Turtle Inn

Luxury and unspoiled beauty on a pristine white-sand beach
Turtle Inn is a true labor of love. 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. Turning disaster into triumph, the Coppolas led a two-year reclamation project that has created a magnificent luxury hotel in Belize that consistently ranks among the best in Central and South America.

This 25-room seafront hideaway combines natural wonders with luxury style. Luxury Belize resort dwellings are in individual thatched cottages, decorated with handcrafted Balinese furnishings and are naturally cooled by the ever-present sea breezes. Just steps beyond your private deck, the white-sand beach dissolves into the clear Caribbean Sea. In addition, the resort has two infinity swimming pools for your daily enjoyment.

With its friendly, attentive staff, three restaurants, a rejuvenating spa and idyllic seafront setting, Turtle Inn is a perfect refuge for those seeking a truly relaxing and tranquil getaway. Our unique Belize location also provides a wealth of exciting activities. The coral reef just offshore offers some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world, and our dive shop can accommodate both beginners and experienced divers. Inland hikes to hidden lagoons, boat trips up the Monkey River and a short bicycle ride into our local, typical Belizean town will enrich guests’ experience of Magical Belize.

Beach & Pool
The best beach swimming in Belize is located in Placencia. The sandy beach and calm, clear waters create perfect conditions for swimming and snorkeling as well as a host of other water-related adventures. Visit our Dive Shop for more information on renting sailing boats, snorkel gear, kayaks and beach bicycles.

Turtle Inn also has two infinity swimming pools to help you enjoy the day. Our oval-shaped infinity pool is located between the Mare Restaurant and the Laughing Fish Bar while our triangular infinity pool with its striking ceramic turtle tiling and tranquil surroundings is located to the north of the property close to the Gauguin Grill.

DWELLINGS

Not all that is beautiful at Turtle Inn resides outdoors. Balinese-inspired cabanas have artisan-crafted furnishings, a luxury private bath and a broad screened deck to welcome in the tropical sea air. Enjoy the luxury in the spirit of the natural landscape.

Garden View Cottages
Nestled in the lush gardens and a few paces from the Caribbean Sea, each Garden View cottage has a private screened porch, spacious bathroom with Japanese bath, and private walled garden with outdoor shower. All rooms feature Balinese hand-carved doors and décor.

If you prefer to be closer to water, be sure to check out the Belize luxury villas and Poolside Seaview Cottages at Turtle Inn, offering partial views of the Caribbean Sea.

Poolside Seaview Cottages
With a partial view of the Caribbean Sea, each poolside cottage has a private screened porch, spacious bathrooms with Japanese bath, and private walled garden with outdoor shower. All the luxury Belize resort dwellings feature Balinese hand-carved doors and décor.

The luxury hotel resort in Belize also offers tranquil Seaview Cottages, with partial views of the Caribbean Sea.

Seaview Cottages
With a partial view of the Caribbean Sea, each Seaview cottage has a screened porch, spacious bathrooms with Japanese bath, and private walled garden with outdoor shower. All rooms feature Balinese hand-carved doors and décor.

If you prefer Belize resort dwellings that look out onto the Caribbean Sea, be sure to check out the luxury Seafront Cottages at Turtle Inn, just steps away from a beautiful stretch of beach.

Seafront Cottages
Just steps from a beautiful stretch of beach and the Caribbean Sea, each cottage has a private garden with outdoor shower, screened porch and bathroom with Japanese bath. All rooms feature Balinese hand-carved doors and décor.

For a more spacious and secluded accommodation, the Belize luxury beach resort also offers two-bedroom Garden View Villas, nestled in the lush gardens and only a few steps from the Caribbean Sea.

Garden View Villas
Nestled in the lush gardens and a few paces from the Caribbean Sea, these 2-bedroom/2-bath villas provide luxurious proportions with living room, separated seating areas, and extended screened porch. Each is surrounded by private walled garden with outdoor shower. All rooms feature Balinese hand-carved doors and décor.

Also be sure to check out the spacious 2-bedroom Seaview Villas at Turtle Inn which provide luxurious proportions and partial views of the Caribbean Sea.

Seaview Villas
With a partial view of the Caribbean Sea, these Balinese themed 2-bedroom/2-bathroom villas provide luxurious proportions with living room, separated seating areas and an extended screened porch. Each is surrounded by private walled garden with outdoor shower. All rooms feature Balinese hand-carved doors and décor.

The Belize luxury hotel also offers luxurious Seafront Villas, consisting of 2-bedrooms, separate sitting rooms, and full views of the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Check them out today.

Seafront Villas
Carefully placed on a beautiful stretch of Caribbean Sea beachfront, these Balinese themed 2-bedroom/2-bathroom villas provide luxurious proportions with living room, separate sitting rooms, and an extended screened porch surrounded by private walled garden with outdoor shower.

Turtle Inn prides itself on being one of the leading family resorts in Belize, even offering a large Balinese-inspired Family Pavilion large enough for the whole family to enjoy.

The Family Pavilion
This exclusive Balinese-inspired pavilion is designed to maximize privacy and is located at the southern edge of the property, surrounded on three sides by a high walled garden. There are two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and a third loft bedroom accessed by a bamboo ladder. The Pavilion features antique hand-carved wooden doorways and detailing, stone sculptures, and artwork selected by Francis and Eleanor Coppola. The two spacious bathrooms feature indoor showers and in addition one of the bathrooms incorporates a luxurious steam room. Beyond the airy bathrooms are private walled gardens with outdoor showers. Between the two bedrooms is a living area and screened porch with comfortable sofas, writing desk and wet bar area with Delonghi espresso machine and fridge.

Overlooking the pool is an open air, thatch-roofed dining terrace with unbroken views over the beach to the Caribbean Sea. Below the dining terrace is the private pool crafted with original tile art and surrounded by a tropical walled garden.

Guests at the Pavilion also enjoy monogrammed bathrobes and wine glasses, locally produced organic bath products, goose down or hypo-allergenic pillows, iPod docking station, WiFi Internet access and a Shellphone intercom system linked to the resort’s front desk. The Pavilion also has a full time attendant to anticipate your every need. The attendant is on call using a walkie-talkie radio system.

As one of the top luxury beach resorts in Belize, Turtle Inn offers several types of accommodations that are sure to fit your specific needs. To enjoy complete privacy during your vacation, be sure to also check out our Lagoon Bungalow.

Lagoon Bungalow
Enjoy complete privacy in the comfort of a handcrafted, nautically-themed cottage set on the shores of the Placencia Lagoon. Features a full kitchen, an expansive living room and bedroom as well as a private pool and deck offering spectacular views of the sunset. Please Contact Us directly for more information on reserving this exclusive dwelling.

You can also enhance your stay at one of the finest luxury resort hotels in Belize by staying at the Beach House at Turtle Inn

Beach House
The Beach House is a one-of-a-kind modernist-tropical hideaway just steps from the Caribbean Sea, which shares a beach and all the luxury amenities of Turtle Inn. Designed by architect Laurent Deroo as a stylish but soothing getaway, comprising an open-plan main house and two guest bungalows, the Beach House opens to the ever-present sea breezes while connecting to the romantic, Balinese-styled resort it adjoins.

Luxury In-Room Amenities
Each of the Belize luxury hotel dwellings includes the following:

– Bathrobes

– In-Room Dining

– Safe deposit box

– Refrigerator stocked with water, wine, soft drinks, Belikin beer and local snacks

– Shellphone for communicating with Reception

– Ceiling fan

– Writing table & chair

– Sofa & coffee table

– Coffee & tea making equipment

– Umbrellas (2)

– Organic, locally sourced, hand made toiletries

– Alarm clock & iPod docking station

– Copy of Zoetrope: All-Story magazine

RESTAURANTS

The Mare Restaurant
Fresh seafood and traditional Italian cooking come together at Turtle Inn’s flagship restaurant. Local fish is brought in daily from the fertile reefs just offshore and fresh vegetables are delivered from our organic garden.

The changing daily menu offers such dishes as ceviche and gazpacho, fish cooked in a sea-salt crust and a selection of pizzas made to order in the wood-burning oven. The Mare offers a relaxed dining experience beneath the towering vaulted thatch roof, with incredible views out to sea.

The Gauguin Grill
The beachfront restaurant features fresh, charcoal-grilled seafood including lobster, jumbo shrimp and snapper all served on woven plates accompanied by a choice of Balinese-inspired sauces and spices. Tables are set just a few feet from the sea giving fantastic views of the offshore cayes and starry night sky. The sandy-floored bar and lounge also offers an excellent selection of Belize-brewed beer, wine and cocktails.

Auntie Luba’s Kitchen
The authentic Belizean diner, Auntie Luba’s overlooks the calm, shallow waters of Placencia Lagoon. The menu of the rustic-style restaurant is filled with regional fare like curry chicken, coconut shrimp and hearty beef stew, all served in a fun and friendly atmosphere.

The Laughing Fish Bar
Just steps from the luxurious infinity pool, a towering thatch roof provides a shady retreat to enjoy a wide selection of drinks. Bar stools sit directly in the golden-sand beach, offering panoramic views over the sea to the offshore cayes.

Skip White Bar
Named after the charismatic original owner of Turtle Inn, the Skip White Bar displays antique microscopes used by Skip and his Marine Biology students. This open-air bar offers an excellent selection of drink options throughout the day and into the evening and is an ideal place to chat about the day’s adventures over a glass of Coppola wine or a Belize-brewed beer.

DIVE SHOP
With a subtropical climate, unspoiled cayes and atolls, as well as the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere containing a dizzying array of fish and coral, its no wonder Belize is considered one of the top diving locations in the world.

At Turtle Inn they specialize in attentive, professional dive services dedicated to safety and their guests’ individual needs. They offer scuba diving and snorkeling equipment and tours as well as a wide range of PADI certification courses for both the beginner and more experienced.

Instructor/Divemaster/Tour Guides
All Turtle Inn dive trips will be lead by a licensed Tour Guide who is also a PADI Divemaster or a certified PADI Instructor. The snorkel guides are all intimate with the local marine environment and conditions to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip. A licensed boat captain will also accompany each trip and remain on board the boat at all times.

Equipment
Turtle Inn uses only name brand, well maintained scuba equipment. The state of the art air compressors are inspected regularly and the filters are changed ahead of the manufacturers’ recommendations. If you have your own gear, they will be happy to wash it, store it and set it up for your next trip, free of charge.

The Boats
The boats are all equipped with VHF marine communication, first aid kits, life support oxygen, life vests, diver down flag, and of course, a captain that knows and respects the sea.

DiveTraining/Certifications
Turtle Inn is a proud member of the PADI International Resort Association, the world’s leader in scuba diving. All of the courses offered by Turtle Inn are conducted by professional PADI Instructors who follow standards set by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Courses include Discover Scuba Diving, Scuba Review/Scuba Tune-Up, Open Water Diver and Adventure Diver/Advanced Open Water.

Water Temperature
It’s warm – rarely below 80°f. With that said, we still recommend wearing some sort of wet suit or dive skin.

Departure
All dive and snorkeling trips have specific departure times. Please meet at the dive shop at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time. If you are going on your first trip with them please allow 30 minutes for equipment fitting and a brief orientation of our procedures.

Certification Cards
All certified divers must present the dive staff their certification card prior to diving. If you do not have your card with you, please let the resort know the day before your trip so they can verify your status.

Belize Recompression Chamber Agreement
Belize Recompression Chamber, located in San Pedro Town, Belize, offers hyperbaric chamber treatment with no prepayment or deposit; your insurance carrier is billed directly. Subject to a $2.00 per tank charge to support the chamber.

Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus)
Only a few dive destinations on the planet can boast about the return of the largest fish in the ocean year after year. Placencia can. During full moon week of April, May and June, the Whale Shark will glide through the waters giving divers and snorkelers the unmatched opportunity to share the ocean with them in close quarters. Documented to reach lengths of up to sixty feet, the Whale Shark will amaze any adventurer and may end up being the most beautiful and graceful creature you will ever see. At Gladden Spit whale sharks will readily approach boats, snorkelers and divers if they do not feel threatened.