sleepFrancisFordCoppola’smagical three hotels

We always knew the man had a vision forthe silver screen, who else could havebrought us the joys that are The Godfathertrilogy, Apocalypse Now and so manyothers? But who knew Francis Ford Coppolahas a vision for hotels?

Sometimes the world is unfair in its distri-bution of talent, and FFC is like the pretty,smart girl, who you want to hate, but she isalso nice and really funny. And who couldhate the man who brought the Turtle Inn,Blancaneux and La Lancha into existence?

Yes, that’s right, Mr. Coppola has threehotels under his belt, but these are not Hiltontypes of hotels, or just more boutique hotelshe’s slapped his name on. No, these arerustic, yet luxurious escapes from themodern world we know and love, andsometimes hate. Coppola took the timeto be involved in the process.

“The new Turtle Inn is a personal joy: it wasbuilt out of the rubble of a hurricane’s wrathand rose up entirely under my supervision,it features a number of original ideas anddetails which, I confess, continue to delightme. I made the resort as rustic as I love, andas luxurious as I could, so that my familywould join me there,” says Coppola.

This trio of hotels might not be brand new,and don’t have all sorts of gadgets andgizmos to keep you entertained, but theyare definitely worth talking about. You seeFFC did not jump on the celebrity band-wagon and jut slap his name on a line ofdenim that kids in China are slaving over,while some poor no-name designs them inthe back corner. No he took a hands-onapproach to his projects.

by Caroline Shaheed

Picture a bay of endless white sand and thelongest stretch of coral reef in the westernhemisphere. Now picture 17 thatched-roofedBalinese-inspired cottages nestled in andaround the deep blue Caribbean Sea. TheSouthern Belizean backdrop doesn’t playsecond fiddle to what you are imaginingright now, in fact it’s probably better.

The intimate resort destination is certainlya choice location for those that know.Each villa also offers guests a private gardenas well as private (screened in) outdoorshower, which is as refreshing and romanticas you can get! Beyond the villas, and yes,there is much more beyond the villas, guestscan keep themselves occupied by anynumber of outdoor activities, such aslounging by the pool or beach (always atried and true favourite) scuba diving,exploring and hiking, elusive animal tours,or in the splendid Sunset Spa.

And let’s not forget the food. FFC is an Italian man, from an Italianfamily, so really how could there not be an Italian restaurant boastingCoppola family recipes at the inn?! In the Mare restaurant does justthat, and of course uses the freshest of ingredients. Oh and if you arethere from June to February, get ready to smile pretty, because it’slobster season!

There are also two other restaurants to tempt your palette if Italianisn’t what you are in the mood for. Auntie Lubya’s Kitchen servestraditional Belizean fare and The Gaugin Grill serves, you guessed it,grilled seafood.

The Turtle Island Inn is a great place to take it slow and easy and justleave the rest of the world and your blackberry/iPhone at bay.

the turtle inn

If you are looking for a little more adventure, but still think Belize isthe place for you, Mr. Coppola, like a good Godfather, still has youcovered. If your idea of the primo vacation is hiking through the sub-tropical rainforest, hanging out with strange animals and fallingasleep to the mating calls of tree frogs, at a resort that isn’t really aresort, say hello to the Blancaneaux Lodge. It’s tucked into thesecluded mountains of western Belize, overlooking the soft rapidsand glistening waterfalls of the Privaisson River.

FFC did his legwork here when he found this little piece of paradise.When he first opened up Blancaneaux, it was just for friends andfamily. FFC likes to boast that he “tricked” it open by flying hisfriends and family in for his 54th birthday. And that day it seemsa star was born.

Blancaneaux is a lodge of rustic luxury andeco-consciousness. FFC put his moneywhere his mouth is and made Blancaneauxself-sustaining in energy use by harnessingthe energy of the Privassion Creek througha hydroelectric plant. And pretty muchall the produce and fruit comes fromBlancaneaux’s organic gardens. Not badfor a film guy, huh.

But let’s get to the goods, the lodge haslittle pieces of FFC everywhere: from hisfamily recipes in the restaurants and stocksof his Coppola organic wine, to his personaldesign choices. FFC and his wife, Eleanor,

blancaneaux lodge

traveled to Mexico, Guatemala andAntigua to personally select the décor forthe villas at Blancaneaux.

The rooms are not only beautiful, they areextremely tranquil; they come unequippedof televisions, telephones, stereos, andInternet. You have no choice here, but torelax and enjoy the company of yourcompanion, good food, good wine, and ofcourse adventures.

As with the Turtle Inn, Blancaneaux Lodgealso offers guests a top-notch spa withThe Waterfall Spa. The treatments will makeyou feel like a puddle, but in a good way.

Francis Ford Coppola’s love of CentralAmerica doesn’t stop in Belize. Guatemalais home to the third in FFC’s triad of resorts.But, La Lancha does share a few things withTurtle Island Inn and Blancaneaux Lodge.First and foremost is the practically indescrib-able grounds.

Perched high on a ridge above the shimmer-ing Lake Peten Itza, La Lancha is quite simplyput, breath taking. The lake front property issecluded and intimate, making it the idealgetaway from ‘the real world.’ And whenyou could be lounging on a beach chairand sleepily see an iguana of a lizard scuttleaway, who needs the real world?

At La Lancha you get a rustic inspiredvacation. Here you have full amenities ofbeautiful spacious native inspired bath-rooms, big comfy beds, gourmet meals,but in a setting that doesn’t scream hotel.FFC makes sure his resorts offer guests luxury,but low-key unobtrusive luxury. You won’tfind stark white rooms, or hard architecturallines here.

You will find raw wood balconies, stone pool terraces and natureall around. If you have never heard a howler monkey before, well thatwill be a thing of the past once you visit La Lancha.

And fret not, if a few days of lounging can leave you antsy, there ismore to do here than you can possibly fit in one vacation (so youshould come back). If you only want to do a couple of activities,make sure you check out the monumental Mayan city Tikal—whichhas been toted a jewel of ancient Ruta Maya and maybe take theSkywalk through the canopy of the rainforest.

Oh and just so you know the staff here, are also pretty damnamazing. Somehow they are always smiling and more than willingto help you get whatever you want, as long as you don’t want towatch TV!

Francis Ford Coppola, keep the ideas coming! Wine, film andvacations, we like! So what’s next???

http://www.blancaneaux.com/desk/

la lancha