|
Five-time Oscar winning director Francis Ford Coppola has a well-known secret in Central America: his triumvirate of luxuriously rustic resorts. While all three share certain “family” traits, such as the Italian-dominated menu and artistically appointed rooms, each demonstrates a unique flair concordant with its surroundings.
Blancaneaux Lodge
Coppola reportedly fell in love with Belize, with its verdant jungle that reminded him of the Phillippines, where he filmed Apocalypse Now. Tucked in the Pine Mountain Ridge Preserve in the Cayo District, near San Ignacio, Belize, Blancaneaux was an abandoned lodge when Coppola first saw it in 1981. “I’d been looking for some kind of tropical utopia,” Coppola says. “This was the paradise hideaway I was looking for.”
He bought it, and immediately began putting his mark on the property. He invested in a private river-powered hydroelectric plant that harnesses the power of the adjacent Privassion River and gives the Lodge 24-hour electricity. Surplus heat that the hydro generates is used for the spa.
Mexican architect Manolo Mestre worked with Coppola on the expansion of the Lodge into a full-scale resort. The villas rise from the jungle on stilts and have soaring hardwood and hand-woven thatch ceilings. Coppola and his wife Eleanor chose the furnishings for each villa from Mexico and Guatemala. The mahogany furniture on the decks and in the restaurant is hand-crafted in nearby San Ignacio, and the slate bar carved with ancient Mayan symbols was created by a local artisan.
Coppola achieved his personal vision for Blancaneaux Lodge of rustic comfort in harmony with its surroundings. Attention to detail extends from private spaces, where handmade soaps, fluffy towels and robes and comfy beds welcome guests, to manicured public spaces complete with fountains, spa, sun decks and other tantalizing invitations to relax. Elaborately landscaped grounds include horse stables, an organic garden that supplies the restaurant with fresh vegetables, an orchard and hiking trails.
While some visitors deem it an adult summer camp, its lack of modern conveniences such as air conditioning, TV, radio, Internet and phones is misleading. Imbued with rustic elegance, Blancaneaux staff offers pampering to the highest degree, including nightly turndown service, candles and fresh flowers, with nothing to interrupt your total relaxation and nothing to drown out the soothing sounds of the surrounding forest.
All your wants and needs will be happily taken care of in the warmest and most personal way by staff that feels almost like family, sharing stories and anecdotes, offering suggestions for activities, and expressing genuine interested in getting to know you.
The food at Blancaneaux is as unique as the decor. Start your day with freshly squeezed orange juice, a lá the groves on the premises, fresh-baked bread and fresh fruit. The restaurant boasts one of only two wood-burning pizza ovens in the country (the other also belongs to Coppola), and an imported espresso machine and coffee roaster. The menu features many Coppola family recipes and Copploa wines. However, it remains one of the few sore spots with guests, many of whom desire options reflecting Belizean cuisine.
There’s enough to do in the area to fill a four-day stay. Must-sees include the Maya ruins of Caracol and Xunantunich, and natural wonders such as 1,000 Foot Falls, River On and Big Rock. A butterfly farm is down the mountain a short distance, and San Ignacio can be lively on market day.
The biggest drawbacks (if you don’t include the high cost) center on transportation. Unless you rent a four-wheel-drive, it’s going to cost a lot to get a transfer from Belize City, where most tourists enter the country. There is a small grass landing strip across from the resort, but that still leaves you with the challenge of transportation, because nothing is within walking distance. While the staff is happy to arrange tours, nothing beats private exploration for really getting to know a place. But keep in mind that it takes a minimum of an hour to get down the mountain, do to the deplorable condition of the winding mountain road.
Turtle Inn
Further south in the Toledo District near Placencia, Belize, Turtle Inn provides the best of both worlds, with rain forest and beach equally accessible. Constructed according to Coppola’s design and under his supervision, the rustic Balinese-inspired cabanas feature luxury private baths with screened-in Japanese tub and shower, double sinks, broad screened decks and private gardens with hanging lanterns, bamboo waterfall showers and hammocks in the palm trees.
The same tranquil break from technology exists at Turtle Inn: no air conditioning, TV, radio, Internet. A “shell phone” connects you to the front desk. The same attention to detail applies, with beautifully decorated villas and cottages opening their doors to white sandy beachfront. The same Italian menu – and the same complaints about the food – is available, including pizza from a wood-burning pizza oven. As with all his resorts, only Coppola wine is served.
Amenities include a bar, gift shop, spa, dive shop, white sand beaches and pool. Complimentary beach-bikes and kayaks are available, and Windstars can be rented. Belize’s coast is known for its magnificent diving and snorkeling. There are also plenty of sights to see beyond the property, including the Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary – the world’s only jaguar reserve, Monkey River – so named for the resident howler monkeys who mingle with tropical birds, manatees, iguanas and crocs, Blue Creek Caves, and Maya ruins at Lubaantun.
La Lancha
Not far from the Belizean border, La Lancha overlooks Lake Petén Itzá near Tikal, Guatemala. While Lake Petén is vast and breathtaking, nestled on flat, open land at the base of forested hills, it is better suited to kayaking and canoeing than swimming, which should be reserved for the bi-level swimming pool.
Decorated with native art and locally made furnishing, the rooms are spacious and comfortable. However, a frequent complaint of guests is that the casitas lack privacy, due to thin walls and shared decks.
The main attraction to La Lancha is its proximity to the Maya ruins at Tikal, which are well worth a guided tour. Inside the preserve, stunning structures soar above the canopy, competing with protected wildlife for photo opps. One of the most impressive Maya archeological sites, it competes with its compatriot, Petenque, and Mexico’s Chichen Itza in impressiveness. Other activities recommended by staff include bird watching and Spanish lessons.
For more information, log on to http://www.blancaneauxlodge.com/.
|
