A Director’s Green Dream

In the early 80’s, Francis Ford Coppola visited the fledgling democracy of Belize (formerly British Honduras) to try to convince the government to establish a satellite address and become a hub of communications. The government demurred, but Coppola fell in love with Belize, whose verdant jungles reminded him of the Philippines where he’d filmed Apocalypse Now.

Coppola visited an abandoned lodge called Blancaneaux and bought it. For more than a decade, his family and friends used it as a retreat. Then, in 1993, he opened his jungle paradise to the public. Coppola explains that having a resort in the remote reaches of the jungle didn’t intimidate him at all. It’s like being on location for a movie – you just bring everything with you or build it yourself. Coppola’s done just that – he is delighted that his laptop computer is run by clean, free energy that his river-powered hydroelectric plant provides.



Coppola sees his role as that of a conservator, preserving the pristine environment – loves the fact that the river water is pure enough to drink, and strongly supports Belize’s commitment to eco-tourism. In December 2000, Coppola opened Turtle Inn, his second resort in Belize, in the seaside fishing community of Placencia. Hurricane Iris swept it away into the ocean less than a year later. For the man who saw his production Apocalypse Now shut down by a typhoon, it must have been déjà vu all over again.

Turtle Inn reopened in January 2003 and once again, Coppola has taken disaster and turned it into triumph. “The new Turtle Inn fulfills my vision of a beachfront paradise” says Coppola. “I love being by the beach and in the water and our new incarnation of Turtle Inn provides the ideal balance between luxury and nature. There are things to do – or just do nothing.

And of course, the food is great – fresh, simple and absolutely delicious. I think our guests will enjoy it as much as we do.”

You can read more about Blancaneaux here