About this hotel
General information
Turtle Inn runs the full width of the narrow Placencia peninsula, with the Caribbean on one side and the calm Placencia Lagoon on the other. Its 28 thatched dwellings — cottages, two-bedroom villas and a handful of standalone houses — stand on the sand or among palms and gardens, built for the climate with vaulted ceilings, fans and screened porches open to the sea breeze. The design is Balinese throughout, from antique hand-carved doors to carved wooden furniture, and most dwellings open onto a private walled garden with an outdoor shower.
The pace is slow and barefoot: two saltwater infinity pools, one for adults only, a sandy beach with calm water, the Sunset Spa, a fitness cabana above the lagoon and pickleball courts. Restaurants range from Mare, for seafood and Italian cooking, to a beach grill and a Belizean kitchen on the lagoon, partly supplied by the resort’s organic garden. The dive shop runs trips to the Belize Barrier Reef, and Placencia village is an easy walk along the shore.
Location
The resort lies on the Placencia peninsula in the Stann Creek district of southern Belize, a long, narrow strip of land between the Caribbean Sea and the Placencia Lagoon. Offshore are the cayes and the Belize Barrier Reef; to the west, beyond the lagoon, rise the Maya Mountains; and Placencia village sits at the southern tip of the peninsula, within walking or cycling distance along the shore. From Belize’s international airport (near Belize City), Tropic Air flies to the Placencia airstrip in about 35 minutes, and the airstrip is roughly five minutes from the resort; by road the drive takes about 3–3.5 hours. The hotel’s travel planners arrange ground transfers, domestic flights, private charters and helicopter arrivals.
Spa
The Sunset Spa occupies an open-air pavilion modelled on a Balinese rice house and decorated with hand-painted murals, and its treatments use locally sourced organic ingredients. Its speciality is traditional Thai massage, alongside an essential-oil massage that combines Thai and European techniques and a foot massage. Body treatments include a sea-salt scrub with tangerine or peppermint oil and a wrap of green tea, herbs and honey; facials use Monastery products, from a botanical facial with gua sha and Thai massage movements to a 30-minute refresher with a sheet mask under LED light. A coconut hair treatment with foot massage rounds off the menu, and treatments are best booked with the concierge on arrival.
Sports & leisure
Most activities are arranged by the dive shop and the concierge:
- diving with the resort’s own PADI dive shop: two-tank dives around the inner-reef cayes and on the outer reef near South Water Caye, and PADI courses from Discover Scuba Diving to Advanced Open Water
- snorkelling by boat, from half days at a nearby caye to full days on the outer reef; whale sharks pass through these waters between April and June, though sightings are never guaranteed
- kayaks, sailing boats, water bikes, paddleboards and snorkel gear to hire; the calm water in front of the resort suits first-time paddleboarders, and manatees live in the lagoon
- complimentary beach cruisers, sunrise and sunset group yoga, pickleball and a 24-hour air-conditioned fitness cabana (about 111 m²) with Technogym equipment and a personal trainer
- early-morning birdwatching on the grounds with the resort’s ornithologist, and sunset boat trips on the lagoon with canapés and wine, often with dolphins and manatees in sight
- excursions inland: trails, river tubing and waterfalls in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary; a boat trip through the mangroves and up the Monkey River for howler monkeys, crocodiles and wetland birds; the Maya sites of Nim Li Punit and Lubaantun in the Toledo district, about 90 minutes by road, paired with a swim at the seasonal Rio Blanco waterfalls or through Blue Creek Cave; and zip-lining and waterfall rappelling in Mayflower Bocawina National Park
- a 9-hole golf course ten minutes away by car or five by boat across the lagoon, and weekly painting, guitar and Spanish classes with local artists and musicians
For children
Children aged 10–14 can earn a dive certification on the PADI Open Water Junior Diver course at the resort’s dive shop, with four ocean dives. Among the excursions, a rainforest canopy zip-line about 35 minutes away takes children from the age of five.
Restaurants & bars
Restaurants and bars are spread between the beach, the garden and the lagoon:
- Mare — the main restaurant beneath a soaring thatched roof with sea views: seafood and Italian cooking from a daily changing menu, fish baked in a salt crust and pizza from the wood-fired oven, with an Indonesian rijsttafel on two evenings a week
- Gauguin Grill — charcoal-grilled lobster, jumbo shrimp and snapper with Balinese-inspired sauces, at tables a few steps from the sea, with a sand-floored bar
- Auntie Luba’s Kitchen — Belizean cooking on the lagoon, from curry chicken and coconut shrimp to beef stew and key lime pie, with a fire pit in the evening
- The Pizzeria — Neapolitan pizza from a wood-burning oven in the organic garden
- The Laughing Fish Bar — a thatched beach bar by the pool, with cocktails sometimes served in a fresh coconut
- Skip White Bar — an open-air bar from morning into the evening, pouring wine and Belize-brewed beer
- Kids Gelato Bar — seasonal local gelato, for children only
- Organic Garden Tea House — an open-air pavilion in the organic garden serving herbal teas from plants grown a few steps away, with guided garden walks on request
- Wine Aquarium — a glass-walled cellar of more than 1,200 bottles from California, Chile, Argentina, Italy and France, with hour-long tastings over cheese and charcuterie
Swimming
The resort sits on a sandy beach with calm, clear water for swimming and snorkelling straight from the shore. There are also two saltwater infinity pools — an oval pool facing the sea, open to all guests, and a triangular pool for adults only — and the standalone houses have private pools of their own.
Pets
Pets are welcome, provided the resort is told in advance.
Rooms
Turtle Inn has 28 thatched dwellings set among the palms between the beach and the lagoon: king-bedded cottages with garden, pool or sea views, two-bedroom villas and four standalone houses with private pools.
Every dwelling has air-conditioned bedrooms, ceiling fans, a screened porch, Wi-Fi, Cuddledown bedding, an Illy espresso machine, a minibar with water, wine, Belizean spirits, beer and snacks, a writing desk, sofa, safe, yoga mats, a T3 hair dryer, Luna Zorro bathrobes, locally made organic toiletries and a Shellphone to reception, along with in-room dining, laundry and turn-down service.
Poolside Garden View Cottage
A thatched cottage by the pool with a king bed, a screened porch, a bathroom with a Japanese soaking tub and a private walled garden with an outdoor shower. Pool and garden views, for up to 3 guests.
Garden View Cottage
Set in the gardens a few steps from the sea, with a king bed, screened porch, Japanese tub and walled garden with an outdoor shower. For up to 3 guests.
Poolside Seaview Cottage
Beside the pool with a partial sea view: a king bed, screened porch, Japanese tub and walled garden with an outdoor shower. For up to 3 guests.
Partial Seaview Cottage
A thatched cottage with a partial view of the sea, a king bed, screened porch, Japanese tub and walled garden with an outdoor shower. For up to 3 guests.
Seafront Cottage
Right by the beach and facing the Caribbean, with a king bed, screened porch, Japanese tub and private garden with an outdoor shower. For up to 3 guests.
Garden View Villa
A villa in the gardens a few steps from the sea, with two bedrooms, each with a king bed and en-suite bathroom, a living room, separate sitting areas and a long screened porch inside a walled garden with an outdoor shower. Four guests as standard, up to 6.
Seafront Villa
A villa just steps from the sea with two king bedrooms and two en-suite bathrooms, a living room, separate sitting rooms and a long screened porch in a walled garden with an outdoor shower. Four guests as standard, up to 6.
Stella’s Starfish Cottage
A private two-storey house on the seafront, with a kitchen, living room and bathroom downstairs and two air-conditioned bedrooms upstairs — one king, one queen — sharing a bathroom, plus a deck and private pool. For up to 4 guests; a butler, golf cart and private yoga on the deck can be arranged.
Roman’s Lagoon Bungalow
A secluded house on the lagoon side, across the road from the beach and pools, with a full kitchen, living room, a queen bedroom and a children’s room with a triple bunk, plus an annex with two more queen bedrooms; a private pool and deck face the lagoon sunsets, and a personal attendant looks after the house. For up to 6 adults and 3 children.
Francis’ Family Pavilion
A pavilion at the southern edge of the resort, walled by gardens on three sides: two air-conditioned en-suite bedrooms opening onto gardens with outdoor showers and a loft bedroom reached by ladder (two king beds and one queen in all), a living area, a screened porch with kitchenette, a thatched dining terrace and a private tiled pool. Full-time butler, for up to 6 guests.
Sofia’s Beach House
A modernist-tropical main house steps from the sea with two guest bungalows: an open-air living and dining room, full kitchen, a seafront media room that converts into a fifth bedroom, and upstairs a king bedroom with its own bathroom beside a queen bedroom; each bungalow has a king bed and en-suite bathroom. Private pool, barbecue, bicycles, butler and attendant; 8 guests as standard, up to 10.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.