We spent the week at Villa Verano 3/12-3/16. We stayed in the Sea Grape which is the second floor of the 3 floor villa. We had 4 adults and 4 children( ages 9-11). Going into the week the one concern we had was the fact that we might be sharing a home with others. This is not an issue at Villa Verano. Each room and floor has its own access. The Villa is also very spacious.The pictures on the website are not emblishied one bit. This place is very nice and truly a wonderful place to stay. I will add that the staff could not have been more warm and attentive.
As far as dining and activities, Hopkins had a suprising number of wonderful places to eat despite it being a small village.We ate at Hamanasi, Barrcuda, Jaguar Reef and Chef Rob's which are all a short walk away. Chef Rob's is literally right next door which was very good and a convenient place to grab breakfast, dinner or even a drink from the bar.
The children loved getting coconuts and opening them up, swimming in the pool and sea as well simpy enjoying the natural areas around the Village. We went to Mama Noots and our families did the Jungle zip line epxerience. The drive was 30 minutes away and both adults and kids really enjoyed this. They staff was very safe and the food afterward was good. We went on a cruise down the Sittee River and saw Crocodiles, Iguanas and all sorts of wildlife. We arranged a day of fishing and snorkeling with all 8 of us. We snorkeled the reef and caught Snapper, Porgie and Yellowtail. Cheryl with the saff at Villa Verano cooked our fish and dinner that night and it was incredible. There were tons more activities to do that we never got around to doing including sailing on the villa's catermoran, going to Monkey River, Jaguar preserve or Mayan ruins.
I went fly fishing with Neil, the owner of the Villa who happened to be visting two days while we were there, and I caught my first permit on a fly. What an incredible day I will never forget. The owner of the Villa is very down to earth and its just nice to know that the owner seemed to relish in our enjoyment of his place. I also went on a guided bonefish and permit trip. We caught bonefish and had permit shots.
A few suggestions: bring plenty of cash as there are no Atm's or banks in Hopkins. If you want to explore Hopkins or visit other stores/eating establishments, I would recommend renting bikes or golf carts, especially with children. The golf cart rental place is a short walk from the Villa.
Hopkins is a small third world village that offers a wonderfully safe and hospitable carribean environment. Everyone we came in contact with was so nice. We highly recommend Villa Verano for couples or families wanting relaxation, activities, good food and incredible accomodations.