Bill Finley

Review of Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Re...

Our Second Trip Planning Our Third

Our Second Trip Planning Our Third

We returned to Hamanasi for our second trip in a year. Once again, Hamanasi set the high bar for customer service. We stayed in a Beach Room on the second floor. We left the windows open and let the cool ocean breezes and the sound of the waves soothe us to sleep and accompanied our awaking. The service was top notch. The adventures were fantastic. We dove 3 days and enjoyed it immensely. The dive crew was great. We toured the ATM cave and went tropical birding. We also enjoyed the Bioluminescence tour in the Alexander Lagoon. That was truly magical. The guides are very engaging and the options for adventures are vast. The food choices are varied and fantastic. They have vegetarian and vegan options and always fresh seafood. June through December lobster is in season. The staff are out of this world friendly and engaging. I can't say enough positive things about Hamanasi. In fact, we are planning to return. There was always a hammock available. The place was fully booked, but did not feel full. The staff will know you by name very quickly.

Before you go, keep in mind a few things. First, the resort is fairly remote. It takes a while to get there. There is not much in the way of night life. There are no clubs. The town shuts down early. Folks are mostly early to bed and early to rise. Bring some books to read. There is only 1 TV on the property and Wi-Fi is only available at the big house if you must connect. I have Sprint and I had reasonable connectivity. Second, you are in the tropics, there are bugs. Be prepared. When the wind dies, there are sand flies. They are not fun to deal with. Third, there is a sargassum seaweed problem in the Caribbean. This goes for Hamanasi and Hopkins. The beach is not great for swimming, snorkeling, etc, although there are sea kayaks and paddle boards at the beach. You do need to travel for the adventures to the reef and the jungle. Some of them take a while to travel to. Fourth, Hamanasi does not control the weather. Sometimes the wind and weather prevent the boat from going to the reef. Fourth, although family friendly, there are not a lot of activities for small children. Be prepared to entertain them yourself and to control them. Most folks stay at Hamanasi to relax and enjoy life. Loud children at the pool generally generate complaints from other guests. Fifth, it is an inclusive fee, but there are some things that are not included. This includes alcohol, soda and drinks from the espresso bar. There are also some adventures that are available, but are not included in the reef and jungle package tour. These cost extra. It is very well explained on the web site.

Hamanasi, Hopkins and Belize are wonderful places to visit, but they are not for everyone. Know before you go. We are going again, and I suspect this may become a regular destination for us.