External Reviews
The New York Times: But here at Blancaneaux and at Mr. Coppola's other Central American properties - Turtle Inn, in the village of Placencia on the coast of Belize, and La Lancha, on Lake Petén Itzá in Guatemala - travelers who might have been backpackers in another era can enter an authentic but sensually gratifying version of the third world stage-managed by a master. The feeling at Blancaneaux Lodge and at La Lancha, which I also visited, is that of being at a private club for experienced travelers hip to the notion of exploring, preserving and celebrating the indigenous culture without sacrificing laundry service and a wine list.With handmade textiles, furniture and folk art collected by Mr. Coppola and his wife, Eleanor, across Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, guest quarters are free of telephones and, of course, TV's or DVD players (though Internet access is available at the front desks). International cellphones don't work, and you'll have to stand in line to use the house telephone - not that anyone seems to mind. You're free to tune in to the scratching sounds of thatch-colored lizards or the ticking of woodpeckers or to the screams of howler monkeys staking out their territory in the dead of night.
But it's the charm factor that puts Mr. Coppola's resorts over the top. When I wake at sunrise, craving sustenance, I press the switch on an intercom by my bed; it's concealed by a conch shell that promptly lights up. Room service arrives 10 minutes later. (Later, Mr. Coppola tells me via e-mail that the device, which he calls the shellphone, "was an idea I had for years. I love its eccentricity.")
Adding to the general sense of well-being at Mr. Coppola's resorts is the fact that they are designed not to leave a huge footprint on the environment. Ninety percent of the power for Blancaneaux comes from a hydroelectric plant built by Mr. Coppola to harness the water of the Privassion - a river "so pure you can drink while you swim," he tells me. In place of air-conditioning, there are wooden ceiling fans and louvered windows; on cool evenings (at 1,500 feet, nighttime temperatures drop into the 60's) you can snuggle under hand-woven bedspreads.
Independent.co.uk:
The staff, from guides such as Ramon to the waiters and waitresses, went out of their way to talk to the boys, showing them the many wonders of the jungle a stay at Blancaneaux can offer. These include horseback and flower tours, hikes along easy jungle paths and outings to numerous caves and creeks. Not forgetting, of course, the cornucopia of lizard, snake, mammal and insect life.
Coppola has three lodges in central America: two in Belize (apart from Blancaneaux, he has another in the coastal resort of Turtle Inn) and a third across the border in Guatemala. La Lancha lies on Lake Peten Itza in the east of Guatemala, and this was where we headed as we continued our odyssey with a three-hour drive, marvelling at the names of towns thrown up by Belize's English-speaking colonial past. There really are places called Lucky Strike, Young Girl, Baking Pot and Never Delay. There is even somewhere called Go To Hell.
Perhaps Go To Hell is a lovely town, full of joie de vivre and at ease with itself, but should its inhabitants ever feel in need of relief from their domicile's less than welcoming moniker, La Lancha is just the job. Here, brightly painted casitas overlook a tranquil lake and iridescent humming birds dart from leaf to leaf. There is a swimming pool and a restaurant, and only the extraordinary early-morning racket of the resident howler monkeys interrupts the sense of peace.