Private islands are the ultimate indulgence for the rich and famous. And when we spent a week at Francis Ford Coppola’s Turtle Inn resort in Belize last year, the staff told us about Coral Caye—his private island that’s just a half hour boat ride off the coast. And when they said our family could have it all to ourselves for 3 days, we knew we had to see if the secluded beach life is all it’s cracked up to be.

Here we are in the Caribbean fishing village of Placencia, Belize, getting ready to spend 3 days on Francis Ford Coppola’s private island, when out of the blue, one of our local friends sets us up on an authentic Belizean food tour with the area’s premier historical and cultural guide, Lyra.

Our family is passionate about luxury travel AND adventure, so when we were given the opportunity to spend the week living inside a legit beach hut at Francis Ford Coppola's beachside resort in Placencia, Belize, we jumped.