we stayed here 4 nights 1/23-1/26, 2007. We had originally planned to stay in the larger cabana in the back but asked to move to the lower cost rooms up front so we could have more breezes and better sea views and less noise from the rooster next door. I can't remember sleeping so much as we did. The sound of the waves and rocking on the hammocks really lowered the stress level. There are plenty of local eating places on the road right by the hotel that you can walk to. I would consider this to be more like rustic cabin camping than anything. The beds are basic foam with no box springs but honestly we
never had complaints. The rooms have fans and dorm style refrigerators which was nice for keeping drinks cold.

The rooms are not very big and the toilet and shower are partitioned so that the bathroom is more like a closet. The showers use the electric heater method..if you have never experienced this before it is hard to explain but the water was nice and hot. It is just heated through a heater at the shower head. Rooms were clean.

Any complaints would be about the noise from the neighbors - they have a lot of kids, the music was sometimes loud, there is a compressor that runs and more than anything the rooster crowing. I have chickens and kids and camping is nothing new but it is still worth noting. The noise level is much lower in the front rooms under the owners living space but you trade space for this but also pay less. The walls are very thin. They are solid wood boards but if you happen to have loud neighbors like we did the last night it really sucks. The rest of the time we had the place to ourselves and it was so quiet in our room. We slept more than I can remember on any vacation. We slept. we got up and did somthing, slept, ate, did something else, slept, read ... you see the pattern. We are normally super active so it was a nice unwind time. Not specific to the hotel but the area... you better plan on getting bitten by bugs, no seeums, mosquitoes etc. My wife barely got touched but I was devoured. Other people in the airport had similar experiences in other locations but it is worse at the beaches.

There were a lot of places I was glad we were not staying at in the area. Go eat at Iris, Inis, and the bread shop right up the road.
Food was really cheap in this area at the local places and you support the community too.

We stayed at Tipple Tree for a week in the En Suite room which consists of two rooms with their own bathrooms, fridges, coffee makers with a locking door adjoining them. One room had a nice enclosed toilet and sink just outside the back door and an outside shower which was actually great for rinsing off after a swim. The other had an inside bathroom that was also very clean and nice. The wood paneled rooms each had dishes, a table with chairs a double bed with another small bed that would be suitable for a child. Everything was very clean, and they kept up on the tidying everyday. Three rooms altogether share an amazingly relaxing front porch with hammocks that overlook the sandy beach, blue waters and luscious greenery. The is also a cabin for rent behind those rooms. Trish the owner of Tipple Tree (who lives upstairs) is very nice, and can offer lots of helpful advice on things to do if you get tired if just relaxing on the beach. The two rooms together were a great deal, and it should be kept in mind that this is a budget accomodation, but a fine one at that. Another superb benefit of this property is that Noel, who keeps his boats right next to Tipple Tree's beach, can take you out to the reef for amazing snorkeling, fishing or whatever you'd like and there are plenty of inland things to do nearby. Hopkins Village is a nice place to stay, there are several restaurants and a little nightlife at King Cassava's or the drumming center on the weekends, there's a few small grocery stores, and a few tiny shops that you can walk or ride bikes to. It should be remembered that Hopkins is a small village and does have more trash, mangy dogs, unfinished structures, and loose chickens than some places. Don't let this bother you instead enjoy the warm air, and warm friendly laid back way of life of the Garifuna people.