Pine Forest Heaven
Blancaneaux was the ultimate jungle/pine forest experience! we just returned after a visit with our four kids ranging from 9-18 years old. we stayed in the FFC villa and could not have been more happy with our choice - it is 100% worth the price, and in my opinion, a GREAT value as well compared to the much pricier accommodations at Turtle Inn. Major hats off to Cesar who made our trip comfortable and worry free - and lots of extra perks too! He was just the most wonderful host! DO NOT worry about the lack of a/c. the "big ass fans" are plenty and you get a nice breeze when you are at the higher elevation. also, DO NOT worry about the bumpy road and long ride from the airport. the road is almost 100% paved now and only takes about 1.5 hours rather than the 2.5 hours that…

Date of stay: June 2021

Extremely Special Place and Even More Special People

I could spend days writing, revising and perfecting this review, but perhaps more simplicity is called for when you are fortunate enough to visit a one of a kind place like Blancaneaux. 26 years ago I came to Belize, and in route to a much less appealing place, I detoured to Blancaneaux for an unforgettable drink at the Jaguar Bar. I swore then I would return as a hotel guest, and so at age 51 my husband and I decided to spend four blissful nights here in late May/early June as the world started opening after Covid. We splurged on the gorgeous and remote Enchanted Cottage, and I would highly recommend this option if you are the traveler looking for private yet unassuming luxury with a constant window on gorgeous Belize. Yes, it comes with a golf cart (which is super fun and cool) but Blancaneaux will forever remember us as "The Walkers," as we often ditched the cart for the lovely and relaxing walk to and from the main building.

I second all of the wonderful food/setting/ambiance details described by previous reviewers, but what sets Blancaneaux apart is without question the people. We have traveled around the world and stayed at many five star boutique and luxury hotels, but never have we found a staff with such an unassuming and genuine yet wholly professional demeanor. Literally every person we touched paths with was friendly, helpful, warm and inviting. From Bernie the manager (super great guy all around), to all our drivers (Geronimo, Virgil, etc.), to our regular bartender at the Jaguar Bar and his young trainee (the names are escaping us-ugh-sorry), we could not find a single fault in any of them. However, our Butler JAIRO is the stand out for sure. Jairo was (is) nothing short of a rock star for reasons that transcend being a spectacular employee, which he most certainly was (is). Jairo is an innately kind, interesting and caring person, and we left the hotel describing him as a new friend rather than a hotel staff member. In addition to tending to our every request and need and going above and beyond any and all possible call of duty, he tuned into who we are as individuals, and modified his recommendations accordingly. Early on, he recognized our need for more "athletic" activities, our aversion to things too "touristy" and our desire to learn more about the Yucatec Maya (of which he is one). Jairo was most of all interesting, funny and fun. He had not explored the sacred ATM cave yet, so actually accompanied us on this part of our trip, and became the butt of the guide Frances' (he was spectacular too) jokes regarding being our sacrificial Mayan to be left behind with the other human remains in the cave. Having Jairo along on this once in a lifetime experience made all the difference.

As for a practical piece of advise, please listen to the staff when they remind you (all the time by the way) to wear bug spray. The bugs were not bad at all in our opinion, but actually we just didn't notice them. Little no-see-ums are around (especially around the organic garden), and we made the stupid mistake of thinking we weren't getting bit because we didn't feel anything. In fact, we were getting bit, and the evidence didn't show up until days later. The staff reminded us - not their fault - and always had spray on hand in case we didn't. You are in the jungle, so you will experience bugs (Duh!), and this does not detract from the experience at all, but don't be like us and ignore the inevitable. Just apply it religiously and pretty much all the time and you will be good to go.

In sum, Blancaneaux (and especially Jairo) was a dream. Every good thing from every five star review before us is true. If you are the kind of traveler who wants an authentic and non-contrived luxury experience in a beautiful setting and with wonderful people, Blancaneaux should be ranked #1 on any list. We will return! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful slice of the world with us.

Date of stay: May 2021

Wonderful stay! Great staff.

Our stay is was wonderful. The honeymoon cabana has fantastic views and I can’t say enough wonderful things about the staff. The staff knew our names, set up a wonderful birthday dinner and were just all around wonderful! Great remote location with accessibility to Caracol, ATM cave, etc. food is wonderful, Coppola wines and liquors and local rum cocktails. Daily happy hour in the Jaguar bar is a great stop after excursions. Just book it- you won’t regret it!

Date of stay: May 2021

5 perfect nights in the Rainforest!

What an amazing 5 nights at Blancaneaux. Our family of four (kids 13 & 8) had a family cottage. It was a large one bedroom with a queen bed, two twins, living room, screened in porch with a hammock, bathroom with shower/tub combo. I would have preferred a two bedroom villa-but this cottage was a good value. 
The grounds are filled with lush tropical fauna-two pools (the “hot pool” is above the river and is intended as adults only) river access is throughout the resort—the water is refreshing and has natural “hot tubs” for in water massages. 
The on property garden is amazing and home to the garden restaurant—dinner here is not to be missed. 
In fact the food at all three restaurants is fantastic! 
The staff is so attentive and treats everyone like family! Our waiter Marty knew the whole family by name and had our preferences figured out after the first meal. Dean kept our cocktails refreshed poolside. 
Activities were top notch—horseback rides to the waterfall, Mayan ruins, local village immersive experience, evening jungle exploration, river tubing-the guides were well informed especially Jose who we spent the day with at the Mayan Ruins. 
Blancaneaux is a very special place-and good for both families or as a couple’s getaway. I would come back in a heartbeat!

Date of stay: June 2021

A great hideaway

This area is almost quaint - tucked away from a (being updated) dirt road. We stayed in one of the luxury cabanas with a plunge pool. The cabana itself was wonderful. Extremely comfy bed and plenty of space to relax. Please be aware that these cabanas have bathrooms with no ceiling, meaning that there is only a partial wall separating it from the rest of the room. So privacy is kind of an issue. Turtle Inn did not have this design; the bathrooms were entirely enclosed from the bedroom portion. Personally I prefer privacy so I might not have booked this resort had I known. But alas, we still very much enjoyed our stay. The wait staff was so nice, all of them learned our names, introduced themselves, they were all superior. The front desk knew our schedule, down to our flight departure times! We got covid tests scheduled with no issue so we could get back to the US just fine. I loved that the nights cooled down moreso than Turtle Inn. 

The food, again, nothing short of exquisit, even the pizza! We ate at all three restaurants - the garden tour is a must-do. I could be a sometimes-vegetarian if their chef made me those vegetarian meals. Wow. We would love to visit again!

Be prepared that this resort is not sufficient for those with mobility issues. There are a lot of up and down steps to get to one's cottage. Ours was on the very end so it was a bit of a trek to get out there (no big deal for us, though).

Date of stay: June 2021

The best place we've ever stayed in Belize!:

My wife and I just spent our 2nd anniversary at Blancaneaux Lodge. It's an amazing place. Beautiful and everything was just perfect. We cannot say enough good things about it! The staff, EVERY ONE OF THEM, was kind, helpful, polite, and all great people! We were treated very special there. We are so grateful and we will never forget it. Be sure to put on the complimentary bug spray when you are there and the complimentary lotion in the room helps prevent bites too. The two public pools = the warm pool and the larger cool pool are both awesome, so don't fret if you can't get the room with the private pool. It's really super nice of course, but just saying the other public pools are great too. Calm, peaceful, and most of the time was just us or maybe one other couple on occasion when we were there. Be sure to take the combined same day trip to Rio Frio Cave, Caracol, and Rio On Pools. All amazing places! The three (!) restaurants at Blancaneaux Lodge are all so wonderful. The bar too. You have to visit each one. The main restaurant for Coppola's Family Recipe of meatballs, The Guatemalan restaurant was sooo good, and the Garden tour and Restaurant was real fun and interesting...and super tasty! The bar is a cool place to hang out and chill as well. All the trees, plants, flowers and foliage there at BL make the grounds beautiful, shady (and sunny too). The place was almost always breezy and nights were very comfortable even in the summer. We never wanted to leave BL and cried when we did and got back to the main highway 25 minutes after leaving there I don't mind telling you. We will be back for sure soon as we can! We loved it and everyone that works there who made it so so special to us. Coppola should be very proud. I'm sure he is. Thank you, folks!

Date of stay: June 2021

Beautiful lodge

I traveled with my cousins and we stayed in the Francis Ford Coppola villa. It was enchanting. Caesar was incredible! He made our stay just perfect. We ate in the Guatemalan restaurant, which was charming, the vegetarian restaurant, which was delicious and had the chef dinner in the villa, which was amazing. The garden that supplies the property is beautiful and when you eat at the vegetarian restaurant, you get a tour and watch the chef collect the food that he’s going to prepare for you. I had a wonderful time with the attentive staff and the location is breathtaking.

Date of stay: May 2021

Better than the honeymoon we dreamed of.

My wife and I visited Blancaneaux for our honeymoon and had the absolute best time. The service from the staff was top notch and they even surprised us with a special dinner one night. We were able to walk to a waterfall and spend most of our evenings relaxing by the pool at this intimate resort. The staff was extremely friendly and catered to all of our needs. Would definitely recommend this resort for any couple who enjoys swimming, hiking, and great service. Thank you Blancaneaux, Bryan and Cali.

Date of stay: May 2021

Group of Belizean friends trip

Some friends and I were very interested in visiting the famous Belizean Mayan Archaeological Site for years after mentioning to a few of them of my personal interest, but did not get the opportunity for doing so.  
Therefore I asked them if they would like for me to organize such a trip which would include visiting the also famous Rio Frio Cave and the Rio On Pools. They jumped at the suggestion and told me to arrange. 
So I started to plan the tour and most suggested and agreed that we should make it an overnight trip so as not to make it too rushing. 
Therefore, after contacting a tour guide that utilized his services in the past (very experienced and great guide - John August) for the date and logistics with the guide I knew that I would need to look up a place to lodge for the overnight. 
I did not need to do any research for a place to stay because the name Blancaneaux Lodge was suggested by a few of my friends, which was also the first choice I had in mine. Some of my friends had been there before including myself but only for a short visit but not a stay.
With that said I contacted the Lodge and started making all the arrangements for the accommodation for the group. 
After much discussions and suggestions by the main office in the Town of San Ignacio (who provided very detailed info , suggestions, and advice) I finally made my bookings - 2 Bed Rms Family Villa, River View Cabanas, Garden View Cabana, etc. We were offered a special Belizean discount of 50% off the std rate, which my entire group welcomed with much pleasure. 
Upon our arrival at the Lodge we were greeted by very very friendly and courteous and professional staff from the moment we arrived at the main gate all the way up to the main desk - all were truly very warm and again very professional, it was more than a job to them, they displayed what any owner or manager would expect their staff to portray for the establishment
To our amazement we were told that most of our rooms were upgraded at no extra cost. I say "most" because I had already booked one of the best options. 
We were given a tour of the various cabanas to decide on.
During super the staff had already set up a setting to accommodate the group and the meals were excellent including the Lodge's famous Pizza.
What else is there to say about Blancaneaux Lodge - From the site management all the way down to the also important gate security the service and Lodge deserves more than a 5 star. 
Highly recommended.

Date of stay: May 2021

A Truly Magical Paradise

There will forever be a tiny hole in our hearts only Blancaneaux can fill. This was the third stop on our Belizean honeymoon and easily our favorite resort. Pros: Gorgeous, romantic, serene. Amazing food! The main Italian restaurant was fantastic. Delicious pizza and pasta. The Guatemalan restaurant was great as well. You MUST book a garden dinner during your stay. You get a tour of the gardens and a vegetarian dinner with a private chef. We also had a private romantic dinner on the river. The Jaguar Bar- The only bar at this intimate hotel (they only allow up to 60 guests total). Happy Hour every evening and the bartenders are engaging, hilarious, and fun. All of the staff went above and beyond. Wonderful people and we truly miss them!

Date of stay: April 2021