Francis Ford Coppola Has a Luxury Caribbean Beach Hotel in an Under-the-Radar Town in Belize

Wine’s not the most common order when your toes are in the sand at the edge of the Caribbean Sea. But here at the Laughing Fish bar, I suddenly found myself ordering a glass of the house cab, followed by fresh-caught fish tacos, peering out at the shimmering blue off the coast of Placencia, Belize. 

Of course, this wasn’t just any wine. It was a 2022 bottle of the Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection, part of one of the most impressive collections of wine you’ll find at any Caribbean hotel. 

Because there’s nothing common about this place.

Thatched-roof cottages, Japanese soaking tubs, Balinese doors. A gelato bar for the kids. Bird baths with flowers to welcome you to your room. Everything is unique, the product of a hospitality philosophy hand-crafted by a legendary filmmaker. 

This is Francis Ford Coppola’s Caribbean beach retreat: the Turtle Inn, a 28-unit hotel set on the sand in the lovely little beach town of Placencia in southern Belize. 

Part of Coppola’s collection of “hideaways” (including the absolutely remarkable Blancaneaux Lodge in the lush Cayo District of Belize), Turtle Inn is the kind of charming, thoughtful boutique hotel you fall in love with the moment you walk through the gate. 

Everything is in the details: the walkable wine cellar Coppola cheekily calls The Wine Aquarium (it’s above ground, after all); the pizzeria set on the edge of the hotel’s on-site garden, where, with the Italian music blaring and the field of leaves shaking, you’d swear you’d been transported to Italy. The walled-in courtyard with the outdoor showers. There’s even a tea bar in the works. 

The best boutique hotels are livable art installations, pure manifestations of the visions of their hoteliers. It’s no surprise, then, that’s what you get with this place. 

Of course, it was also not a surprise after having visited one of Coppola’s other hotels, the Blancaneaux Lodge, also in Belize. But while Blancaneaux is a wonderfully executed hotel in its own right, that one is a different experience: a river lodge tucked in the heart of the Belizean jungle. 

Here, it’s the Coppola vision of a beach hotel, and its magnificent. 

General Manager Martin Krediet is the veteran steward of the property (joined by his dogs, Chip and Salsa) and has crystallized a world-class hotel that delivers an authentic, immersive taste of Belize.

Of course, the Coppola imprint is not just on the little things. This is very much a family retreat. Walk on the beach and you’ll pass by Sofia’s Beach House. On the other side of the road is Roman’s Lagoon Bungalow. 

The prominent accommodation is the two-bedroom Family Villa, the one with the massive table where the Coppolas hold court on their Belizean retreats. 

You have a range of options, from a poolside cottage with a sea view to a seafront villa. 

The food is sublime (the fish tacos were delectable), with seven different concepts including the lovely Mare, which was just named to the Best Restaurants in the Caribbean) and the Gauguin Grill. The pizzeria is a standout too, with a classic menu along with interesting inclusions like the Belizean Breakfast Pizza: homemade chilaquiles sauce, puree beans, whole beans, eggs, finished with avocado slices and sprinkled with fresh cheese and plantains. 

The Turtle Inn is quiet, it’s serene. It’s the sort of Caribbean beach hotel where you could write a novel (or a screenplay). Where nothing is cookie-cutter, where the the guests keep coming back year after year.  

And it’s a perfect portal into the life in Placencia, an increasingly popular beach town with cafes, beach bars, bicycles and a funky, lovable vibe. 

What you may notice in every room is the absence of a phone, or so it would seem. But spend a moment inside and you’ll notice a large conch shell on a table-style shelf. It was my favorite touch at the Turtle Inn. 

A shell phone. 

Prices start at around $439 in May. 

How do you get to Placencia? The best way is to fly to Belize City then take Tropic Air on a short flight to the small airport in Placencia. Yo can drive from Belize City, but it’s about three hours or more. 

For more, visit the Turtle Inn.