Turtle Inn by Francis Ford Coppola

We had a lovely and relaxing time at Turtle Inn. The resort is beautiful, quiet and very well maintained. They pay great attention to every detail whether it be the Balinese decor, the fresh flowers that adorn the premises each day, or the grounds that are swept each day, all day. The staff is so friendly and attentive... they knew us all by name. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to walk out the door of our oceanfront cottage and the beach was truly right there. My most difficult decision of each day was whether to read in the hammock or walk a few steps further to sit on the beach. Of course, I did a lot more than that... there are plenty of activities to choose from in Placencia. The restaurants were delicious. We loved eating on the sand at Gaugin Grill and the vibe at Auntie Luba's Kitchen was fun and fabulous. The resort is a short distance from town and the airport, so getting places is extremely easy. Grab a bike and go into town or the resort will provide transportation for evening trips should you want to have dinner in Placencia. And of course, they provide transportation to and from the airport. It's all so nice and easy. Next visit, we want to go to Blancaneaux Lodge as well.

From the moment we arrived to the time we left Turtle Inn was a fabulous experience. Their incredibly friendly and personable staff went above and beyond in everything they did and were very helpful. Our Seafront Cottage was comfortable, spacious and exquisitely decorated. The food and drink choices were wonderful with a nice variety and there were multiple excursions to choose from. Not to be missed is the half-day snorkeling to Laughing Bird Caye with fellow travelers and Javier and the Sunset Cruise in the Dolce Vita. We loved everything about this charming, idyllic resort and will surely be back!

I just returned from Turtle Inn - this is a hidden gem! I am a 50 yr old solo female traveler. I prefer adult only resorts, quiet, off the beaten path locations and authentic, upscale resorts. I am always researching vacations and looking for boutique properties that cater to those looking for a more refined experience – can’t believe I had not found this property before. Here are my Pros and the few minor Cons regarding this lovely resort: Location - First time in Belize, easy hop from BZE to Placencia, the resort picked me up, 5 minute drive to property. The town of Placencia is fairly remote. It was a little grungier than I expected since Turtle Inn caters to a more upscale crowd. It was a short 10-minute bike ride (bikes provided free) from the hotel. A couple of shops and restaurants. I didn’t find it appealing personally and decided to stay on property for the remainder of my stay. I bought one cute bag to contribute to the economy. The Chill Out coffee shop serves hand-dipped ice cream and is very close to the hotel. There was a cute bakery that had sandwiches and pastries for sale that looked good. Property – So lovely, grounds immaculate, lots of paths for meandering, wonderful organic garden and a new coffee/tea cottage is about to open – so cute. Loved the adult-only pool on the day when some kids were at the main pool. It didn't look like there would be enough loungers and I was afraid people would start staking their claims but somehow they never ran out. I had a lounger put down by the beach one day. They have the BEST floating pool lounge cushions. Thrilled that there was only some soft music in the beach bar that you can barely hear at the pool and that the bar shuts down when dinner starts. Property was whisper-quiet by 9pm. I spent several hours sitting on a bench swing watching the stars after dinner and enjoying the breeze and the sound of the ocean. While the property is situated east-facing on the water, it isn’t what most people think of as beachfront. A seawall was constructed to prevent erosion and though there are access points to the water, it was a little murky and not many people were in the water. That said, there is some packed sand and since you have the pool (which was the most lovely cool temperature), it was good enough for me. Accommodations – Outstanding in every way, so much bigger and better than expected based on website photos. So many thoughtful bespoke details from the provided beach bag to the foot wash out front to the candles and fragrant incense in the evenings. Two sanitized yoga mats were provided so I did beach yoga every morning. Mosquito netting was an option which I chose to take advantage of (because even 1 mosquito at night is too many). For me, the mattress was a bit too firm but that’s being very picky. The seaside and ocean front rooms do not have A/C yet (coming soon) so if you need to be cold to sleep, get a garden room with A/C. The ceiling fan and breezes in my seaside pool cottage w