Breakfast at Hamanasi starts early, with fresh juice, warm breads and coffee, while the light comes up over the dock palapa and the first kayaks slide into the water. Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort sits on the beach just south of Hopkins village, between the Maya Mountains and the Caribbean. It pairs treehouse and beachfront rooms with dive boats, jungle hikes and a garden restaurant.
What is Hamanasi?
Hamanasi is an adventure and dive resort on Belize’s mainland coast, built around two kinds of outings: days on the barrier reef and days in the rainforest. It is a PADI 5-Star Resort, and it was the first beach resort in Belize to be Green Globe Certified. Its signature packages are called Reef & Rainforest, and they are flexible, shaped around your interests and the length of your stay, with any room type available.
Rooms and treehouses
The resort offers Deluxe Treehouse Rooms, Treehouse Rooms, Beachfront Suites, Beachfront Rooms and Beachfront Plus Rooms. The Deluxe Treehouse Rooms sit in the rainforest canopy, a secluded setting. Beachfront Rooms are just steps from the beach, and Beachfront Plus Rooms offer room to share and space to relax.
All rooms are spacious and casually elegant, cooled by air conditioning and ceiling fans, with WiFi and plenty of bottled water. There are no TVs or phones in any room type, so the evenings belong to the veranda, the book and the sound of the trees. The resort builds its treehouses among the trees instead of clearing them, which matters because coastal forest like this is one of the most threatened forest types in the world.
Packages and special occasions
The Reef & Rainforest Packages are the signature offer. The scheduled rainforest adventures are included in them, and so are the most popular barrier reef tours. Curated Packages are built around a specific interest and may come with a fixed length or limits on room type. Among them are the Belize Dive Explorer Package, the Extreme Adventure Package and the Hamanasi Birthday Package.
For romance, the resort offers a Honeymoon & Seaside Romance Package. Small destination weddings are covered by the Tropical Dreams Wedding Package, which requires separate accommodation. The reservation staff, based at the resort in Belize, help with booking requests 365 days a year.
Reef and rainforest days
On the water, half-day dive and snorkel trips head to a five-mile section of the Belize Barrier Reef, mostly within South Water Caye Marine Reserve. The most popular reef tours run daily, weather permitting, and Barrier Reef snorkeling is one of them.
Further afield, the resort hosts full-day dive trips to all three of Belize’s atolls. Lighthouse Reef Atoll and the Great Blue Hole, Glover’s Reef Atoll and Turneffe Islands Atoll are scheduled based on interest and need a minimum number of guests. If one is not in your package, it can be added for an additional charge.
Inland, the scheduled adventures include the Mayflower Jungle & Waterfall Hike, a visit to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve, a Cave & Jungle Adventure, Jungle River Canoeing, a Magical Mayan History Tour and a Jaguar Preserve Night Hike. Red Bank Birding is seasonal. More adventures are scheduled based on interest, again with a minimum number of guests.
Where is it?
Hamanasi is on the Caribbean coast of mainland Belize, in the Stann Creek region, on the beach south of Dangriga and north of Placencia. It lies about a mile south of Hopkins village, on a 45-acre stretch of beachfront property with a private nature preserve.
Hopkins and Sittee River
Hopkins is a Garifuna fishing village of about 1,500 people, less than a mile from the resort. It is the nearest village, and the place the resort’s staff turn to for a doctor in a medical emergency. If hospitalization is needed, they arrange transport to Medical Associates in Belize City.
Sittee River Village lies one mile inland from Hamanasi, along the banks of the Sittee River. Between the sea on one side and the Maya Mountains on the other, the resort looks both ways: sunrise comes over the water, and the hills stand behind the trees. Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and bicycles are available to guests for exploring the area around the resort.
Getting here from the airport
All international flights to Belize land at the Philip Goldson International Airport in Belize City (BZE). From there, the drive to Hamanasi takes about 2 hours. International travelers can schedule a Hamanasi van for the ground transfer.
The resort recommends that international flights arrive at BZE by 4pm so you can reach the resort the same day. Belize keeps Central Standard Time all year, like Chicago, with no daylight savings time, so in summer the clocks line up with Denver.
The sea in front of the resort
The resort has nearly 1,000 feet of beachfront. The water temperature at Hamanasi runs between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit year round. Offshore, manatees graze in the turtle grass, and Belize has the Caribbean’s largest manatee population.
Guests can watch the sunrise from the palapa at the end of the dock and the sunset from The Lookout on top of the Great House. The two viewpoints bracket the day, one facing the open water and the other the mountains and the sea together.
What is on site?
On site you find the Great House, a saltwater infinity pool, the beachfront, a dive shop, an organic edible garden and four eco zones: Beachfront, Littoral Forest, Pond and Savannah, plus gardens. The Beachfront zone holds all the Beachfront Rooms, the Great House, the pool, hammocks, lounge chairs, the dock palapa and The Lookout.
The Great House and the beach
The Great House contains the lobby, reception, gift shop, restaurant, library and bar. Climb to the Lookout on its roof for panoramic views of the Caribbean and the Maya Mountains.
Beach chairs, hammocks and beach towels are provided to guests. Kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and bicycles are free to use. Only reef safe sunscreens are allowed on the property and during all tours, and when diving or snorkeling from the resort, guests must never touch plant and animal life. Guests are also told not to take souvenirs from nature or archeological sites.
Eating and drinking
Room rates include a Continental breakfast with sweet and savory breads, fruit, eggs, locally made yogurts, granola, fresh juice, coffee and hot tea. Meals follow set hours, shown in the table.
| Meal | Served |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | 6:00 to 9:30 am |
| Lunch | 11:30 am to 2:30 pm |
| Dinner | 6:00 to 9:00 pm |
| Happy hour | Daily, 4 to 6 pm |
Happy hour comes with puzzles and games. Every Thursday night offers a culinary journey through Belizean cultures with live music. The kitchen can cater to vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and lactose intolerant diets and other special requests if guests inform the resort. Romantic poolside and beach dinners, or service on your private veranda, can also be requested. Guests are welcome to tour the organic edible garden.
The Littoral Forest and its wildlife
The Littoral Forest is the heart of the nature preserve. Salt-tolerant trees such as Sea-grape, Satin-leaf, Trumpet, Red Gumbo-limbo, Mahogany and Coconut grow here, along with wild Cashew, Mango and Guava. Orchids and bromeliads cling to the branches, including the Black Orchid, the national flower of Belize.
Chachalacas, Red Lored Parrots, owls, agoutis, gibnuts and frogs live in these trees, with the occasional snake. Once a week, a green hour lets guests learn about the Green Team’s activities. Through Pack for a Purpose, guests can bring backpacks and school supplies for children in Hopkins and nearby villages, medical supplies for the Hopkins clinic and pet supplies for the Hopkins Belize Humane Society.
The dive shop
Hamanasi Dive Shop is a PADI 5 star operation with modern equipment and a wide range of dive education courses. Trips include Barrier Reef Diving, Lighthouse Reef Atoll & Great Blue Hole, Glover’s Reef Atoll, The Ultimate Reef Adventure, Turneffe Islands Atoll, a Barrier Reef Night Dive and a Lionfish Spearfishing Adventure. Sites also include the Elbow and Half Moon Caye.
| Rental or service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Mask, snorkel and fins | US$15 per day |
| Regulator with dive computer | US$20 per day |
| 3mm wetsuit (short or long) | US$15 per day |
| Nitrox fill, prior Enriched Air certification | US$15 per tank |
| Nitrox fill, certified through Hamanasi | US$10 per tank |
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.
Hamanasi accepts Belize or US Dollars and MasterCard, Visa and American Express, with a 2% surcharge on American Express payments. It does not accept checks in Belize. Most rates include a service charge, but bar service and meals not included in packages do not include gratuity, and tipping in Belize is customary at 10 to 20 percent.
A passport is required for all foreign nationals, and U.S. citizens do not need a visa. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
Sources
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, the resort (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-resort/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, location (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-resort/location/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, dining (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-resort/dining/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, grounds (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-resort/grounds-information/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, rooms (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-hotel/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, all-inclusive packages (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-all-inclusive-packages/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, FAQ (https://www.hamanasi.com/faq/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, diving (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-diving/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, rainforest adventures (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-rainforest-adventures/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, reef adventures (https://www.hamanasi.com/belize-reef-adventures/), checked October 11, 2026
- Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort, sustainability (https://www.hamanasi.com/sustainability/), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Advisory, Level 2, March 11, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 11, 2026
To plan your stay
- Belize Adults-Only Resorts: Thatch Caye, Matachica, Cayo Espanto and Where to Find Them
- Belize All-Inclusive Resorts: Thatch Caye, Hamanasi, What's Included and Where They Are
- Belize Beach Resorts: Ambergris Caye, Placencia, Hopkins and Private Islands
- Best Resorts in Belize: Beach, Island and Rainforest Stays Compared