Belize

The Turtle Inn

"The new Turtle Inn is a personal joy. It features any number of original ideas and details. I made the resort as rustic as I love, and as luxurious as I could."

- Francis Ford Coppola

One of our favourite spots for a complete ‘take-over' for your own party.  

A unique retreat Turtle Inn, consisting of 19 cottages only, is located on the Placencia Peninsula along the southeastern coast of Belize. The Inn, owned and designed by Francis Ford Coppola top to bottom as his little hideaway in Belize, sits among the mangroves defining a coastline that faces the great barrier reef.

In some ways, encountering Mr. Coppola's Turtle Inn is like walking into a motion picture set. 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; then a five-minute transfer by van takes you from a rustic terminal building to The Turtle Inn.

Dining at Turtle Inn is a surprise - 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.

Accommodations 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.