A Horror in Hopkins/Avoid the Kismet Inn
Trip Start
Mar 05, 2007
1
4
10
Trip End
May 22, 2007
Hopkins,
Belize
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The mural in Hopkins
Moments after we got off the bus in Hopkins, Brad, Lisa, Carrie and I were greeted by Brian, a super-friendly local who was talking to us about how cool and fun his town was. He continued to escort us to the Kismet Inn, where we heard we could rent a mini-condo with common area, two bedrooms and a kitchen. On the way we encountered Dorothy, who ran the drumming circle place we wanted to visit. She warned us not to go to the Kismet Inn, telling us, "I can't tell you how many people have gone there and walked back the next morning with their backpacks basically fleeing Hopkins." To this Carrie replied, "don't worry...we promise that won't be us. One of the main things I want to do in Belize is take drumming lessons from you." And with that we headed to the Kismet Inn where we found exactly what we were looking for and checked in. Shortly after, we learned that there were many little problems with the house including no hot water, mosquito nets that didn't cover the bed, overpriced and not tasty dinners that we agreed to in a moment of severe hunger, and a sketchy Rasta named Elvis who was Trish (the owner)'s lover/cook/employee. Later, while wandering around Hopkins we ran into
Out back at the Kismet Inn
Brian again who told us he was not happy because Trish had "dissed him" by not paying him his $5 finders fee. She claimed that because we had heard of the place before that he did not "find us" and got no money. Therefore, he decided to corner us on the street and ask for money. Rather than give it to him, Carrie made him realize that his problem was with Trish, not with us. We all returned to the Kismet Inn where he basically fought with her and tried to get Elvis on his side until she gave in and paid him. Dinner was another interesting experience, as the supposedly "freshly caught seafood dinner" was obviously frozen for days, my shrimp had fallen on the floor during preparation, Brad got the wrong dish with no apology or explanation, and Elvis, who was eating with us, drank half of Lisa's beer. Despite all this, we still agreed to go with Elvis, who was a member of the drumming circle, to check out their nightly performance. We were shocked when we came in the back enterance and he told us that it was $25 per person. There was no way that was true, but I guess after the Brian incident and due to the fact we were white and therefore must be rich, he basically made it so we could not go in without paying. We later learned that there was actually no entry fee.
We left Hopkins on the first ride we could
Other drama that night included Brian basically following us around and deciding that I was now his best friend. He continued to complain how "Trish dissed me" and that he still wanted more money from us. Finally, after feeling uncomfortable and unsafe enough for one night we returned to the Kismet Inn to pass out. Our sleep was short lived, as in the middle of the night we heard Elvis return with some other locals, all loud and quite drunk. As our door had no lock on it, all four of us basically laid in bed half-expecting them to come bust in and rob us or worse. Needless to say that didn't happen, but sure enough we were the people walking down the road the next morning with our backpacks vowing to never return to Hopkins.View more photos and read more stories at Adventures of a GoodMan
Comments
Kismet Inn was wonderful
I don't doubt any of the facts in your story, but your perspective is wholely flawed and I really wish you hadn't condemned the Kismet in your headline. It's unfair to someone who is working really hard to make a living there.
I stayed at the Kismet and it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. The Inn is funky, Trish and Elvis are characters and if you're a snob, don't go there.
Maybe you haven't spent much time traveling in third-world countries if you are unfamiliar with the fact that hot water is a LUXURY in a lot of places. The entire time I traveled through Guatemala, we never had hot water. And who needs it in that balmy weather, anyway?
Begging, panhandling, that's an acceptable way for people to make money there, as in all third world countries. If you don't like it, do go there. And of course people are going to bad-mouth her, because they want you to stay with them and spend your money on them instead of her.
The Kismet is not luxury, it's down-home, funky and at the end of the road, so the beautiful beach is quiet and adjacent to a beautiful lagoon. Trish and Elvis took me out for canoe rides every day. She bicycled around Hopkins with me showing me the sights. She walked with me back to the grocer who ripped me off on a bottle of wine and demanded that he give me my money back. I sat for hours in her kitchen listening to stories, meeting fascinating people and eating the best bread I've ever had in my life. Elvis brings in fresh fish from the lagoon every day, so I don't understand why you think the fish was frozen. They even had good coffee, which is a rarity there. Trish took in some travelers who had their rental car stolen and helped them with room and food until they could make other arrangements.
This is the kind of place for people who enjoy adventure and meeting interesting people when they travel as opposed to the same-old-same-old. It's not for rigid snobs who forget that they are in a third world country and expect everything to be shiny and pretty and perfect. When I go back, I will be staying there, no question. An unforgettable experience.
A cautionary tale.....
I understand where both the Author and the last comment are coming from, despite their reviews being very different.
I live and work in Belize - a DEVELOPING country, not a third world country- and have done for quite some time. Having travelled the country extensively, I know what to expect. You are right - do not expect hot water in many places you stay in Belize. It costs to heat the water and trust me, electricity is expensive here. You certainly should not expect hot water for BZ$27.50 per night. However, you should expect running water!! We did not have this at Kismet.
Upon arrival, we were expecting rustic, which we got. We were also treated very well by Tricia, who offered food etc.I have to say, I was far from impressed with the food. We were charged BZ$9 for a very small bowl of fruit, which is inexpensive to make, good bread, and average coffee (out of a cup with more chips than i have ever seen on any other.) What really bothered me was that there was no water to wash the dishes in, resulting in Elvis washing the dishes the dogs ate from in a sink of water, and then washin up our plates. It really turned my stomach.
My friend then asked where the shower was - by this time we were desperate to have water. We had not been able to flush the toilet from the night before, or wash our hands or brush our teeth. Eventually Tricia relented and showed us the shower. We made do with a trickle of water, enought to bathe really quickly and brush our teeth. Tricia had pretty much terrified us with stories of low water that we did not want to use much as we still had another 3 nights to go!
After asking many questions, Tricia 'perusaded' Elvis to fix the pump, which was what was causing the problem with the water - nothing to do with her not paying her water bill! Even though the pump had been repaired, it remained switched off. Every time we wanted to flush the toilet or wash our hands, we had to walk into the kitchen to turn the pump on. Now we were being actively deprived of water.And of course as the kitchen is locked up at night, we couldn't switch the pump on!
The final straw was the way Tricia spoke with a member of our group. Someone who had also been working in Belize and has a good grasp of what goes on here, more so than Tricia does! She was patronising and condescending, and down right rude. We planned to find alternative accommodation the following day as a result. Tricia was, at times, very pleasant, even when we announced we were leaving early. However, she failed to grasp simple things, like privacy. After walking into our room without even knocking, she then tried to join me in the shower.
Of course the other people who own hotels in Hopkins want you to stay with them, but the Kismet is not competition for them, in any way. We found a really nice, clean and comfortable room, with running water, at Seagulls Nest for even less than what we paid at Kismet. The owner was lovely and extremely helpful, and did not 'diss' the Kismet, but he did mention that this happens often. If you want luxuary, go to Hopkins Bay or one of the other resorts. But if you want a clean bed to sleep in and running water, stay at the Seagulls nest.
Re: Kismet Inn was wonderful
I'm so sad after reading this post! I just stayed with Tricia less than 2 weeks ago and had a very nice time. She was a great host and made us (2 single traveling females) feel at home. Elvis is not in her life anymore...due to his drinking problems, apparently. But I never felt unsafe on the premises...not for a second! She is a CHARACTER but a really good person who cares about her Inn and her guests very much. The inn is beautifully landscaped and secluded with artsy details anywhere the eye lands. We mentioned snorkeling during an early breakfast (with home-made bread and home-made mango jam!) and in a second she was calling around to get someone to take us out to the reef. When her calling didn't produce any results she jumped on her bike and off she went to town searching! After a little bit of waiting we were off snorkeling and then fishing...we caught so many fish it was amazing. And on the way there and back there was lots of time to talk so we found out a lot about Tricia's crazy and exciting life. Later that night she cooked and we all enjoyed freshly caught fish and Belikin. The whole day was A+++. No hot water? Seriously, who cares? It's 80 degrees on a normal day! It's unfortunate about the drumming center and the cover charge but you are always free to walk away when you are feeling uncomfortable. There really isn't that much to do in Hopkins itself...you basically only go to walk around town and relax on the beach. There are 1 or 2 resorts available if you want to stay away from the real town...but where's the fun in that? I'll definitely go back to Hopkins but only stay for one night and not 2...and I wouldn't stay with anyone other than Tricia.
kismet Inn
Hopkins is a nice City and nice people but Kismet is
another story after checking and had our first meal
which it was nasty food we biked around the town and
found another place and left the kismet.
Trish was a mess and i should have known by just looking at her .
Kismet Inn
Hopkins is very nice place and kind people.
Kismet is just a messy place... we heard the she was a five star cook and we asked her to make our lunch and i have no Idea what was the in my dish??
it was Nasty . we rode our bike and found another place and left.we should have known just by looking at her... no bra her boobs were falling down here stomack and very smelly and messy women..
Re: Kismet Inn
We stayed at Kismet Inn February 25, 2009 and it truly was a HORROR! A lack of proper screens gave way to a FEAST for the MOSQUITOS! There were holes in the floor and walls and the screen door would not close because it was warped. The pillows on the bed were lumpy and smelly. They stunk! The outdoor 'shower' consisted of three walls of bamboo against the outside of the house. The gaps between the bamboo poles were so big that we could have made some money charging for a PEEP SHOW! I know I was spider-bitten that night. The website promised breakfast, free bicycles, and free internet. The bicycles and internet did not exist. The breakfast which consisted of just a slice of sweet bread covered with slices of banana and three slices of orange, was intended by Trish to be shared among the three people in my family. She did offer to cook eggs for us at the rate of FOUR Dollars per egg. Other guests left early the next morning, and she really did have bad body odor. It is sad but true. My family and I were turned off by Belize because of Kismet Inn. We were trying to reschedule our flight plans because of this. Trish asked us if we wanted her to call her TAXI driver for us. She called him Earl the Pearl. She also called her cook Earl the Pearl. He drove us four miles down the road to the highway to the bus stop.What a nightmare!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you.
Re: A cautionary tale.....
Exactly how much did Trish pay you to write this crap?
Re: Re: Kismet Inn
I certainly didn't intend to ask you how much Trish is paying you! Please forgive my computer. It jumped down to yours somehow.
Re: Re: Kismet Inn has the best bread
If you are considering going to Kismet Inn in Belize, please realize that the following comment was made several years ago. Evidently, something has happened to Trish and the Kismet Inn. None of the things promised on her website panned out. There was no internet, no free bicycles, and the sweet bread mentioned on several of these comments turned out to be one piece with a few slices of banana and oranges and some syrupy stuff poured over it. This was supposed to be share by three people in our family. See the comment posted on March 14, 2009. I don't know if things were just better in 2007 or if the writer of this comment was stoned out of her head, but things have changed for the worse now. Don't stay at Kismet Inn in Hopkins, Belize!!!!
Experience the Mother of All Horrors at Kismet Inn
We stayed at Kismet Inn, Hopkins, Belize, on February 25, 2009. This one night stay totally changed our outlook on Belize, and we ended up trying to change our travel plans. We looked Kismet Inn up on the internet and the website promised free breakfast, free internet, and free bicycles. The internet and bicycles did not even exist and the breakfast turned out to be one slice of bread with mango jam and a few slices of banana and orange. This was not for one person. The three people in my family were supposed to share it. The room was atroc ious. There were no screens on the windows and the mosquitos had a feast. The screen door was warped and would not shut properly. There were holes in the walls and floor. The pillows were dirty and lumpy and absolutely stunk. I know I was spider-bitten during the night. The outdoor 'shower' was really just three sides of bamboo poles up against the side of the house. The poles were so far apart that you could see the person inside. We could have made some money charging for a peep show. The owner, Trish, tried to feel my husband's leg, if you know what I mean. We are not snobby and we have traveled extensively in Mexico, Guatemala, etc. We are accustomed to 'roughing it'. But we expect advertising to be truthful and Kismet Inn is falsely advertising. We were really looking forward to this trip to Belize, but, sad to say, Kismet Inn left a negative impact on our memories and our opinions of this country.
Kismet 'Inn': Wouldn't Go Back If It Was Free
The BTB (Belizean Tourism Board) has SHUT Kismet DOWN, and with good reason. Now she found a loophole calling it 'apartments'. Oh joy.
I could blather on about amazing tribulations while staying there, but the place was dirty & stinky, not as promised, and we found ourselves hiding in our basement room to avoid Trish's rantings & crazy guests. I suppose I could see a strung-out hippie enjoying themselves :)
We wanted an 'interesting' environment, but got more than what we bargained for. Shabby-Chic is one thing, this was just gross physically & emotionally.
Elvis was pretty cool, tho...
Kismet was a magicalnmystery tour
Kismet was a magicalnmystery tour
Re: Kismet was a magicalnmystery tour
You know what they say about opinions...I had a great stay at Kismet and found Trisha to be a beautiful person and a great host. The charm of this place isn't main stream but the people drawn there as myself aren't looking for resort main stream. The food is amazing and the rooms are clean and artsy. I'm on the planet to raise my consciousness and those around me. I am a firm believer in the old saying 'If you don't have something nice to say don't say it' Many Blessings and Namaste
Re: Re: Kismet was a magicalnmystery tour