Belize 2019: Blancaneaux

This year while the kids were at sleep-away camp for two weeks, Josh and I took advantage of being kid-less. In honor of our tenth year of marriage, we splurged and spent ten days traveling in Belize. It was an incredible couples vacation. It allowed us to have enough time to relax while also giving us some touristy things to do. We chose Belize for a couple of reasons:

It is an easy international travel destination. The trip roughly took us about five hours in the air with a layover in Dallas.
It is one of the best international destinations for scuba diving. Josh and I are both certified to dive and wanted to explore a new diving location.
It has a beach. We have discovered throughout the years that we really enjoy being near the ocean. It calms us and allows us to relax more.
Lastly, the culture intrigued us. Belize is a mezcla (mixture) of so many cultures and people. As the last British colony separating from England in 1981, the national language is English. However, there are so many other languages spoken there like Creole, Spanish, and Mayan. This diverse culture allowed consumed so many amazing dishes that reflected the different cultures found throughout the country. Everything from tacos and burritos to "rice and beans" which is more of a Creole dish to fresh farmed fruits and vegetables. Plus, being on the ocean, the seafood was freshly caught and prepared.

Our first vacation day, Thursday, June 6, was primarily a travel day. Once in Belize, our first vacation stop was Blancaneaux Lodge located in the northwest corner of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve in western Belize’s Cayo District. We rented a car at the airport and headed west towards our destination. The car ride took us more than three hours with a pit stop at Shena's Bistro on the side of the road for a bite to eat. Driving in Belize wasn't too difficult, except for cratered dirt road that we had to drive for the last hour to the resort. By the time we arrived, we were both exhausted and ready to relax. Luckily, they had adult beverages and eucalyptus enhanced cooling towels waiting for us.

A little history on Blancaneaux: It is a Francis Ford Coppola property. As you can probably guess, only Coppola wine is served on property. For more than a decade Blancaneaux was used as the Coppola's family retreat before it was opened to the public in 1993. Blancaneaux Lodge is a twenty-room luxury resort located on the Privassion Creek which flows through the property with tumbling waterfalls that create refreshing swimming holes. The resort is very eco-friendly. It has its own hydroplant that generates energy from the creek to power the property. They also refill wooden shampoo and conditioner dispensers daily for you. And they sustain their three three on property restaurants with fresh vegetables with their onsite garden. We tried them all and never had a meal disappoint us.

We stayed in one of Blancaneaux's Luxury Cabana's. There are only two on property. The cabana offered a secluded setting at the far eastern end of the property overlooking Privassion Creek and had its own private plunge pool (our favorite feature of this accommodation), a king-size bed, Guatemalan decor, and a second shower outdoors.

This resort was the perfect starting point for our vacation. It allowed us to relax in a beautiful jungle setting while also experiencing some of western Belize's Mayan culture and history.

On the plane to Belize