Well not exactly, but close. The two of us went down for four days and had a magical time. The only hassle about the place is getting there. JFK to Miami to Belize City, and then a small plane that runs a continuous multi-stop loop from the top to the bottom of the country. The good news is that our hotel, The Turtle Inn, was a literally two-minute drive from the Placencia airport (read, living room).

The Turtle Inn turned out to be terrific. Owned by Francis Ford Coppola, attention has been paid to every detail. His wife picked out the artwork in each of the cottages and villas, and it was good enough for us to want to take it home. He has to approve every dish on the menu of the restaurant, and we have never had such good food at a resort. The wine list is made up completely of Coppola wines, of course, in a wide range of prices and styles. In addition to his Italian restaurant (the resort’s main one), there are a Belizean restaurant and a fish grill on the premises. For those, guests need to make reservations in advance.

The spa was lovely—and the Thai massages heavenly. Very highly recommended.

The beach there is more for snorkeling and scuba diving than for swimming. The dive shop on the premises arranges boat trips for that, and also lends out masks, snorkels and fins for the hotel’s beach. The pools, however, easily satisfy one’s lounging needs.

Happy hour, with half-price rum drinks and beer, occurs every day from 4 to 6. Since the hotel accommodates less than sixty guests, it is not a raucous affair. We met some interesting (in a good way) people, but if you want privacy there is also plenty of that. Once a week there is a reggae-ish band and hors d’oeuvres are served. Altogether a blast. (Also, Sunday night is all-you-can-eat pizza night at the restaurant. The pizza ovens are imported wood-burning ones, and the pizzas they produce are delicious.)

We went into Placencia to shop and have dinner. The town is a (scuba) dive town, and a ‘60’s throwback. You can purchase Mayan crafts and local artwork. One shop we especially liked was the Sunova Gift Shop. Don’t miss the Barefoot Beach Bar for cocktails.

The best thing about The Turtle Inn was the service. The staff could not have been more wonderful. From the waiters to the guys at the pool to the people at the front desk, everyone was smiling and gracious. The front desk, in fact, went well beyond the call of duty to help me acquire a drum from a local artisan and, when he was late in delivering it, sent it to me in New York.

In a nutshell, a GREAT place.