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Pine Forest Heaven Date of stay: June 2021 |
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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. Date of stay: May 2021 |
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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 |
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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. Date of stay: June 2021 |
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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. Date of stay: June 2021 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. Date of stay: May 2021 |
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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 |