From family resorts to boutique charmers: Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort ranks 17th among the highest-rated stays around the world. Not to mention, taking home the highly coveted #1 top spot in Belize for service. In order to compile their report, Tripadvisor analyzed millions of reviews, and the ones selected across all categories are the hotels that people raved about most throughout 2020. With all 2,576 reviews being 5-stars, it’s hard to imagine Hamanasi wouldn’t make the cut; the premier resort south of Hopkins, Hamanasi (Garifuna for ‘almond tree’) combines the amenities of a top-class dive resort with an array of inland tours and activities, all on a gorgeous 400ft private beachfront. Besides being Green Globe certified, Hamanasi is also one of the founding members of Regenerative Resorts.
No TV or phones to distract, unplug to reconnect at Hamanasi Resort.
About Hamanasi Resort
Inside the Deluxe Treehouse at Hamanasi
Nestled between the turquoise waters of the Caribbean and the lush Maya Mountains, Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort is a secluded, intimate resort in Central America. All of Hamanasi’s rooms and suites face the sea, except for the popular wood-floored tree houses, which hide among the coastal foliage behind the beach. This locally-run, exclusively-priced resort also has its own PADI dive facility; besides, divers have prime access to a spectacular underwater world home to whale sharks, eagle rays and manatees.
Seafood Curry from Singanga Restaurant, Hamanasi.
Have a mojito! Photo by Hamanasi Guest Dan Kelleghan.
A superb Caye Lime Pie from Singanga Restaurant, Hamanasi.
A twist on the Belizean onion soup: Escabeche. Photo via Singanga Restaurant at Hamanasi
Dining at Singanga Restaurant, whether indoors or on the veranda overlooking the sea, includes a menu rich in fresh seafood and international cuisine with a Caribbean twist.
“The service is really amazing. We thought they had all been sent to charm school. We’ve recommended this place to our friends and even our enemies.”
There is plenty of all-inclusive resorts and packages for those who don’t like to overthink it while on vacation, but none quite like Hamanasi Resort. Ecologically sensitive, adventure-loving travelers and those who love to snorkel tend to land here, a five-star PADI dive resort with a plethora of packages. Boasting a lovely freshwater infinity pool, super-fresh, not-too-greasy food, and staffers who know you by your first name within days, Hamanasi’s fans tend to become super fans—this Best of the Best award is a testament to that.
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- Hamanasi guest Lorenzo Ballarin dives with a nurse shark in Belize.
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- Still waters at Hamanasi Resort. Photo courtesy Hamanasi guest Emily Kaszton
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- Photo by Hamanasi Guest Austin Schmitt
The grounds are immaculate, the food is top-notch, and if you don’t mind a splurge, the deluxe “tree houses” on stilts boast knockout views. One reviewer recounts, “I have traveled all over the world for the past 30 years and have never experienced better service and attention to detail combined with a perfectly laid out, cozy, luxurious, eco property.” With Americans leading the resurgence of international air travel to the Caribbean; outbound U.S. passengers represent 85 percent of forward booking ticket sales in 2021 when compared to 61 percent in 2019, the CHTA revealed.
All images courtesy Hamanasi Resort.
