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Hütten des Turtle Inn

© Turtle Inn

The various reasons people have for opening hotels are almost as diverse as people themselves. For some hoteliers it’s all about making money but for others, a career as hotelier begins with love at first sight – in this case, love of a piece of land.

At least that was the case for American movie director and producer Francis Ford Coppola (of classics like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now”), whose career as a hotel-owner began with the unplanned purchase of a small forest cottage. Coppola was simply planning to turn this secluded space into a quiet place to work. His friends and family also took a liking to his new hidden hot spot however, so he continued to build more and more cottages in the area. Today, the “Blancaneaux-Lodge” is one of the most exclusive hotels in the American mid-west.

Blancaneaux’s little sister followed in 2004 when Coppola built the Turtle Inn on a beautiful stretch of beach in Belize. The many hammocks and palm-thatch hut give a Robinson Crusoe element to the luxurious hotel, which combines refined tastes with local Caribbean flavor. A total of 18 cabanas and villas furnished with hand-finished wood furniture make up the Inn’s living quarters. At the center of it all is the main building, featuring a specialty Italian restaurant with dishes made from old Coppola family recipes, and an enormous souvenir shop, which includes wines from Coppola’s own vineyard. Coppola playfully sums up the Inn’s atmosphere on the homepage: “I made the resort as rustic as I love, and as luxurious as I could, so that my family would join me there.”