DSI

Hi,

We're thinking of going there and I was wondering if anyone's been there recently or had any comments? I'm curious about fun activities, swimming/beach, quality of food and wine, and if they are good family fun places.

EfficientTraveller

We considered staying at Blancaneaux Lodge when we were in Belize last year and ended up opting for Chaa Creek instead - the two hotels dominate the luxury "jungle" scene in Belize. The food and drink at Chaa Creek was really dissapointing so if we were to return, I would be tempted to try Blancaneaux but the area around San Ignacio is great. We had a fantastic experience in the ATM cave (probably only suitable for older children / teenagers) but there are other caving / jungle experiences and Caracol is stunning. No beach at Blancaneaux!

DSI

Any information on the Coppola properties in general? I'm keenly interested in these places but would love if anyone had any firsthand information. Also, looking at La Lancha, too.

KI-NRT

OK, I'll bite...

Stayed at La Lancha back in 2010, so take it for what you will.

We were there for 3 nights as part of a Guatemala trip that combined visits to Antigua (Hotel Posada del Angel) and Lago de (Lake) Atitlan, where we stayed at Casa Palopó - probably the best in the area, and a charming property with caring staff and stupendous views of the lake (and surrounding volcanoes.)

The primary purpose of staying at La Lancha was Tikal - it's only about 45 minutes away on (mostly) smooth, paved road. While staying there, we also visited Ixpanpajul for zip lining (our first time doing so) and did some hiking in the area - they also have a cool sky walk in Ixpanpajul (i.e. - long suspension bridge high up in the canopy.)

We also took a private boat tour of Lago de Petén Itzá, as well as Flores. They have a zoo there called Petencito Zoo. It's really peaceful, and the animals seemed to be well taken care of and housed in spacious environs. The zoo showcases many of the fauna that are indigenous in Guatemala (many that you'll very rarely see in the wild, however.) We really enjoyed it. Later, we checked out Tayasal, an unexcavated Mayan-era archeological site, where you're treated to wonderful views of the lake (and Flores town) after about 15 minutes of hiking up the hill.

Other activities we partook in - we went kayaking in Lago Petén Itzá, and explored Actun Kan Cave.

Now to La Lancha itself - while some of the details are hazy for me now, here is what I recall:

We stayed at a Lakeview Casita (room 1, to be exact.) We enjoyed beautiful views of Lago Petén Itzá from the terrace. The rooms are not super luxurious, but were comfortable. I believe the rooms are laid out as duplexes, and heard some faint noise from the neighboring room one night... not sure if it's a major issue or not.

I recall the food being a highlight. Mrs. KI-NRT still fondly remembers our time in La Lancha, with a lot having to do with the food. A mix of continental and local (quite similar to Mexican) cuisine, with fresh, organic and local vegetables as well as homemade bread, tortillas and sauces. They had a grill for cooking fish, meat and veggies outside - everything was fantastic.

Staff were incredibly warm and friendly. Even more so than at any Aman I've ever stayed at, they made us feel like friends/family. I really enjoyed joking around and (tastefully and playfully) teasing one of the waiters there, and he was always a big ball of sunshine whenever he made our way to the dining area. All of the staff were like that, actually.

We did not bother even thinking about spa/gym/pool; we didn't care, we spent most of our time exploring rather than vegging. Therefore, I can't comment on these (or whether they even exist.)

La Lancha is quite remote. It's about an hour drive (I think) away from Flores Airport, with the final 30 minutes being on bumpy gravel road.

I see La Lancha as a great place to unwind after an active day in the area, rather than a destination property.

Regarding Blancaneaux Lodge - we thought about staying there 2 weeks ago, but chose Chaa Creek instead. Chaa Creek appears to have an inferior hard product, and I can't imagine the food at Blancaneaux being any worse than CC (it was subpar.) We were assuming this to be the case going in, but chose Chaa Creek anyway due to its prime location - it's in relatively close proximity to Actun Tunichil Muknal ("ATM") cave, an experience not to be missed! There are also other advantages, including the ability to enjoy San Ignacio town nearby, as EfficientTraveller also pointed out.

amaroo

Nice report. Just booked nine nights at three Coppola properties - 3 nights each at La Lancha, Blancaneaux, and Turtle Inn.... the transfers between each property makes it an easier decision.

Epicura

We (family with 2 children) went to Belize last year and my husband decided to skip the jungle adventures. I did look at the Turtle Inn but chose in favor of Cayo Espanto. Can highly recommend it, like many other posters. I don't think that the Turtle Inn is even comparable to Cayo Espanto. In summer they will likely offer something like pay 5 stay 7, etc. Enjoy Belize, it's stunning!

amaroo

Very nice. Cayo Espanto looks stunning! Maybe next time, when we leave the kids at home

We're also a family of four on a Mayan ruin adventure / holiday - visiting four countries over 34 nights.

cece4

Would love a follow up on your stays. Was thinking about Blancaneaus for just a couple nights and driving ourselves, which we always do, but your plan with transport included might be worth at least looking at!
How did you book it? Would you rebook this way again given the opportunity?
We will be in Belize 8 nights...just my husband and I...any recommendations gladly accepted.

Kagehitokiri

anyone compared top 2 villas at turtle inn ?
and or had "golf cart for drives into Placencia" ?

new >
thefamilycoppolahideaways.com/en/turtle-inn/dwellings/coral-caye
mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/coral-caye

thefamilycoppolahideaways.com/en/turtle-inn/faq

Exec_Plat

Just caught this...

We went to Belize in 2014. Stayed for a week at Cayo Espanto, 5 days a Blancaneaux. Cayo Espanto was exceptional, only quibble is that there isnt much (any) snorkeling you can access from he island. Add to that 'sails were being repaired' for anything we could take out, and that meant were were stuck taking paid trips. These were fine. Food was exceptional.

At Blancaneaux we stayed at the luxury cabana for two nights, then moved to the Enchanted Cottage the last 3. wow. Just wow. very special stay, totally isolated. You get your own golf cart to get around. Only quibble was the pools at the cabana and the cottage are cold. For $500 they could toss up some solar heaters and make them bearable. We were there in the summer too. Food was very good to excellent. Not michelin star/foodie excellent. (Always so hard to grade food...)


Two highpoints:

- One was an early AM horseback ride into the rainforest. Wife is an equestrian.
- The other was a private day trip to Tikal. A really great trip. Security was an issue, lots of road blocks, etc. Our driver was a retired policeman

We paid for a transfer to and from. Probably should have self drove, would have allowed more time to explore.

I dont know the current security situation these days. An unfortunate event at Chaa creek as I recall.

mumum17

Thanks for the review. I am interested in both these places that you visited. Do you recall which one you preferred more (taking into consideration that Cayo Espanto rates are much higher)? Want to see if the rate disparity is worth it. Thanks.

Exec_Plat

Cayo Espanto, for sure.

Ive noted that Blancaneaux rates seem to have dropped in the last 3 years. Or maybe it is my memory? I kinda wonder if inland Belize tourism is as robust as it was a few years ago? my recollection was that the Cottage was 1000 plus food...and cayo espanto was 1700 all inclusive.

Cayo Espanto has occasional specials, and I would think they might have 'last minute' arrangements you can make. of course if you book airfare, etc in advance, make arrangements to be gone- leaving the hotel to a last minute whim is a challenge.

bhrubin

We loved Cayo Espanto in Sept 2006 and actually did a private day trip to Tikal from there! (Took helicopter transfer to BZE, and then a short flight to Flores and 1 hr drive with guide to Tikal. It was a long and brutally humid and hot day, but we loved Tikal.)

If you like to scuba dive, the diving in Belize is some of the best we’ve ever done in the world. We enjoyed it even more than the Great Barrier in Australia from Lizard Island. It was easy to access the diving from Cayo Espanto, even though we had to transfer to the Ambergis Cay for all of our dives.

We are talking about returning in a year or two. We miss it. And agree—the food was spectacular.

Exec_Plat

^ Funny, I had Lizard comparisons in my mind when I posted above.... we stayed there in 2015.

On the narrow issue of scuba diving, I could see Lizard being wanting compared to Belize. On Lizard it is a 'captive' dive operation, with a pretty narrow focus. With Cayo they run you with one of the dive operators who cater to a broader clientele, perhaps a more hard core focus.

However, if you want to snorkel, explore beaches, etc, Lizard blew away Cayo in that it was DIY-able. No need to take a tour with a big boat..take out a boat, a picnic, and off you go. (Warming/bleaching might change this going forward, from what I hear.)

While the food at Cayo was spectacular, Lizard was a step up- IMO.

We'd like to go back to both....

bhrubin

I don't agree completely, but we do have mutual agreement in some arenas. I absolutely agree that snorkeling off Lizard would have been wonderful. But so would snorkeling off Ambergis Cay, but not off Cayo Espanto itself. The sandfleas would preclude snorkeling around Cayo Espanto for sure.

To help, here are my TripAdvisor reviews for both Cayo Espanto and Lizard Island:

Cayo Espanto (Sept 2006):
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...ize_Cayes.html

Lizard Island (May 2007):
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...ueensland.html

Obviously, our stays were quite some time ago, so things can change. But Cayo Espanto was definitely better with food/beverage than Lizard Island for our stays.

The diving was wonderful at Lizard...but it was superior in our estimation for Belize (not something specific to Cayo Espanto, as you could stay for much less on Ambergis Cay!). The fact that Lizard alternated 1 and 2 dive days was annoying; there was no such limit in Belize. The fact that Lizard always started at Cod Hole on 2 dive days was very frustrating; there was no repeating at all in Belize. The diving costs at Lizard truly were outrageous; the costs in Belize were pretty reasonable. Cod Hole and Shark Alley near Lizard were wonderful dives...but Shark Alley off the Ambergis Cay was incredible, not to mention the Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef, and other truly memorable dives we made daily in Belize. Our night dive off Ambergis Cay with thousands of stingrays was on the same day that Steve Irwin had been killed by a stingray, so it was a particularly memorable and eerie dive.

We loved the Pavilion at Lizard, its top accommodation. The Cayo Espanto accommodations are nice, too, but more rustic in ambience and style. We enjoyed both, actually. Cayo Espanto is far smaller and more intimate. The diving was much better and more reasonably priced at Cayo Espanto for us, the food and beverage was incredibly good and much better at Cayo Espanto. So for us, we would return to Cayo Espanto. We wouldn't return to Lizard.