White Orchid Villa sits right on the bank of the Sittee river, just a few minutes drive from the town of Hopkins (which is on the coast of Belize). I will break my review up into four sections: directions/communication, check-in/first impressions, stay/amenities, and checkout.
directions/communications: Rupa emailed us a couple of weeks before our trip with directions *so* precise that it was impossible for us to miss the place. And it was a good thing, as we ended up arriving at night (around 8:30pm), and the impeccable directions ensured that we hit every proper turn and knew exactly what to look for. Once we arrived, I put the printed out email from Rupa on the coffee table. Anytime anyone in my party had a question about something, I just told them, "read the email... it's in there."
check-in/first impressions: The pictures don't do this place justice. IT IS GORGEOUS. As we were driving down the unpaved road in the dark, we were a little uncertain, but as we pulled up to the property, all doubts vanished. Peter came to the gate immediately, introduced himself, and warmly welcomed us. He promptly tied the dogs up when I mentioned that my daughter was a little skiddish around them. He gave me two keys, explained how to enter and exit, and left us to get settled. When we walked in, I was immediately struck by how clean and spacious the villa was. The open floor plan really works for a larger party like ours (four adults and two kids). The view overlooking the river from the balcony deck is breathtaking, especially on a clear night at dusk. In short, we were all blown away.
stay/amenities: This was my first airbnb adventure, so I seriously had no idea what to expect. We had stopped at a supermarket in Belize City before we started our drive to get food to cook, drinks, etc. Everything else we needed was provided in the fully stocked kitchen. Even down to things like cooking oil, coffee pot, cutting boards... Everything was there. There were plenty of linens, pillows, towels and wash cloths. Most of Belize uses an electric system to provide hot water. This place was no different and the system worked reliably. You just need to remember to turn it on slowly and be patient with it. Hot showers were not a problem. The balcony was my first destination, but it turns out that sand flies are a scourge in Hopkins around this time of year. If your body doesn't have defenses against the bites, I recommend covering up or using the screened porch until you acclimate. Mosquito repellent was not particularly helpful. Thankfully there *is* a screened porch, and I enjoyed sitting in it and reading every evening. There's a TV, but honestly we never turned it on (who goes on vacation to watch TV???). During our stay we spent time cooking, reading, chatting, fishing and doing some traveling to and from Hopkins and Dangriga. After one day, my daughter started to refer to the villa as home ;-)
check-out: Super easy. Peter was on-hand as we finished cleaning up and loading our van. Rupa emailed me about my stay a few days later to make sure everything went well. White Orchid Villa was perfect and we plan on returning when our travels bring us back to the Hopkins area.