Rants and Raves | January 8, 20094 Comments

Blancaneaux Lodge Review

Part II: The Accommodations

I began my three-part series on our trip to Belize yesterday with a review of the grounds and public areas of The Blancaneaux Lodge, which is owned and operated by Francis Ford Coppola and his wife. Today, I’m taking a look at the rooms.

Blancaneaux is a little strange. We had to change rooms three times while we were there. Because there are only 17 rooms, they move people around (changing the beds in the cabanas from two to three as needed) so that guests can stay the number of days they desire. It was fairly inconvenient and very disorganized. But we did get to see a variety of rooms.

We spent most of our time in The Honeymoon Cottage (Cabana 5). It was beautiful, and came complete with an authentic thatched roof. Stairs led down to a private lounging area overlooking the waterfall.

However, this is where having a good architect really comes in handy. Cabanas 5, 6, & 7 were built a tad bit too close to the waterfall. The mist from the falls, combined with the rain, meant damp clothes and damp sheets. They were never so bad that they could be called wet. We learned to keep our closet curtain closed to keep the clothes a bit drier.

This is the interior view of the Honeymoon Cabana on Blancaneaux’s website. According to both the website and the manager, Mrs. Coppola personally oversees every detail at the resort. So, I was looking forward to the beautiful canopy bed. Oops.

I guess Mrs. Coppola decided to redecorate a bit. That’s fine. But please change the photo on the site. What happened to the canopy bed and the rug? Did they get too wet? The lovely pillows on the sofa and the strip of Guatemalan textile were a little sad looking placed as they were – like an afterthought that didn’t quite fit.

Before I sound too cranky, I should say that there were some things I liked. The rustic furniture was nice. I liked the hanging textile over the bed. Most of the furniture was local and lovely. The architecture of the room was nicely laid out – with a good split between bedroom area and sitting area.

The floors are gorgeous. And I liked this little table.

The staff lit candles at night. They were pretty.

Each room sported a unique little “shrine”. Some were lit at night. I’d like to take one of these home.

Again, the local textile was nice. This photo was taken in Cabana 6 on our first night. Because all three of us stayed here for one night, they moved two beds in to replace the queen-sized mattress. Perhaps the musical chairs aspect of Blancaneaux is why the canopy disappeared. Check out those pillows. Sad.

Here’s a photo of our last room, Cabana 8. I boosted the exposure because it was so dark. In fact, every room was dark due to fluorescent lighting without enough wattage. I hope my makeup looked okay. Misterarthur didn’t run in fright. I guess I colored inside the lines.

This room looked like a barracks. It had the sagging queen-sized bed and two twins on the opposite side. The shrine is on the wall to the right. The duvet and pillows were in the cabinet. No closet in the room – they squeezed it into the bathroom. This mystifies me since the room is meant for more than two. Again, I was left with the feeling that this room had originally been meant for something else and had been drastically rearranged.

Final Thoughts

Do you think Mrs. Coppola saw to every detail here? I think not. And that brings me to my real complaint. Don’t lie to your guests. The world is becoming too transparent to get away with it. Don’t spew factoids about someone overseeing things who obviously isn’t. Change your mattresses when they get old, and don’t let your resort’s decor get so tired that it bears no resemblance to your website.

Blancaneaux isn’t McDonald’s. I know my Big Mac isn’t going to look like the photo on the menu board. But when I’m spending this kind of money for my vacation, I do expect to sleep on a canopy bed with a good mattress.

To read more about my trip to Blancaneaux, including things that aren’t design related, see my other review at Trip Advisor.

Have you had a similar experience? Let’s share.