Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort - Belize
Let me walk you through a day at Hamanasi resort. I wake up in a treehouse. That had never happened before in my life. I put on my Hamanasi robe and step outside to look out at the jungle in the morning. As soon as I open the door the hum of the jungle life infiltrates the room and makes the fact that I’m actually here all too real. I walk past my treehouse hot tub and tell myself to remember to set a time later in the day to soak, perhaps after snorkeling. After getting dressed I follow the meandering stone path. Breakfast time! I enjoy petite jars of yogurt and fresh berries and then it’s almost time for my massage. They didn’t tell me it was going to be on the beach! I get there early and spend some time meditating until the masseuse arrives, then I undress and let the soft sounds of the ocean and the masseuse’s deft hands work their therapeutic magic. It’s so perfect I almost fall asleep, drifting off between thinking, feeling, and just getting to be. I’m in love with Belize.
Once I’m good and relaxed and grab a quick lunch it’s time for some adventure. This afternoon is a guided snorkeling tour and my first time in the Caribbean Sea. The water is calm and almost like a lake, only crystalline, warm, and home to schools of beautiful fish. My guides lead the way, pointing out various types of parrot fish, sting rays, turtles, and even a barracuda. It’s mesmerizing and I don’t know what to look at because I’m afraid I’ll miss something else. When it’s time to go we climb back aboard the boat and head back to the dock where we’re greeted by the bemused looks of a group of pelicans sitting listlessly on the water.
Just before dinner I take a guided tour of the garden where they grow much of the produce. There are rows of hoop lined raised beds. Each offers something new, this one the delicate shoots of lettuce just popping up, the next one a variety of spinach that grows on a vine. The surrounding trees offer papayas and plantains. Everything you can see is edible and sustainable. Even the compost is beautiful as thousands of tiny red worms go about their important and, unexpectedly, odorless work. The tour is capped off with a taste of fresh cut sugarcane, a sweet end representing all the hard work of the staff, nature, and the worms to make delicious fresh food on site.
Walking through the garden and seeing all the food in its various stages of growth has made me impossibly hungry. The chefs are an equal match to the freshness of their ingredients. I go for the pork chop, served with rice and black beans, cole slaw, and plantains. The cole slaw is light and fresh, the plantains wonderfully sweet to accent the pork. I suddenly remember my hot tub and let the staff know. When I finish dinner and climb the stairs to my treehouse, pampered but exhausted, the steam rising from the tub is a welcome sight. I slip in and not the different sounds of the jungle at night and can’t help but smile at the conclusion of a perfect day at Hamanasi.
What my friends had to say about Hamanasi!
“Hamanasi is the perfect blend of rainforest and beach. Somehow, you feel like you’re sleeping in the jungle surrounded by trees and monkeys...yet just a short walk down the path and you have an ocean view! The snorkeling and diving outings they offer are plentiful, and I felt like there was no shortage of adventures. The staff went to great efforts to remember our names (how do people do this? I’m always amazed when staff remembers my name out of all the people they see every day!), and I loved the afternoon happy hours on the porch. I managed to get stung by a jelly fish one evening when taking a dip in the ocean, and the hostess quickly saved me with some warm vinegar water. Maybe that’s how she remembered me, ha!”
“Hamanasi was AMAZING. The hospitality was unbeatable - everyone treated us like family. Happy hour is not to be missed each afternoon at the main lodge/welcome area. We stayed in a deluxe tree house and I’m now spoiled for life! The hot tub out on our deck was divine in the evenings after snorkeling and paddle-boarding all day.
I really appreciated how the staff encouraged us to apply sunscreen and even had a table full of sunscreen and bug spray on their front deck for all to use. Wifi is in the main buildings but not all over the resort/in the rooms. My phone had a tough time connecting really anywhere though (which honestly was kind of a nice break for me!). Hamanasi is also an eco resort - they do farm to table and are very big on composting and recycling!
Snorkeling was great - the Hamansi guides were so fun and knowledgeable. I found a huge lobster while free diving around the reef. So cool! I also loved that there are bikes for all guests to use to bike into town. Hopkins is small and quiet with some little shops along the road for your trinkets.”
