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It's been years since I was in Belize. I was in Placencia. It was nice and relaxing. We took a small plane from Belize airport to somewhere outside Placencia then a long van ride from there to Placencia on very rutted roads. Sorry I'm not more help.
Never been to Hopkins. Only been to Belize once, and I went from Belize City to Orange Walk, which is north; Hopkins is south from the airport. (However, in order to get there, you'll first have to head north, then west, then south.)
The main road to the north, the Northern Highway, was nothing but a narrow two-lane road through the countryside. It was heavily trafficked by old school buses that serve as the country's main form of intercity transportation. Given that this is probably the most-used road in Belize, I would expect that the route from the airport to Hopkins wouldn't be of any better quality.
Belize struck me as being very Third World in terms of its development. But the people we encountered were very friendly, and I thought the food was delicious. You may have heard that Belize has a very high murder rate, but most of the crime is concentrated in the southern portion of Belize City. My recommendation would be to avoid Belize City altogether. Not to say that crime doesn't exist elsewhere in the country, but from what I understand, it's night-and-day different between Belize City and everywhere else.
The police (or maybe it was the army, I don't recall) will set up roadblocks on occasion and check the IDs of everyone coming through. I believe this is intended to catch drug runners or maybe illegal immigrants, I'm not sure. Since you will be present in the country legally, there should be no problem. Just show them your passport and (if they ask for it) your vehicle rental documents (if you'll be using a rental car) and you should be waved right on through.
The water there is gorgeous. At least, it was at Belize City; I can't imagine it wouldn't be just as nice in Hopkins.
If you get a chance, I would recommend visiting some Mayan ruins. But I've heard it's best to avoid the ones near the Guatemala border, due to crime issues there.
And finally, when are you planning on visiting? If you're going during hurricane season, especially during September and October, pay very close attention to any hurricane warnings. Belize has been hit several times, each time with significant damage and with loss of power for extended periods. (Hurricane Richard hit Belize less than two weeks after I was there. Glad I missed it!)
It's been years since I was in Belize. I was in Placencia. It was nice and relaxing. We took a small plane from Belize airport to somewhere outside Placencia then a long van ride from there to Placencia on very rutted roads. Sorry I'm not more help.
I never wanted to go to Belize until I heard Jerry Jeff Walker sing about it. Never made it.
I've been to San Ignacio, Orange Walk, Belize City, Caye Caulker and Amergis Caye. Belize City was dirty, I don't think I would go back. I enjoyed the rain forest and ruins outside of Orange Walk and San Ignacio. But my absolute, very favorite part of Belize was Caye Caulker.
When I went (which was 15+years ago, admittedly), Caye Caulker wasn't nearly as touristy as Caye Ambergis. Only one car on the entire island, and it belonged to a bar tender at one of the few bars on the island. There were restaurants were they grilled fresh fish that had been caught that day right on the beach. You didn't place an order, they just brought you a plate of the most amazing grilled fish, corn, etc.
The whole island was so relaxed and laid back. It was magical.
It may be more touristy now, but I would guess it's still pretty amazing.
Last edited by brentwoodgirl; 01-15-2017 at 09:39 PM..
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