sazzy

We're thinking of honeymooning at the Turtle Inn in October. Has anyone stayed there? Know about October weather? Any helpful suggestions on things to do or not do? I've never been to the area and know nothing about it! We're looking for private relaxation and a day or two of exploration

SusanInToronto

That's the place owned by Coppola, right? The NY Times featured two of his eco-lodges today in the Travel Section, but that wasn't one of them. You might want to check out the article anyway.

JeanH

We were in Placencia a year or so ago. We stayed in a much cheaper cabana on the beach, but did walk through Turtle Inn. It's beautiful. If I was willing to spend the money, I could be very happy there. Especially one of the ocean front rooms. Drop dead gorgeous.

October is hurricane season, so I'd make sure to get travel insurance.

sazzy

JeanH - Yes, I'll definitely look into hurricane insurance. I'm also finding a lot of people saying the bugs are a real pain. What time of year did you go last year? Also, any suggestions as to a very nice place that is less expensive?

PatrickMcC

We recently stayed at the Inn at Roberts Grove which is close to the Turtle Inn. It is an extremely nice resort with an extremely professional and friendly staff. It isn't cheap but I'll bet it is cheaper than the Turtle Inn. There were no bugs at this resort in February.They have a website.

JeanH

I was there in February as well. No bugs at all, other than on a jungle tour at Monkey River Town. We stayed right Placencia village at a beach cabana named Las Amigas. Cute little cabin, but probably not what you're looking for since it's your honeymooon.

Have you looked into Ambergris Caye? More developed, but still laid back and fun. October is low season, we were there last September and my only complaint was that several of the restaurants were closed. If you can possibly delay until November, Victoria House is absolutely beautiful. (It's closed the month of October.) There are several other very nice resorts in the area, as well as numerous very nice condos that are really pretty darn nice for the price.

We're heading back to Ambergris Caye for the fourth time in the past two years next month. Obviously, we've found our 'place in the sun'.

sazzy

Thanks for the input and ideas. It looks like we may be doing 5 days first at Blancaneaux and 5 at Turtle Inn. Anyone know how far apart they are and is the driving really that bad? I keep hearing the roads are unsafe...something along those lines. Any other advice?

Katie_Valk

BL and TI have their own Islander plane you can use for tranfers. The drive will take about 3.5 hrs and is very pretty, driving over jungle covered hills, thru citrus and banana, small villages. Hyways are great, off roads will be bumpy. You'll have 45 mins of bumpy road between BL and the hywy and another 30 mins from the hywy to TI. I drive this route all the time, alot on my own and wouldn't if it weren;t safe and I'd be one of the first to know if it wasn't.

sazzy

Thanks for the info Katie. Any other advice since you sound like you know quite a bit, based on seeing all your replies. Weather in October? Any little tips or anything you'd like to share would be great!

Katie_Valk

October weather is usually great, but Sept and Oct have been our months of concern during hurricane season, no matter how low the chance of one hitting is. And statistics say the chances are slim, but I none the less have insurance to cover my possessions and likeswise, you should get travel insurance for the same reason-just in case.

glogg

Hi there,

Just got back from a few days in Placencia. We didn't stay at the Turtle Inn, but we did dine there. It's really beautiful. But here's my two cents -- the food in general in Belize is wonderful -- the fish is literally caught that day. That said, we weren't terribly impressed with our meal at Turtle Inn. It was awfully pricey -- and just not as good as what we got elsewhere.

ommd

i have a question to piggyback the orignal poster....how is the bug situation during october?

sazzy

Thank you everyone for your input. Does anyone much about the excursions? The Mayan ruins, the river tours, etc. Any suggestions/advice regarding those? Someone told us to do the excursions in Blancaneaux because they're closer. Then to just go to TI and relax. Also, anyone know anyone who has done the honeymoon package there?

annabeanie

Sorry to be so late to reply ! We had the trip of a lifetime when we visited Belize Jan to Feb of this year-still trying to come to terms with our return to real life! We had intended to share trip report but cant really face doing it! Stayed for 3 weeks -went via London Gatwick (we are English), and then Houston for 1 night at Magnolia Hotel and straight back on return trip (running thru Houston with our duty free and no boots is such an experience!).Had never been to USA before-brief but delightful !
Stayed Blancaneaux,La Lancha Guatemala and finally Turtle Inn.Incredibly good value when exchanging from UK pounds but depending on your income in US it might not be so inexpensive.Most of the people we met were from US.-they were all ,without exception , the most interesting and gracious people you could wish to meet-full of diversity .Everyone had money in common! We are not wealthy by US standards but everything was half price!
My personal recommendation (based on our trip).Spent 6 nights Blancaneaux-honeymoon cabana-waterfall view-more like on waterfall.Seeemed like it was raining because so noisy.Only problem there were the vicious sandflies even in January. (seems expensive but it is more luxurious than standard cabana, if you dont want to spend money on a villa which seems ridiculous for just 2 people!}-do majority of trips here-very central but bumpy road journey between visits.Saw St Ignacio,Caracol,Barton Creek Cave (canoe trip),Mennonite settlement,Xunantunich (magical place)Food at Blancaneaux was delicious-garden salads at lunchtime a must.Then on to Guatemala-La Lancha is less luxurious but for us it was very special-go for lake view..All rooms well situated but for little extra you get the wow factor .Food more basic here,no mini bar etc.We visited Flores for the day-good shopping if you are not visiting any other places in Guat.We were so chilled by the pool that we questioned whether we should see Tikal-we had seen far more Mayan ruins than we considered appropriate for non archaeologists!.However,we decided we must, as we had travelled so far.We went for a sunset tour-just the 2 of us,magnificent!.We had never seen fireflies before so the sight of those in the dark around main plaza with a Mayan guide narrating was something quite superior to any other holiday! The most hypnotic part of this hotel was just spending hours listening and watching the howler monkeys not far from our balcony-we also called them our woolly alarm clocks.....!
Next ,(hope I am not boring you?) we flew Flores-Belize City -Placencia.Maya Island Air were efficient and Jets bar at Belize City was very surreal-rum punch whilst waiting for a flight which has been brought forward is most definitely not an English experience ! We ended with 6 nights atTurtle Inn.This is definitely the most luxurious Coppola hotel.Go for the honeymoon cabana -seafront .This was our cabana-Blue Crab.If you want a special bed go for matrimonial suite but the people who stayed there found the bed a bit confined.Initially we felt peeved they had the better room but we had more privacy.Dont go for beach view or garden cabanas if you want the barefoot luxury experience. If money is an issue you can get good value elsewhere in Placencia for far less for that type of location (although space and furnishings generous in all rooms.).Having said that ,the service at Turtle Inn was impressive.I should add that we are not honeymooners (18 yrs together) and found that having waiter service meals in our rooms was a bit intimidating when the wonderful restaurant was only 2 mins away.Lots of good local restaurants in village but very little shopping if thats what you want! I would only do excursions from Turtle if you are into the water type activities.We wanted to see manatees but couldnt be bothered after our numerous other trips.Just being chilled by the beach-few feet in front of our cottage was enough.
Nothing at any of the hotels was cheap but everything was top notch.Would not suit 5 star types who want golf courses and on site hairdressers,but for people who want unpretentious luxury it must be unrivalled We felt we saw plenty of real life in a very comfortable way, but may be too polished for those who want the real Belize ?.The hotels were completely full but did not feel so.Turtle Inn felt positively manic though after La Lancha-go to La Lancha before it is officially open!
As far as excursions go-could do a lot cheaper with independent travel but it depends what you want or can afford.We felt the trips were pricey but extremely good value.Guides were magnificent and we had most of them exclusively.We booked no trips in advance-the concierge politely asks you at dinner if you want to do anything the next day.If you want to they arrange it and if you dont there is no pressure to.We did everything we wanted to when we wanted to-you wont know until you get there so dont book packages in advance.In europe we are used to being forced to book on the days the tour operator is running a particular tour.You will get none of that with Coppola.It is very exclusive in a very subtle way.Food may be too much luxury if you want the rice'n'beans type cooking-De Tatch was good .I think excursions are more accessible at the other hotels and Turtle is for relaxing but if you are the energetic type there is still plenty to do there.If we hadnt stayed at the other hotels I am sure that Lubantuun and monkey village would 've been on our to do list.Have rambled too long-gone back into that magical world! Best wishes from England (oh for a flock of parrots to fly past).Any questions please ask!

sazzy

Wow annabeanie, what a nice treat - not boring at all but very helpful! We did book our honeymoon, 5 days at Blancaneaux followed by 5 days at TI. A riverfront cabana at BX is what was available for us and we did get the honeymoon cabana for TI. So, we'll probably do our excursions within the first 5 days (and shopping a must then I guess) and just relax at TI. How realistic is it to go to Guatemala for a day from BX??? How far is Tikal? Did you research all the places you mentioned or learn more about them once you were in Belize? I feel like I need to really prepare ahead to know what would be best to do!

annabeanie

Glad you found it helpful.We probably cant afford a holiday for a couple of years now but it was so worth it! Other people at Blancaneaux certainly found it manageable (if exhausting) to go to Tikal for the day trip-5am start.I dont know whether we wouldve done it even if we werent staying at La Lancha simply because for us it would not have been relaxing .If you think that you will not return to Belize or Guatemala then go to Tikal on this trip,but otherwise I would see the more local sites and then compare them with Tikal when you come back another time.The border stuff is interesting and the contrast between the two countries fascinating but your journey will probably take at least 3 hours each way depending on how busy the border is.What takes the time initially is getting from Blancaneaux out of the Pine Ridge and onto the main roads and you need to repeat this every time you make a journey by car.It depends on your priorities-if you want to tick the box to say that you have seen Tikal then you will want to go however tiring it may be! You will be taken for lunch at La Lancha and you can chill for a bit there, but its a long way back ! The quality of your visit will certainly be better if you save it for another time and spend sunset /sunrise.You can only hope to see a tiny bit on a day trip so dont go expecting to be able to explore much.I personally wouldnt stay in the park hotels because La Lancha was near enough and we couldve done more trips there had we wanted.Tikal is awesome but we found Caracol to be of equal interest.It would be a shame to be so near to the local Belizean sites and miss those in order to see Tikal.We were amazed at how addictive it can be to visit Mayan ruins but you might not want to spend all of your honeymoon clambering up them.Also you may get Caracol all to youself with the guide and Tikal is likely to be heaving with people by the time you get there from Blancaneaux!.Caracol less excavated than Tikal but still impressive.Xuanantunich smaller and much easier to explore but more dangerous to climb as less in the way of steps and ladders.Wonderful views from there of the border towns.Hmm...what to do? Do you want to pack all of your week at Blancaneaux with trips ?If you do then you can do Tikal 1 day,Caracol and Barton Creek cave as full day trip 1 day.Xuanantunich and shopping for slate carvings +St Ignacio 1 day.We preferred to do half day trips where possible and then come back and have lunch and relax before cocktails in the hot tub.It felt lovely to have the place to ourselves when everyone else was out on trips.The bill for all of those excursions will depend on whether other people want to do the same trips on the same day-you will get a booklet telling you the exact costs for 2 or 4 people.We spent a lot on this because we had a lot of trips with just us and the guide.I think that a typical trip cost us about 120 usd for 2 of us but I cant be sure.Tikal will cost a lot more but the petrol costs are high.Having said that,apart from food,wine and trips we didnt spend much on anything else.The quality of the guides they use is extremely high.We didnt do much shopping because of luggage restrictions but we bought some beautiful slate pieces at a place in the woods between Blancaneaux and St Ignacio.We did a lot of research because we so wanted to make it a fantastic holiday but the hotels you've booked will really look after you.I spent a lot of time staring at views,reading and taking photos but we were quite stressed when we got there (it took 3 days!!!).The distances between places are not great but neither are the roads.The traffic seemed non existent and there seemed few people anywhere-but then we live on a cramped island and our other long haul was to India.Dont stress too much over your choices-we found lurking around on Belize Forum website was helpful.Maybe read up on some Mayan history-the concepts of their religion will give you more insight into all of the excursions to sites and caves.The holiday will be amazing whatever you decide-thats just the way Belize is!

alibi13

Hi,

I spent half my honeymoon in Beliza (and the other half in Honduras). 4 nights at Turtle Inn and 3 nights at Blancaneaux. Both great places. Turtle Inn is super luxury. Snorkeling/diving is a great excursion. Other than that, the place is so great, you can just hang around, walk the beach, kayak on site, have gelato. They really pamper you there.

They will drive you to Blancaneaux for like $200. We didn't have a car. At Turtle Inn you can walk into town (not super special, but ok). The Inn at Robert's Grove will pick you up for dinner. Good food, nice for a change of pace. At Blancaneaux you are pretty much there without a car. The excursions there are great and totally worthwhile. It would be hard to drive your self on some of the excursions I imagine. Do Tikal! It is an amazing, draining, once in a lifetime experience. It's way, way better than Caracol. Also get Thai massages at both resorts. The Barton Creek cave excursion is cool, though there is another cave trip, not offered by Blancaneaux, that I wish we went on. It's three words, the intials are A T M I think. Have a blast, and hike down to the river falls near Blancaneaux. A magical place.

angie77008

Question!? We're from Houston, so are very used to hot and humid weather. We are, although, addicted to our A/C, particularly at night when sleeping. I've noted that Blancaneaux and Turtle Inn are both sans A/C. I've checked out the ave. temps and it doesn't get very cool in the evening. Did anyone have a problem with the rooms being to warm, not being able to cool off, etc.?

We're thinking of honeymooning at both in October, thanks!

Katie_Valk

BL is in higher elevation than TI and won't be a problem at night. I spent this weekend camping close to BL, but in lower elevation and wore sweat pants and slept with a blanket. I'd get the seafront cottage at TI, but they have good fans in the rooms. Though it ain't a/c and some people really need it.

LanSluder

To Angie,

I've stayed at Blancaneaux maybe four times (and many more times in the Mountain Pine Ridge), usually in the summer, and never really felt the need for A/C, as the higher altitude (2000-3000 ft) and lower humidity makes it comfortable.

I've only stayed at Turtle Inn once (though dozens of times in Placencia). While I was there it was very breezy and comfortable, and we had a beachfront unit. Absolutely didn't need A/C. However, if the wind dies down or if you're back from the sea, you'd be hot. In October, you likely wouldn't need A/C.

i thought annabeanie's posts were spot on.

--Lan Sluder
www.belizefirst.com