The moment you arrive in Hopkins you know you’ve found it. You rumble down the dirt road, past the beach shacks and the palm trees, just ahead of the creek. 

Hopkins, set in the eastern middle of this spectacular country, is one of those beach towns you fall in love with instantly, one of those places you can’t imagine even exists anymore.

It’s a place of cold beers, uncrowded sand, friendly smiles and the sense that you’ve escaped the world, or somehow transcended it. 

And it’s also home to one of the country’s best-kept secrets: Seiri Del Mar. 

Whether you’re on the main drag, hanging at the Driftwood, or paddling to nearby Kalipuna Island, the is the sort of place you want to live while you’re here. 

And at this 18-unit residential resort, that’s exactly what you get: a luxurious, easy, comfortable beachfront resort with huge rooms, direct access to the access to the sand and one of the best restaurants in Belize.

This is a place where you get right into the rhythm of Hopkins. You take a short stroll, find your palapa and immerse yourself in the energy of the western Caribbean. Or you decide on a jaunt to town, for some Garifuna flavors or fresh-caught fish. 

And I should really mention the Embers restaurants. It’s that good — with a legitimately spectacular setting right on the beach — like right on the beach — and a creative menu that effortlessly pulls off the marriage of Mediterranean and Belizean food — including some of the best snapper I’ve ever had.

Or you can explore the wonders of the Stann Creek district of Belize: the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the region’s only jaguar preserve; or the legendary Marie Sharp hot sauce factory (I dare you to get through the multi-sauce tasting). 

If you’re a little more adventurous, you can take a day and head down to explore the beachy fun of Placencia. 

And no matter where you’re jaunting, you come back to Seiri Del Mar and the world turns off again, just you and the enviable, rarefied serenity that Belize does better than just about anybody else. 

I remarked the first night I stayed here that this was like looking back from the other side of the Corona commercial — a palm tree lit up for a festive evening in a dreamy part of the Caribbean. 

In the local Garifuna language, “Seiri” means heaven. Heaven on the sea. 

And you’ve found it. 

The best part? Rooms at Seiri Del Mar start at just $228 per night right now, according to Google Hotels.