11:00 AM - We touched down in Belize and headed straight to the doors to meet a hot 85 degrees. Not as hot as I expected, but the sun was shining and we were ready to hop on a 2.5 hour ride out to the lodge. You can choose to get there via car or by plane, but both methods will require you to take a 30-45 minute bumpy drive on a dirt road to get to the final destination.
1:45 PM - At last, we made it to Blancaneaux Lodge! Did I mention this was a Francis Ford Coppola resort? We were met with the absolute best hospitality. Not just when we arrived, but all weekend long. All of the staff are extremely friendly and greet you by your actual name everywhere you go! If that's not A+ service, I don't know what is. At check-in, we were provided their "signature" cocktail, Jaguar Juice, which was some sort of concoction made with pineapple juice and rum. Then we were off to the room!
2:30 PM - After extensive traveling, we were exhausted. For the rest of the evening, we decided to stay in and enjoy our little luxury straw hut. After all, that is what we came for. All the decor was well thought out and matched the lodge perfectly. Although I will say my favorite part of it all was the Japanese-inspired bathroom. Many will say it is out of place, but it worked so well with the outdoor theme of the room. Plus that tiling? Perfection.
9:00 AM - We woke up to a nice little continental breakfast brought straight to our room. The fruit selections were fresh and we never had the same choices two days in a row. It was a perfect start to a morning being able to soak in the sound of nature all around. {Minus my sister streaming the soccer game because world cup, right?}
11:00 AM - If we weren't lounging by the pool and working on our tans, then we were walking around the large property. There was a little man-made waterfall behind the property that you could easily walk to for a leisurely morning stroll. On the other side of the property was their large, organic vegetable garden. They grew most of their own vegetables to use in their restaurants. {Totally impressive!} There is also a large stable with a couple of horses which they allow guests to use for the sunset tours to Big Rock waterfall.
2:00 PM - We took relaxation to another level and treated ourselves to some treatments at the Waterfall spa. Might I say it was one of the best massages I have ever had! This is a must. Let's just leave it at that.
3:00 PM - Hungry hungry hungry! The Montagne restaurant closes at 3 PM, so we opted to have it ordered to our room so they could close the restaurant. Of the three restaurants on the property, two of them are Italian... and this was one of them. We were awfully surprised at how good Italian could actually taste in the middle of Belize.
4:00 PM - Back to the pool and more relaxing it is! We really took full advantage of our pool time. Also, this outdoor shower was total house goals!!!
**My absolute favorite picture of my sister!!
7:30 PM - On our last night in this little jungle heaven, we had drinks and dinner at the hotel bar and poolside restaurant. This place was the only one of the three restaurants that didn't serve Italian, but a traditional Guatemalan cuisine. As with the other restaurants, the service was impeccable and the food was so fresh and delicious. You can taste the freshness of the vegetables and every bite was heaven. We left feeling satisfied and ready to pass out!
The Next Day - It was our time to finally leave "Heaven on Earth", but not after some breakfast on our balcony, some swing time on the hammock, and of course, pool time. We left the lodge around 12 PM and were ready for our trip back to the airport.
Overall, we had an amazing experience! This lodge was the perfect place to kick back and relax. We didn't do much activity wise, but we knew this was going to be a chill-out vacation going into it. Above all, we loved the amazing service and attention offered at Blancaneaux Lodge. It truly made for a wonderful experience. Belize, we will be back for your beaches... hopefully before 2018 ends!
As for Houston, Texas? Two words. Barbeque {at The Pit Room} and Whataburger.
PS: I realize that I didn't take nearly enough pictures to fully capture this trip for you all, but what's the point of "unplugging" if you had your phone the whole time? You'll just have to make your way out there to experience it for yourself, I guess... ;)
