Tricia's place was absolutely wonderful - exactly as advertised. We did not need the AC in January - the sea breezes were wonderful and I loved waking up to the local roosters crowing and birds chirping. The beach is meticulously maintained by Tricia and Doug, and the space was perfect for our family of four, including our grown sons. Tricia was very responsive to any questions we had as well as providing spot-on recommendations for local tours/activities. As for Hopkins, at Tricia's you are living in a community, some of it beset by abject poverty, and so one needs to be prepared for this. We found the local people to be gracious and kind, and really enjoyed learning about Belize and the local Garifuna culture, and living amongst the people.