Rocking across the blue-green waters to the atoll, we soak in the sun radiating down on us from the captain’s deck. He points towards the horizon, we can see a spec in the distance if you squint, “Turneffe, your new home.” I would be staying at Turneffe Island Resort for the next few days to snorkel, fly fish, and settle into the slower pace of island life.
Each day at Turneffe Island Resort was designed with simplicity:
- Wake up and enjoy coffee delivered to the room
- Have breakfast
- Activity one
- Lunch
- Activity two
- Relax and unwind next to the ocean
- Happy hour
- Dinner
- Sleep
- If you didn’t feel like doing something, you could always hang back and read a book, looking out at the ocean.
For the lack of a better word, the structure of the days at Turneffe Island Resort allows for the mind to rejuvenate but keeps the body in motion. A recipe for returning home well-rested mentally and feeling stronger physically.
The staff greeted us as we arrived at the dock and we were shown to our rooms. I was staying in the newly renovated honeymoon villa, so there was ample room to spread out and feel at home. The massive, screened porch had a soaking tub, lounge chairs, room to do yoga, and a table that was perfect for journaling while enjoying my morning coffee—which by the way was some of the best I have ever had at a resort. Inside, the simple yet elegant design continued. A king-size bed, couch, desk, walk-in closet, a shower that could fit ten comfortably, all encased in mahogany ceiling to floor. That isn’t even the best part.
The best part is how the outdoor space was used. Out the backdoor, an outside shower. Off the front porch, I had access to hammocks, swinging beds, and docks that jutted out into the water. Palm trees reached for the skies and the ground was groomed daily, so my tender feet courageously explored the grounds barefooted with ease.
If the entire property wasn’t already an oasis to shed the woes from back home, tucked away on the far side of the atoll, opposite the marina where you arrive, there is a hammock stretched between two palm trees where you swing and soak in the final rays of orange-yellow sunlight as our star dips below the horizon line.
It’s here that I let out a massive exhale, realizing just how much tension I had been holding in my body before arriving. I closed my eyes and took another breath, repeating to myself, “And, this is just the start of day one.”