Turtle Inn
Style Shore-shack chic
Setting Balmy Belizean beach side
Brightly coloured hammocks slung between slanted palm trees, Balinese-style beach huts, and the sun-sparkled waters of the Caribbean are at the heart of Turtle Inn hotel in Belize. One of Francis Ford Coppola’s trio of Central American resorts (its siblings are Blancaneaux Lodge and La Lancha in Guatemala), this is a rustic retreat with a sprinkling of glamour.
Need to know
- Rooms 25.
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Rates
Double rooms from $299.00, excluding tax at 19 per cent.
The price shown represents the lowest nightly rate for a double room available at this hotel over the next 21 days. Any price conversions from the hotel's local currency ($299) have been conducted using today's exchange rates from xe.com.
- More details Rates include Continental breakfast.
- 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.
- Check-out Midday, although later can be arranged, if available.
- 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. More...
- Also There’s a two-night minimum stay during high season and a four-night minimum at Christmas and Easter.
Food and drink at Turtle Inn
- 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.
Turtle Inn Placencia Village, Stann Creek District, Belize C.A., Belize, x
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Smith extra at Turtle Inn
A 30-minute Thai-style massage each
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.
From the Guestbook…
Go into town and eat the blackened lobster bites at the Barefoot Bar in Placencia. Try out Laughing Bird Caye for snorkeling. Eat at Auntie Luba's in ...
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