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 Central American and the Carribean |
 Coppola's Belize: Acclaimed motion picture director, writer and producer Francis Ford Coppola adopted Belize in 1981. He shares his love for this young Central American country with anyone who wishes to visit his two splendid resorts there. By Rod Lopez-Fabrega |
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 Until 1973 a toehold of British Empire located on the eastern flank of the Yucatan Peninsula, British Honduras did not become an independent country until 1981. Re-named Belize, this little country, about the size of the state of Massachusetts and sharing frontiers with Mexico and Guatemala, is geographically at the very core of the Mundo Maya, the ancient Mayan civilization that flourished in Meso-America since around 300 B.C. The entire country is literally peppered with the remains of some of the Mayan world's most important cities, many remaining un-excavated. In addition to its cultural history, Belize has the world's second longest barrier reef just off its coastline, a repository of fantastic underwater life. For all that, it has remained off the main Caribbean tourism circuit. |
 Famed motion picture director, writer and producer and five-time Oscar winner Francis Ford Coppola discovered this relatively undisturbed corner of the Americas shortly after Belize gained its independence in 1981. To say that he fell in love with what he found would clearly be an understatement. Perhaps Belize's verdant rainforests reminded him of Thailand and the Philippines where he'd filmed "Apocalypse Now"--only a lot closer to the United States. Perhaps he just needed to find a quiet corner untrampled by the clutter of high-rise civilization and the clatter of the business of Hollywood. |
 Enthralled by the country and what he found there, Mr. Coppola decided to share it with a special kind of visitor who would appreciate and support his interests and efforts in protecting the unspoiled qualities of this little country. To that end he has introduced two unique resorts, designed to appeal, not to the Club-Med Caribbean crowd but to visitors who wish to experience the rainforests, mangrove coastlines, mountains and rich culture of Belize in comfort without destroying the natural beauty in the process. |
 Blancaneaux Lodge Mr. Coppola opened his Blancaneaux Lodge in 1993. He had purchased an abandoned property in the remote highlands of western Belize's Cayo district, overlooking the waterfalls of the Privassion River in the Pine Ridge Reserve. Inspired by the beauty of the site, he immediately recognized its enormous potential, strategically located within reach of two of Mundo Maya's most spectacular and important citadels, Tikal and Caracol. Tikal is just across the Guatemalan border but easily accessible as a day trip and Caracol, still not fully excavated but arguably Belize's most important Mayan site, is a short four-wheel drive jungle expedition away. |
 Blancaneaux Lodge, a secluded retreat from civilization, is characterized by an unaffected elegance that reflects Mr. Coppola's vision of rustic comfort in complete harmony with its surroundings. With the panache of the acclaimed motion picture director, writer and producer that he is, Mr. Coppola moved mountains to redesign this spectacular piece of Belizean real estate in order to provide his guests with every comfort while making the effort invisible. Mr. Coppola explains that having a resort in the remote reaches of the jungle did not intimidate him at all. "It's like being on location for a movie--you just bring everything with you or build it yourself." In this case, "everything" includes a private hydroelectric plant that harnesses the power of the Privassion River and makes Blancaneaux the only lodge in the area with 24-hour electric power. The surplus heat that the hydro generates is used for the lodge's spa. |
 Also included in the lodge's self-sufficiency are extensive vegetable gardens where virtually all the produce is grown for the restaurant. Orange groves located on the property are the source for fresh-squeezed orange juice served to guests every morning along with freshly baked bread. In fact, Blancaneaux is noted for its spectacularly original cuisine featuring many Coppola family recipes and proudly reflecting his Italian heritage. Mr. Coppola explains that he offers his guests meals he would serve them in his own home--no frou-frou or what you might find in a four- or five-star resort. It's what his mother might have cooked for him twenty or thirty years ago--and that includes pizza. |
 Mexican architect Manolo Mestre worked with Mr. Coppola on the conversion of the original structures into a full-scale resort. The villas he created rise from the jungle on stilts and have soaring hardwood and hand-woven ceilings. In addition to its lush and roomy public spaces, Blancaneaux offers a variety of accommodations. Five riverfront cabanas are strung along the riverbank, each a showroom of Guatemalan and Mexican crafts, fabrics and antique furniture, each with a Queen-size bed and private bathroom featuring Mexican hand-painted tiles and views of the surrounding jungle, and each featuring a wraparound wooden deck. There also are two honeymoon cabanas perched over the waterfall, one with a private garden on the falls and the other with a huge wood deck on top of the falls. Two garden cabanas feature large screened porches with hammocks, and one family cabana is much larger and includes one Queen bed and two twin beds and a screened deck. Six two-bedroom, two-bathroom villas include a large open-sided living room and a small kitchenette with stove. Finally, the Francis Coppola Villa is the same as the two-bedroom villas but with Mr. Coppola's personal art and items and a family-size dining area seating up to 14 people. |
 The Turtle Inn In some ways, encountering The Turtle Inn, Mr. Coppola's second little hideaway in Belize is like walking into a motion picture set. Located on the Placencia Peninsula along the southeastern coast of Belize, the inn sits among the mangroves defining a coastline that faces the great barrier reef. To any visitor arriving on Tropic Air's ten-passenger commuter flights from Belize City, the reason becomes perfectly clear why Francis Ford Coppola chose this spectacular location to build his second inn. The skilled pilot brings the small aircraft in to a landing strip clearly made of soil and rocks dredged up from surrounding mangroves and barely wider than the wingspan of the plane. A five-minute transfer by van takes visitors from a rustic terminal building to The Turtle Inn. |
 From the moment guests approach the thatched-roof building complex, crossing a wooden bridge over a reflecting pool and approaching the reception counter with its intricately carved frieze, it is clear that they are entering what has been characterized as Mr. Coppola's Southeast Asian fantasy. The dark woods, exquisitely sculpted and fitted architectural details, high-ceilinged spaces, shimmering fabrics, brilliant flower arrangements, exotic statues of elephants and, of course, turtles, all encourage a hyper-space jump for visitors to a place much farther away than two hours by Continental Airlines from Houston, New Orleans or Miami.
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 To add to the incongruity of finding Thailand or Bali in Central America, dining at Turtle Inn is another surprise. As is the case at Blancaneaux, the menu is primarily based on fine Italian cuisine. Mr. Coppola explains, "I want to invite my guests into my own home so that I may cook for them." The inn's own gardens produce four varieties of tomato, aromatic herbs from Italy, and all the legumes served in the two restaurants in addition to a great variety of sea foods from local waters. |
 The Turtle Inn is small. It offers 19 units with categories that include Seafront Cottage, Seaview Cottage, Garden-view Cottage, Chinese Matrimonial Suite, Honeymoon Cottage, two-bedroom, two-bathroom Seafront Villa, two-unit Seaview Villa, two-unit Garden-view Villa, and the luxurious two-unit Pavilion House with private entrance, pool and pavilion. At least one Seafront Villa comes with a private, high-walled patio complete with Banyan tree, polished river rocks, hot water bamboo spout, and hand-crafted soaps for sensuous al fresco bathing. |
 Activities at Turtle Inn Activities offered include: visiting the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve; SCUBA diving and snorkeling excursions to explore the natural wonders of the Belizean barrier reef and departing from the inn's private docks; excursions to the Monkey River including an authentic Belizean lunch in Monkey River fishing village and a hike through the coastal rainforest to check out the bird and monkey populations of the area; or just enjoying quiet walks and beach time. It's also an easy taxi ride into laid-back Placencia village, a study in urban minimalism with its one paved sidewalk and scattering of stores |
| A final caveat:A final caveat offered by manager Mr. Lizarraga to potential visitors of either Coppola resort in Belize is, "Occasionally we have guests who come in expecting the Hilton, and that is the only time we have experienced dissatisfaction. If you come expecting duty-free shopping in Placencia Village or expecting white-glove service as in a Jordanian resort, you are not going to get it. It's not what Belize is about, and 99 out of 100 will appreciate it for those very issues. So, if guests know to come not expecting phones or televisions or air conditioning and appreciate accommodations that are unlike any others they have stayed in, they may expect to be surrounded by staff that is not pretentious but will remember your name, will shake your hand, will make you feel at home."Mr. Lizarraga adds this bit of insight into what makes Mr. Coppola tick as an inn-keeper, "The misconception that some have is that Francis Ford Coppola is Hollywood elite, that he must have a certain level of pretentiousness, a certain level of aloofness. That is exactly what Francis is not. Francis is very laid back. He insists that the comfort level must be high, the food has to be good and the service will be the best, but he is a staff-hugger who will sit with his staff and have a beer. He comes here often, last year staying for five weeks just relaxing and writing." |
Some useful contact information: In 2004, Continental Airlines offers two international flights daily to Belize, departing Houston at 11:50 am and arriving Belize City at 2:14 pm and departing Houston at 1:30 pm and arriving Belize City at 4:03 pm. Service also is offered by American Airlines and TACA. Tropic Air, Belize's commuter airline has frequent flights from Belize City to all parts of Belize, including Placencia.Placencia Tourism Center, 501-523-4045, placencia@btl.net ; Blancaneaux Resorts, 800-746-3743, Fax 011-501-824-4913, info@blancaneaux.com; Turtle Inn, 800-746-3743, Fax 501-824-4913, info@blancaneaux.com ;Continental Airlines, 800-523-3273; Tropic Air, 011-501-226-2380, Fax 011-501-226-2338, reservations@tropicair.com Photo Credits: |
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© 2004 ROMAR TRAVEL GUIDES
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