For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
Turtle Inn
- Style
- Shore-shack chic
- Setting
- Balmy Belizean beach side
Francis Ford Coppola’s Caribbean cabanas are shaggy-thatched hideaway huts inspired by Balinese design. Set on the ocean’s edge by sleepy Placencia village, Turtle Inn is pure, hammock-swinging, white-sand indulgence.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 25.
- Rates
- Low season, $385–$1,600; high season, $400–$2,100, including Continental breakfast. Rates exclude 19 per cent tax and service charge.
- Check-out
- Midday, although later can be arranged, if available.
- Facilities
- Thai spa, small library, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: iPod dock, minibar, hand-made organic toiletries.
- Poolside
- Turtle Inn has two pools; one a sea-green circle on the lawn by the bar, moments from the sea, the other a triangular infinity pool nestled between the cottages.
- Children
- Under-12s stay free – the eight two-bed villas are ideal for families. Extra beds are $50 a night (plus tax). Babysitting is available, if you notify staff at check-in.
- Eco-friendly
- The hotel keeps its carbon footprint down by not using air-conditioning or other techno-trappings. All its villas and cottages are built from locally sourced material (thatch, bamboo, limestone and wood) and kitchen ingredients are grown on site.
- Also
- There’s a two-night minimum stay during high season and a four-night minimum at Christmas and Easter.
In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- All Turtle Inn’s villas and cottages are roomy and boast rustic Balinese decor, but for sheer romantic grandeur, the Chinese Matrimonial Suite is the hands-down winner, with a tranquil setting steps from the sea and a 200-year-old hand-carved four-poster fertility bed. When Francis is in town, you’ll find him in the two-bedroom Pavilion House, enjoying an intricately tiled private pool, dramatically carved doorways, and a bamboo-railed terrace.
- Packing tips
- A mask and snorkel will be handy for sighting sea life, although you can always buy them from the boutique. You can deflect the unwelcome attentions of sand flies with a squirt of baby oil.
- Also
- Kayaks and paddle boats are free. You can have them brought to you at the beach, or pick them up at Tides dive shop, where you can also arrange scuba or snorkelling trips. The diving’s best between April and June, when whale sharks visit.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- Choose between classic Italian dishes and wood-fired pizza at the Mare restaurant, char-grilled seafood at the beachfront Gauguin Grill, and Auntie Luba’s traditional Belizean cuisine. Mariachi bands and Garifuna dancers perform weekly at Mare.
- Dress code
- Beaches and gleam.
- Top table
- Nab a spot on the outside of Mare’s vaulted cabana where you can gaze at the ocean uninterrupted, or, have a private table set up on the beach and be served under the stars.
- Last orders
- Mare is open until 9pm; Auntie Luba’s and the Gauguin Grill are open between noon and 8.30pm (reservations required).
- Room service
- Meals can be brought to your room until 9pm.
- Hotel bar
- The Laughing Fish beside the pool is a laid-back beach bar with a barefoot, sand-floored vibe. A little more formal, the Skip White attached to the Mare restaurant serves up Coppola’s own wine labels and an array of lime-spiked rum cocktails.
Smith card offer A 30-minute Thai-style massage each
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Not a member? Join now
Smith concierge
If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.
Local restaurants
Walk alond the beach front to Placencia village and you'll come upon De Tatch (+501 523 4011), a popular, laid-back eaterie serving fresh fish and key lime pie. Also in Placencia, Mexican pueblo-style diner Wendy's is good for Caribbean snacks and latin soap operas.
Local bars
The Barefoot Beach Bar in Placencia is always buzzing and serves some tasty cocktails.
Worth getting out of bed for
In Placencia, you can collect wooden handicrafts such as the distinctive ziricote animal masks, jaguar sculptures and coconut mermaids from little stalls along the sandy sidewalk.
Recommended rooms
Turtle Inn's four seafront villas each have two bedrooms and bathrooms and are sized to suit families, with fold-out sofa beds too. The Family Pavilion is even larger, and features Japanese baths, a huge terrace and Coppola's own art collection.
Activities
In addition to the two pools, the sea offers ample opportunities for swimming snorkelling, kayaking and sailing. Would-be Indiana Joneses will love exploring Belize's Mayan ruins – trips can be arranged at the hotel.
Swimming pool
The two pools have shallow ends for small swimmers and are shaded from the worst of the sun's rays. 'Beach captains' supervise the pools and there are a few inflatables and arm bands available.
Meals
Turtle Inn's restaurants all offer Western-style children's menus (pizzetta, chicken strips, fish fingers) and smaller portions – 30 per cent cheaper than adult meals. High chairs area available.
Babysitting
You can book a babysitting service on check-in ($30 an hour).
