The Beach Where the Coppolas Built
Who They Are
They are The Coppolas! Less than a year after Francis and Eleanor Coppola acquired this beachside refuge in 2001, it was swept out to sea by the forces of Hurricane Iris. A two-year reclamation project ended with Turtle Inn, a magnificent resort that is consistently ranked among the best in Central and South America.
Inside a Bungalow. Luxe Yet Simple
A 25-room seafront hideaway, Turtle Inn is sandwiched between the Garifuna settlement of Seine Bight and the Creole fishing village of Placencia at the tip of a narrow 26-mile-long sandy peninsula. The sea is studded by a patchwork of coral cayes and the Belize Barrier Reef. The thatched cottages, decorated with handcrafted Balinese furnishings, have decks that are just steps from the white-sand beach.
What They Are Doing
Like sister property Blancaneaux Lodge, Turtle Inn has been built in such a way as to minimize its impact on the environment, using local resources and creating imaginative alternatives to energy-sapping air-conditioning.
In the Public Area
The staff grows all the organic vegetables and many of the fruits used at the resort. Turtle Inn also provides full academic scholarships to five local students. It also supports several organizations and individuals in an ongoing effort to preserve the biodiversity of Belize. These include SEA Belize and Alexandra Cousteau and Expedition Blue Planet.
One of Two Pools
