“Being fit and healthy keeps the mind bright and the soul sharp,” says Martin Krediet, general manager of the 27-room Turtle Inn, one of Francis Ford Coppola’s Hideaways in Belize.
“I arrived here 1st October, 2010 — with my paddleboard, my mountain bike and two dogs, a rescue mutt called Roxy and Snack, a chihuahua,” he recalled, adding that actually after 12 years in Florida he had been perfectly happy in Miami, where he owned a bar, but this opportunity fell into his lap.
“I sent an email, got a phone call within a couple of hours saying ‘you are hired.’ I then went on a long-planned canoeing trip in the Grand Canyon. As so often happens, thinking something over with a group whom you did not know beforehand can help clarify the mind, and after discussions I got confidence to move to Belize. I lived on-site for a couple of years, to make sure, but then I bought a house on an acre that happens to have 150 feet of beach.”
Born in his native Holland, Krediet was brought up in the Caribbean, when his father, a marine who was also an Olympian, was stationed on Curaçao, Lesser Antilles. After compulsory Dutch military service, he later combined running marathons with working in restaurants and in such hotels as The Raleigh, on Miami Beach. Now, if he is homesick for bright lights it is easy to get back to Miami, which he does about once a month.
Really, he says, there are few disadvantages to his current life. Belize, unlike less fortunate areas of the Caribbean, has not experienced a hurricane since 2001. Four supermarkets ensure a regular supply of foodstuffs. The resort has Medicare call-out — “but in 10 years we have only had to airlift one guest who fell out of bed.”
The hotel, which Francis Ford Coppola and his wife, Eleanor, bought in 2001, re-opened after eight months’ closure on 1st November. It normally sees 65% of business coming from the USA, with average stay of 3.5 nights, and about 23% are repeats: Many combine this with a few nights at other Coppola hideaways, here in Belize at Coral Caye or, for a mountain experience, at Blancaneaux Lodge, or at La Lancha in Guatemala.
During the closure all 140 Turtle Inn staff were kept on. Some helped with the Coppola Curriculum, which Krediet devised, offering tutored virtual learning with such unique subjects as Belize’s art and cuisine.
“Now we are building up to festive season. In the past the entire Coppola family has come for a week over New Year. They are very social and very approachable, and on New Year’s Eve the boss normally makes a speech – one year he was wearing Vietnamese pyjamas. Everybody is very respectful.”
As if he too, after a decade, is part of the family, Krediet feels thoroughly at home. “There are so many advantages and few distractions, and every day I can run on the beach, and cycle 10 miles to the nearest village. It is vital to keep in top form,” he said.