Wow! I will likely repeat much of what the visitors ahead of us said but we could not have had a better experience at Shallow Bay and Hopkins in general. We are a family of four with a 4 and 6 year old and we all had an awesome time. Everything is spot-on and just as outlined/pictured and a close distance to town. Rent a car and the drive there is perfect and makes getting around super easy. It's super easy to get around in Belize with only a few major roads-hard to make mistakes. The locals are awesome folks and our kids made friends quickly at the local pier and we did as well. The hammock at the house was great for lounging as well as the deck over the water. We did both frequently and enjoyed every moment. Restaurants in town are excellent and super low key. Just bring your shorts and flip-flops and you are set. You can even do a 4 mile loop run from the house that I really enjoyed down by the Marina. Highly suggest a day trip to one of the Cayes. Water is amazing when you get out toward the reef. We chartered a boat for a half day and our driver was awesome. My only suggestion is that if you are looking to simply walk out and swim this may not be your spot unless the sargassum is out of the area. Honestly it was everywhere not just Shallow Bay but we just stepped over it and jumped in at the beaches in town. The bugs were not that bad for any of us but they love some people and not others. Definitely bring some spray along.
Rita was awesome at responding quickly and answering questions and Janette is totally laid back and helpful. She stopped by once and was available if we needed anything. We will certainly be back to Shallow Bay to enjoy this amazing spot and to see all the wonderful folks we met. Fun times!