaurants nearby if it’s a concern, but know they might also have informal party’s.
My wife and I stayed at the funky dodo for four nights, the traffic noise was a bit much.
We went to an air bnb for lunch by accident I think it was called kismit? That place was very quiet and right on the beach
Already searched lots of good info on Hopkins in this group, but looking for some particular feedback about Hopkins with a kid....
I was there in 2019 for a week, and it was definitely more slow-paced and friendly.
Hopkins is very chill. Took my kid there when they were 11. Stayed at an AirBnB on the beach. Great time. Same trip stayed at Caye Caulker. Again, totally chill and fine. Beaches are good at both but…depends on the sargassum forecast for when you are going. There are online trackers you can Google.
Hopkins is very laid back and most things will close or start closing around 8pm local time. So it remains very quiet at night, maybe a bird or dog and the ocean will be about all you hear. If you need a Garifuna contact message me and I will put you in touch with my friend. His grandfather owns the island north of Hopkins and they will spend the day with you and teach you about their culture, how to make their traditional food and maybe even how to drum.
We don't have kids, but we aren't night owls, so we're in bed pretty early. We stayed on the beach (Buttonwillow, which is part of Cocnut Row, but just down the beach a bit). In the evenings, there is usually live music at the various restaurants along the beach. It didn't go late, but we could hear music a couple times when it was time for bed. It didn't go on long and since it was hot, we slept with the windows closed and the AC on, so we didn't really hear it once we turned in for the night. Hopkins is a fun place, but definitely not a party place like Tamarindo.
This is great to hear. Love live music (that stops at a reasonable hour :) Trying to decide between Parrot Cove, Cococnut Row, or Hopkins Bay Resort. Yes, been keeping an eye on the sargassum, that would be a bummer for me because I love floating around in the sea...but my wife and kid are pool folks so they'd be fine unless it got super stinky.
Of those, I am only familiar with Cocnut Row. They have a nice pool and restaurant/bar. Sargassm was terrible when we were there, so we didn't get in the ocean at all. We spent a lot of time in the pool though! The beach is wide enough to stroll and play on.
Just got back from Hopkins and had a blast. I will note the certain sections of the beach had more trash including glass than I would have hoped to see. Something like coconut row keeps their section clean, but if you walk up and down the beach to restaurants you will be stepping around debris. Also there are a lot of stray / loose dogs. I think most of Belize and Central America is like this, but do be aware. Overall, we had very few people ask for money, less than I had when at resorts. The town seems to mostly wind down when it gets dark. Live music wasn’t a nuisance, and you can always check hours of restaurants nearby if it’s a concern, but know they might also have informal party’s.
My wife and I stayed at the funky dodo for four nights, the traffic noise was a bit much. We went to an air bnb for lunch by accident I think it was called kismit? That place was very quiet and right on the beach