relaxing at the Turtle Inn
by A TripAdvisor Member
By far the nicest place in town, though that really doesn't do it justice, as 'town' is a 1,000 person village. there are only a few miles total of paved road on the entire peninsula. Coppola found this incredible remote beach property, and put a very nice hotel there - though 'hotel' isn't quite right - it is one restaurant, two bars, and 19 individual thatch-roof cottages, all approximately 15-30 feet from the beach. I believe the travel agents call it "rustic luxury" - it was really quite nice. To put that level of comfort in such a remote place is really great. The staff were terrific - everybody learned your name and was very friendly. They were attentive but not overbearing. The bartender even made me a cd of the old-school Bob Marley that they played pretty much nonstop at the beach bar.
- food: mostly seafood - all very fresh. The restaurant at the hotel was simple Italian food and lots of seafood, depending on what was fresh that day. Much of the produce was grown at Coppola's other property (in the rainforest). While good, the restaurant is a bit too expensive for what it is. Definitely check out places in town. We ate at and enjoyed Wendy's and Purple Space Monkey, and heard good things about the food at Robert's Grove and De Thatch.
- Activities: didn't really do too much - usually spent the morning on the beach and the afternoon by the pool. We took a glass-bottom kayak out one day, and went snorkeling off our beach once as well - saw lots of little fish (2-8 inches), a few big barracuda (2-3 feet), some stingrays, some jellyfish, and tons of starfish, some a few feet across. One day we took a boat tour up the river into the rainforest - saw several crocs (including a ten-footer), lots of birds and iguanas, a few manatee, and a few howler monkeys - they make far more noise than you would think something their size is capable of.
- Also be sure to check out the spa - the number of treatments is somewhat limited, but they are *very* good.
very nice!!!
by mb1965 about turtle inn
we drove from punta gorda all the way to placencia and were wore out ! just by chance we pulled into the turtle inn .we just needed somewhere to stay the night . this place is beautiful! and the service was excellent .really did not get a chance to expereince everything there because we left the next day .but we had a beach front cabana which was like a small house ten feet from the shore! in that short time everyone new my name and were very friendly.i would recommend this place highly just from my short stay!! the turtle in is new it was rebuilt after hurricane iris in 2001. we had a beachfront cabana .they are huge .they have a private area in the back where you can take showers outside and also there is a shower inside.they have a mini bar and safe .the restarant is excellent .and they have a beautiful pool .wish i could say more but we were there only one night and did not get the full effect but what we saw was impressive!
Turtle Inn
by kgbheat
Very nice place. Owned By F.F. Coppolla (sp). Great director, but he's stuck in nam. He put some money into this place, although I did not look at prices to stay there. Food was way too much $, not only for the country or area, but in general. I wouldn't pay it in the states. Probabaly 3x's more expensive then anything in Placencia. He also had this Pollynisian theme going, made the males wear sarongs and they didn't understand why. His wine was good though, his employees were nice and so was the facility. I think the guy loves Belize, but he's confused or misdirected. Me telling a director he's misdirected that's kinda funny. Ceveche was very good, Beach bar personel were very nice. Ceveche is fish which is marinated in Lime that actually cooks it. It is then mixed with tomatoes, cilantro, and other ingredients and spooned up with T. chips, hopefully home made.
Fantastic!
by TripAdvisor Member buckeyes15
My wife and I visited Turtle Inn for 6 days on our honeymoon. We loved Belize and we loved Turtle Inn. It seems that Coppola has gotten it right with this one. The cottages are beautiful, the wood carvings are immaculate. The people are so friendly also, which is something different than here in the states...somehow they seem happy to be working. The service was great, as was the food. We especially liked the Gelato bar (we tried all 14 flavors). Thanks to Turtle Inn for making our trip so memorable.
Restaurant is Good but Pricey
by TripAdvisor Member wodart
We didn't stay at the Turtle Inn, but ate at the restaurant twice. We enjoyed both meals and found the atmosphere and service to be excellent. On Friday night, there were Garifuna dancers performing in the restaurant, which added to the experience. The food itself was good by Placencia standards, but pricier than other "upscale" alternatives in the village.
Beach Captains and Aaron at the Beach Bar are Great
by A TripAdvisor Member
Beach Bartender Aaron is great. Be sure you ask him to play his guitar for you and sing. Coppola resorts have a great employee makeing them money with you!
The beach captians were great kids who seemed very interested in not only helping you but getting to know the guests as well. Some were shy but once you started talking to them you found out how great they were and the love they have for their country.
When you get to Placencia ask for a copy of the local paper. It is the best way to find out what resorts have special things happening on specific days of the week. Turtle Inn didn't seem to have an updated copy (I think because they want you to stay at their resort.) You can find one in town along the boardwalk.
Be sure you try DeTatch for lunch or dinner. They are very inexpensive and the food is good. The place behind the soccer field where they have karoke on Wednesday's has great food too. In my opinion the food at Turtle in is very expensive and only fair in quality. We also felt they were put out when we dind't dine with them. Turtle Inn was beautiful, well kept up, and most of the staff were excellent. Oh if you want to eat at Roberts Grove they offer a free pick up and return to your hotel. (Turtle Inn won't tell you this.)
We had a few problems in our cabana (lights out and safe that had a low battery which meant you couldn't open it.) These were promptly taken care of by someone who was apologetic and courtious. Our cabana was next to the laundry facility which was a little loud but not horrible. It really was a great resort and very well taken care of.
The tours through Turtle Inn were great. Specifically the Monkey River was a great opportunity to see nature and experience the people of Belize. Our snorkeling tour was not great it poured, the water was really rough, not very clear and it was freezing. I've had much better snorkeling in St. Thomas. I will say our guides were great, friendly, and informative...so the trip wasn't a complete bust.
Overall I would recommend Turtle Inn, but be sure you venture out and experience the town, food and its people beyond the walls of Turtle Inn.
Forum Posts
New Years Eve
by livinmydreams
My boyfriend and I are going to be in Belize for New Years Eve, I am looking for some suggestions on what area of Belize to spend it in. We are 33 years old, enjoy the outdoors and are pretty social people.
Thanks in advance!
Christy and Jon
Re: New Years Eve
by Irina80
I dare to recommend stay on the islands, like caye Caulker, personally I didn't like Ambergies's San Pedro, Caulker is small and in 2 days u know everybody, by the end of the 3rd day we were already exchanging greetings with half the island. If u enjoy outdoors u would like it in Cayo district, caves, jungles, u can go to Guatemala to see Tikal but I just don't think u will get a lot of the Feliz Navidad feeling there, u know, that special holiday mood. Have fun!!
http://www.gocayecaulker.com/serv.html
Re: New Years Eve
by stucker
We will be there on our honeymoon. we arrive on the 27th and leave on the 6th. We are staying at Iquana Reef on CC, Chaa Creek and the Turtle Inn
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