A Hopkins, Belize Wrap-Up, Part One: Food, What’s New And Well…Just About Everything Else

I had such a great time in Hopkins last weekend for the 2015 Mango Festival.  The festival came back bigger and better – everything was fantastic…from the music to the people and the food.

But Hopkins is so much more than 1000000 mango trees…

…though to me, that is reason enough to camp out there for the month of June.

Let me quickly run through where I stayed, what I ate and the new businesses in town.  Hopkins is not growing at a pace anywhere near that of San Pedro (phew!) but things are happening…

I stayed two nights at Beaches & Dreams Resort – with a great beach, dock, SUPER restaurant and a new six unit hotel addition with a pool.

My room – the Sea Turtle Suite – was large, cool, brand new and perfect for our stay.

The perfect sized pool…

The mango tasting menu from their restaurant – Barracuda.  It was delicious.  I could eat mango layered cheesecake and mango glazed ribs all day and all night.

The cheesecake, not too sweet, but stacked high with mango and toasted fresh coconut.  Yum.

And the view at sunrise…

I love hearing the waves in Hopkins.

…a fisherman heading out in his wooden dory.

The resort cat was giving me the cold shoulder as cats do.  They make you work for it.

We walked north a bit on the beach…just about 10 minutes to Hamanasi Resort.  One that I’ve stayed at and LOVED.

They have put in a new second floor on the main house with a dining room and patio…and ONE GORGEOUS CEILING.

And you can climb the stairs above this ceiling for the view of the sea…and of the Maya Mountains.

Next stop was the gorgeous Curve Bar at the Sittee River Marina.

Here is a great map of Hopkins…the village is sandwiched between two water ways.  To the south is the gorgeous Sittee River – wide, deep and green, it zig zags over the Maya Mountains.

The entrance…

The gorgeous menu…Belizean food, taken from all over the country from Mestizo to Mayan to Garifuna and elevated.  But still bar food.  It’s all tasty stuff and I think we ate half the menu.

 

The absolutely STUNNING view of the sunset from our seats.

We started with beef salpicon…tender tender beef chunks…just like ceviche.  SO good.

And then Belikin Stout glazed, soy and honey “Mahogany” wings.

 

Here is Chef Sean Kuylen posing behind the bar…

We had jerk pork skewers with green mango chutney.  And my favorite dish on the menu…black recado and ground pork salbutes…with egg white with the meat and the yolk finely sprinkled on top.  It’s divine.

We had pork belly on a delicious mango salad with a deep fried ear.

I even managed a dessert because I just love it.  Coconut flan with a green papaya sauce that tastes almost like mincemeat.  Spiced so deliciously.

I barely made it home to bed.  OH MY.

I have lots more to report on.  The opening of the Swinging Armadillo and the Lucky Lobster, a new fitness club and more.

Lovely Hopkins.