Located 130 km southwest of Belize City, in the hard-to-reach foothills of the Mountain Pine Ridge National Park, 30 km south of San Ignacio via a rutted mountain track, this property is, along with Turtle Inn in Placencia, under the direct control of Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola, who is sometimes on the premises.
Guests can expect a picture-perfect location, as the lodge's sophisticated comforts and sensitive design play out on the picturesque banks of the Privassion River. After an hour of bouncing along the Mountain Pine Ridge Road, most guests blink, dumbfounded, at the smooth wide boulevard lined with palms, the velvety croquet lawn and the vine-cloaked arbor at the lodge's entrance.
Hiding amid lush foliage and fragrant pines, the wood-cloaked main building, once a hunting lodge, houses the lobby, where polished dark-wood paneling, ceilings and floors provide a rich backdrop to vibrant Guatemalan textiles, colorful carvings, sofas with cranberry-colored cushions and a stone fireplace. The big ceiling fan overhead was used in the movie Apocalypse Now, and craftsmen in nearby San Ignacio built the mahogany furnishings.
Guests sip cocktails at a bamboo bar with Maya designs etched into its slate top. Others relax on the screened veranda that tumbles down toward the deck. Nudged from outside by a tropical pine forest, the beamed dining room has two screened sides and is evocatively lit. The bill of fare is Italian-accented, featuring a wood-fire oven that Coppola imported from Naples (along with a coffee roaster and espresso machine).
Many of the recipes come from the Coppola family cookbook. The greens come from a one-hectare organic garden, and the wines are sourced from the director's vineyards in California. Nightly specials complement the a la carte menu, a Continental breakfast is included, and snacks can be rustled up all day. Guests can choose to have a private dinner above the river in an open-air, thatch gazebo.
Adventures include custom-designed jaunts in Land Rovers to Maya temples at Caracol and Xunantunich, to the Macal River for canoeing, and to several nearby spelunking sites. You can also horseback ride, bike, or hike to a 300-m waterfall and other stunning nearby natural attractions. Use of mountain bikes is complimentary.
Proximity 
to Guatemala makes this a convenient springboard for visits to the renowned ruins of Tikal. Those who prefer to remain at the lodge can play Scrabble and croquet, soak in a large half-circle hot tub, or swim in cool, tumbling Privassion Creek.
The small gift shop sells souvenirs, and airport transfers can be arranged, though many guests opt to fly from the small on-site airstrip that Coppola built for his own plane (fewer guests choose this method since one of the planes, with guests aboard, crashed in 2006). A computer in the lobby provides Internet access for guests. There is a wireless signal in the lobby and in Villa 7.
Winding paths softly lit at night by the lodge's own river-powered generators lead to thatched-roof cabanas and two-bedroom villas. Perched above pine-fringed rock pools fed by streams, these palmetto, bamboo and mahogany redoubts blend well with the habitat and are widely spaced for optimal privacy. Colorful Guatemalan weavings and Belizean and Haitian art contrast well with whitewashed walls, polished floors and rustic antique furniture personally chosen by the director and his wife. No TVs or phones spoil the isolation, and guests can fall asleep to the sound of a rushing stream.
Velveteen blankets and fresh white sheets top comfy queen beds, and hammocks slung on screened balconies overlook the waterfalls. The seven cabanas have Mexican-tiled baths that are small but boast Japanese tubs, herbal toiletries and surprisingly high-pressure showers. Cabana 2 has the best views. The seven two-bedroom villas are even better choices, with open-sided living areas, plush sofas, lacy hammocks and sprawling, furnished hardwood decks. Kitchenettes have refrigerators, hotplates and coffeemakers.
Guests can request Coppola's own villa, which comes with a private plunge pool. The spacious screened bedrooms come with plush robes, screened balconies and large baths with indoor-outdoor showers and deep Japanese tubs.
Service is attentive without being obsequious, and the staff is highly personable and a delightful source of conversation. Discerning tourists appreciate this handsome, well-managed lodge's refreshing lack of pretense and simultaneous attention to detail. Blancaneaux is a bit more low-key than its sister resort on the Placencia Peninsula.
