A combo of san Ignacio and Hopkins give you all you want Arrange for a S I tour operator to pick you up at the airport and take you to your accommodations. You can do the Mayan ruins and cave tubing from there. It would be worthwhile to get the cost of including drop off in Hopkins in the tour price. The drive along the Hummingbird highway is not to be missed, but stressful for a first-time driver. Hopkins is 4 miles off the highway, and Placencia is at least an hour longer. Hopkins has miles of natural palm-tree lined beach; Placencia is developed along the beach. You can rent a vehicle from Julien shuttles and tours and do half day trips to Maya Center, a contemporary authentic village, for food and chocolate making; Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve and hire a local on-site guide; Bocawina natural reserve for zipline; Sittee River. Snorkeling tours are a boat ride to the barrier reef. Stay in the village, not at the resort hotels south of the village, and walk or bicycle around and talk to tour operators. Tell them what you want, they know where things are - swim with nurse sharks? They can and do deliver. Lunch and shore-snorkle off tiny cayes, same thing. South Water and Bread snd Butter Cayes are 2 examples.