The story goes that Francis Ford Coppola built Blancaneaux as a place to write, and it's hard to imagine a more inspiring base than this luxuriously rustic resort in Belize's Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. Just two or three hours' drive from the airport - or a short hop in your private plane - and you're poised for an idyllic few days where nature comes with all mod cons. Everything here seems designed to showcase the natural environment. Thatched cabanas scattered through the lush gardens, furnished with Central American textiles and artworks, feature decks and bathrooms half-open to the elements; thankfully, bedrooms are secured against mosquitoes and other nasties.
Twice a day, honeymooners and hikers alike troop up to the restaurant for tasty American breakfasts and Italian dinners, cooked using ingredients from the on-site organic garden. Staff will happily make you a packed lunch to enjoy while out exploring. Several of Belize's sights are within easy reach by 4WD, chief among them the ancient Maya city of Caracol – still under excavation - where you might find yourself wanderin the overgrown ruins alone but for your driver-guide. Armed with every fact there is to know about Belizean history and wildlife he'll regularly stop the car en route to point out a king vulture perhaps, or to let you sniff the fragrant bark of a tree used i traditional medicines.
With so many activities to choose from, you'll need to set asid time to enjoy Blancaneaux for its own sake: lazing in a hammock overlooking the jungle, taking a dip in the natural pools formed by the Privassion Creek as it runs through the grounds, or hanging out in the bar, chatting with the guides about whether to go horse-riding, hiking or mountain-biking tomorrow.
However you spend your days, be sure to get up one morning while it's still dark. As the sky lightens and a misty scene comes into focus, parrots fly past, screeching an alarm over the sound of the rushing river. Sitting snuggled in a fleece on your deck, watching the jungle awaken before you in all its cawing, chirruping and whirring glory, is worth getting out of bed for.
It is then, but perhaps before that you will begin to realise why Coppola built this idyllic place. Indeed you might even feel you could write a best seller here, however one thing is absolutely certain and it is this. You will not want to leave. Belize isn’t all about the Cayes, and the Reef, and The Blue Hole. The true Belize is up country away from the bronzed and bejewelled tourists, where you can begin to get the idea of what life could be like away from the rat race of 21st century life. If you take a vacation in Belize, go inland experience Blancaneaux and lots more besides.
