Belize
Blancaneaux Lodge
My Belize trip was split into two portions; 5 days in the rainforest and 5 days at the beach- both at the Coppola family resorts. It was raining when I arrived at Blancaneaux lodge, but I was greeted right at the car door by the hotel staff, umbrella in hand, who brought me into the lobby for a fresh juice and an overview of what was to come during my stay.
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I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. Each room was a spacious private villa with a palm leaf roof. My villa even had an outdoor shower and a private pool overlooking the rain forest. Each night after a long day of horse back riding, hiking, swimming, cave tubing.. you name it, I came home to a heating pack in my bed and candles lit around the room.
​​​​​​​​​There are three restaurants in the hotel, but my favorite was the organic garden dinner. The experience begins with a refreshing cocktail which you’ll sip while taking a tour with the head gardener while also picking and tasting different herbs.
Next you'll sit at a communal table with other hotel guests and share a three-course vegetarian feast on a charming open-air porch. From soup to salads and stir-fries, even non-vegetarians will be delighted by the bold, flavorful dishes made with ingredients picked just minutes before. It was so much fun getting to know the other guests and I left the dinner with many new friends.
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Turtle Inn
Next, I took a puddle jumper just 30 minutes to the coast and landed at Turtle Inn. I want to be up front and say that I was much more impressed by Blancaneaux, and found myself running out of things to do at Turtle Inn. I got caught with many rainy days, and being that I went in January, the sun was a necessary element for warmth when laying on the beach. The property isn't huge, so when trying to go on a beach walk, I found myself walking back and forth waiting for my next excursion or meal.
That being said, the few hours where I did have sunshine were quite lovely. Our villa came with paddle boards, kayaks, sail boats, and beach chairs. Some of my favorite things to do during the sunny periods were read on the floating dock, grab a drink at the beach bar, paddle board, play pickle ball and get a massage. The massage I got at the spa was fantastic and so relaxing. The food here was also very good. Some highlights were the reitstiefel dinner in the main restaurant, lobster at the ocean grill and pizza at the pizza restaurant which they make right in front of you. The snorkeling was also unlike anything I've seen before, as expected from the second largest reef in the world. Definitely take a half day excursion to Laughing Bird Caye. We saw about 20 dolphins on the boat ride there, and while snorkeling we saw nurse sharks, a lemon shark, a spotted eagle ray, fish of all colors and sizes, giant red starfish, king crabs and turtles.
