Post by Lauren; Photos by Dusty
In June of 2017, we traveled to Belize. We picked Belize for the great diving. Dusty found a small resort a bit off the beaten path in Hopkins – Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort. All inclusive resorts are not normally our thing. But Hamanasi was spectacular. They offered private treehouses, an on premises PADI dive center, excellent day trips, and a romance package to boot.
We flew into Belize City on a Friday afternoon and had a short domestic flight over to Dangriga, followed by a short drive the rest of the way to Hopkins. We then went to the gate to check-in with the domestic airline, Maya Island. Imagine our surprise when we received handwritten paper slips as our boarding pass!
I’ve complained about taking small regional planes in the United States before. But this was next level. The small plane carried about 10 passengers. The airline moved the passengers around to balance weight on the plane. Dusty got to sit right behind the pilot and had an eagle eye view of everything. It was a little unnerving, but the views of the coastline from the small plane were more than worth it. It wasn’t difficult to find our driver at the airport in Dangriga either!
Hamanasi = Paradise
We arrived at Hamanasi and checked out our treehouse set back away from the main buildings. A bottle of champagne was waiting. Just so you know, staying in a private treehouse is just as cool as it sounds. Plus no tv, phone or wifi.
We threw on our bathing suits and headed to the beach. There were paddle boards available and we decided to try them out. But, the waves were a little choppy, which probably explained why no one else was using them! We wiped out too many times to count, but had a great time. Without a doubt, people were wondering what was wrong with us!
I cannot say enough about the food! Since it’s a small resort, there was one main restaurant. But, there were plenty of choices for entrees, sides and best of all desserts! The standout was the chocolate brownie with ice cream. Dusty and I still dream about that brownie!
Diving & Snorkeling
We started out with a reef dive on our first full day there. We conveniently left from the resort’s dock. The divemasters are experienced and so much fun. The water was so blue and the reefs were easily accessible. The only downside was the rough waters. They made for slightly rough boat rides and rough waves getting into and out of the water. This was a little bit unnerving for a novice diver like me. But once we got underwater, the reef, fish and other aquatic life were beautiful.
The next day we went snorkeling. Because we were at a small resort and away from the main tourist areas, we snorkeled with a handful of others staying at our resort. Even snorkeling, we were able to see the reef, fish, and manta rays. Belize is the perfect destination for snorkelers and divers alike.
A Surprise!
That Monday, we scheduled the Mayflower Waterfall and Jungle Hike. We decided to get up a little bit ahead of schedule and watch the sunrise over the water from the resort’s dock. I threw on a dress and Dusty grabbed a camera and we hustled to the dock. I sat in a chair, watching the sunrise which turned out to be not very spectacular (it was a cloudy morning). A guy in a Mississippi State t-shirt wandered over and struck up a conversation with us. He had heard that there was another couple here from Mississippi and we commented on the coincidence. Dusty seemed irritated at the guy’s presence. Little did I know, the guy almost interrupted his proposal!
Dusty was fiddling with his camera and bag. I wasn’t paying him any attention and all of a sudden he was on one knee in front of my chair. He had a ring and asked me to marry him! Well, I guess he asked me to marry him. As soon as I realized what was happening, I floated right out of my body. Apparently I started crying, got out of my chair and sat on Dusty’s knee! To this day, I have no idea what he said. And Dusty still refuses to tell me!
A little bit of backstory – it probably doesn’t sound that surprising that Dusty proposed in Belize. I mean, he booked the romance package, duh Lauren. Dusty was adamant that he wanted to wait until after Match Day to get engaged or married. Match Day wasn’t until March of 2018, and here we were in June of 2017. And to make our proposal even more unlikely, my brother proposed to his girlfriend on that Saturday (just two days before). So, when Dusty got down one knee at sunrise on a Monday morning, I was taken completely off guard.
Jungles & Waterfalls
We went on the waterfall and jungle hike as planned. It was just us, another couple and the guide. The hike through the jungle was pretty strenuous. But it was all worth it to see the 1,000 ft. waterfall and views of the rain forest. We continued on and there were a few small falls with a pool to swim in. Our guide was super knowledgeable pointing out the leafcutter ants and letting us taste cohune nuts.
We did not schedule any activities for Tuesday and spent our day relaxing by the pool and in hammocks on the beach. You have not lived until you’ve napped in a hammock on a private Belizean beach! That afternoon, we enjoyed a couples massage on the beach and a private dinner, also on the beach. Unfortunately, it started raining during our dinner but we quickly moved everything inside. It was a true day of rest and relaxation.
Diver’s Bliss
Next up, a full day of diving! First we dove the Elbow at Turneffe Islands Atoll. Second was Half Moon Caye Wall close to Lighthouse Reef Atoll where we saw several sea turtles and swam with reef sharks! The third dive was “The Aquarium” named for the sheer number of fish. Our day of diving was incredible. The only negative was that we were unable to dive the Blue Hole. It’s a long boat ride away from Hamanasi and they require several people to sign up for the dive to make the trip. Unfortunately we never got enough numbers to go, but the divemasters said that we experienced the better Belizean dives.
Caving and the Other Blue Hole
The next day we visited the St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park and St. Herman’s cave. We went a mile down into the cave which was full of stalactites, stalagmites and ancient Mayan pottery shards. The highlight came when he told everyone to turn off their headlamps and imagine what it was like for the ancient Mayans to journey into the cave. It was so dark we could not see our own hands in front of our faces.
After the cave hike, we went to the St. Herman’s Blue Hole which is a 300-foot wide sinkhole at the bottom of which is a 25 foot deep cenote. The water is crystal clear and cool. Our guide was a renegade and showed us how to swim through an underwater tunnel (not that I was brave enough to do that). It was a really great trip.
Mayan Ruins
On our final day trip, we visited two Mayan ancient ruins Xunantunich and Cahal Pech. We left from the resort and Dusty and I were the only participants with our guide, Hartfield. Hartfield is of Mayan ancestry and had an extra dry sense of humor. Needless to say, we loved him.
Xunantunich is near the Guatamelan border and was a good distance away by car. To access the site, we crossed the Belize River via a hand-cranked ferry. When we arrived, a bus had missed the ferry and was dangling into the water. So we parked and watched the show. Creatively, they used a backhoe and a frontloader to lift the front end up and pull backwards.
We were blown away by the sheer size of the ruins. The site consisted of several buildings on a limestome ridge. The main pyramid, El Castillo, is 130 feet tall and features intricate stucco friezes. We were able to climb to the top of the structure and enjoy great views of the Cayo District from above.
Next we visited Cahal Pech located near the town of San Ignacio. Cahal Pech served as a home for elite or royal Mayan families. The ruins are some of the oldest in Belize, founded around 1000 BCE. The site is huge and includes several plazas, ball courts, alters and temple pyramids.
On each of the day trips, Hamanasi provided delicious Belizean lunches which consisted of the most delicious rice, beans and chicken with fresh fruit and cookies. They also served the best juice we’ve ever had called “squash”. We looked and unfortunately squash is not shipped internationally. It’s worth going back just for the Belizean lunch and some fruit punch squash!
Obviously we had a wonderful time in Belize. It was the perfect summer vacation and Hamanasi exceeded our expectations by a mile. We headed back to Mississippi relaxed, tan, and with our entire wedding planned. What an un-BELIZable trip!
Bonus – enjoy the video Dusty put together highlighting our trip!