The perfect vacation is different for everyone. For some, relaxing in a heated pool post spa treatment is the height of luxury. For others, an action packed trek through archeological digs and spelunking through natural caves seals the deal. For most, poolside cocktails and the best local cuisine around is a nonnegotiable. With travel still in flux, many people are rushing to make the most out of every trip. Blancaneaux Lodge and Turtle Inn, set on opposite corners of the Central American country of Belize, offer all of the above and then some.
Both Turtle Inn and Blancaneaux Lodge boast waterfront cottages, hydro-electric powered features and organic gardens. Both properties operate under the Family Coppola Hideaways umbrella straddling the country from the mountains to the seaside. What Turtle Inn has in beach front dining, Blancaneaux Lodge has in lush tranquility with a sprawling 70-acres dotted with villas on the former family retreat.
Spoiler alert: Blancaneaux Lodge happens to be Francis Ford Coppola’s personal favorite.
Both location allow for easy access to Mayan ruins, horseback rides to towering waterfalls and the longest zip-line in Central America. Yet, Blancaneaux is the only one surrounded by the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. The largest and oldest protected area in Belize, the pristine 300-square miles of pine forest and acts as a natural maintenance of the reserve and indigenous animals like macaws and panthers, are plentiful.
Evenings at Blancaneaux are spent relaxing at the outdoor spa, swimming in the heated Waterfall pool and various on-site dinner spots that pay homage to the Coppola’s Italian roots and nearby Guatemalen neighbors. The cottages come stocked with cans of Sophia sparkling and a full wine list is available at every meal while the Godfather theme song occasionally filters out over speakers at the outdoor pool. The Privassion Creek that runs through Blancaneaux Lodge supplies the entire property with part of its renewable power and any excess generated goes to heat the hot pool at the Waterfall Spa.
Belize's food culture is a true amalgamation representing the people from all over the world. Both properties feature organic gardens that supply a portion of the fresh produce used in the on-site restaurants, reducing their carbon footprint. The garden at Blancaneaux provides most of the citrus, herbs and veggies for the lodge. While free range eggs come from the on-site hen house and are served at breakfast daily as long as natural predator, panthers, don't get them first.
Francis and Eleanor Coppola “see their role as that of a conservator, preserving the pristine natural environment. They strongly support Belize’s commitment to ecotourism and continue to explore new technologies and practices that benefit the environment. Eco-initiatives property tour hydro system and sustainable practices.”
Twice weekly, Blancaneaux centers an entire evening dinner around that organic garden. Dinners begin with welcome cocktails followed by a tour with the head gardener. Nibbles of freshly picked snapped peas or taste testing different varieties of mint are de riguer.
Following the tour, guests return to find a communal table set complete with wine bottles chilling. The first of three plant based courses rolls out including soup, salads and stir fries with a variety of cooking techniques implemented. Guests sip and taste and before long the the hum of easy conversation is only as loud as the sound of nighttime cicadas in the air.
Christine Gaudenzi, DOSM of The Family Coppola Hideaways, spent some time at the Hideaways and took away some important points. Her new goal? To “remind everyone of the comfort, restoration, transformation and community that travel brings to our lives.” Having seen guest after guest “experience an inspired awakening, a needed calm and instantly formed bonds.”
The pristine growing conditions are not just about flora and fauna. The nearby Macaw Bird Sanctuary allows people to enjoy activities that directly correlate to sustainable measures including bird watching, the Coral Reef Restoration Project, planting Mahogany Trees, Mangrove Restoration. Of course, the largest wine cellar in Central America doesn’t hurt.
