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ELLE travel: Belize
Get away from it all, Sofia Coppola-style.
By Dana Tye Rally
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Sofia Coppola spent her childhood summers in the Belizean jungle after her famous film-director father, Francis Ford Coppola, fell hard for the country's primitive charms and bought a remote 60-acre jungle paradise in 1981. In 1993, he opened a full-fledged resort, Blancaneaux Lodge: a series of private cabanas offering authentic Thai massage, swims in the nearby Privassion River and gourmet Italian meals with fresh ingredients culled from an on-site organic garden. "It was like discovering a hidden valley," he told The New York Times in 2005, "an isolated place where you could hide, write, think or get to know your wife better."
Since the Coppolas' arrival, this relatively unspoiled Central American country has lured nature-loving celebrities -- Leonardo DiCaprio bought an island off the coast of Belize -- and, more recently, thrill-seeking honeymooners who are drawn to its mix of Caribbean energy, Mayan history, exotic wildlife, world-renowned diving and pristine beaches.
What to do
KISS movie-star-style atop an ancient Mayan temple overlooking Chan Chich Lodge -- a 130,000-acre tropical rainforest and nature reserve -- seconds before sunset. Keep one eye open for curious jaguars.
CRACK open a bottle of bubbly in the abyss. The Caves Branch Adventure Co. & Jungle Lodge invites couples to declare their undying love by rappelling more than 90 metres to an underground cavern. For faithful leapers, an isolated rapture chamber awaits, filled with candles, gourmet goodies, champagne and a flower-strewn bed.
SWIM naked. No one else will care because you can reserve your own private waterfall for the day amid a 7,200-acre private jungle reserve at Hidden Valley Inn. For $125, you and The One can trek to a cool pool fed by six metres of cascading falls and lunch afterwards in a private screened octagon hut with a linen-covered table for two, chilled champagne and fresh flowers.
DANCE like the locals. Jaguar Reef Lodge offers weekly happy-hip performances by a Garifuna dance troupe. Or wander over to The Inn at Robert's Grove for Saturday-night poolside barbecue buffets that rock to local reggae bands.
GET a couples' massage. You and a partner can be wrapped, rubbed or scrubbed in a choice of six Mood Muds extracted from the grounds of the Maruba Resort Jungle Spa: red daji mud is believed to arouse passion, yellow benin encourages confidence, orange mafasa inspires peace, grey umba enlightens free spirits, and pink zitra promotes intelligence.
SIP sexy cocktails under a full moon with your toes curled in the sand at Coppola's palm-thatched Laughing Fish Bar at Turtle Inn.
STROLL side by side along the Placencia Peninsula -- 16 miles of bleached sand, lapping shores and dazzling stars. It's just a 15-minute walk from Turtle Inn to the Creole fishing village of Placencia Village.
DIVE as a duo with giant-but-friendly whale sharks at the Gladden Spit and the Silk Cayes Marine Reserve from Placencia on full moons between March and June. Or plunge into the spectacular, coral-studded Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye at Lighthouse Reef.
Click to view more images
Image courtesy Jaguar Reef Resort
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