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Built as movie director Francis Ford Coppola’s private family retreat in the jungle, this private retreat has evolved into a 17-room, luxury lodge without losing its homey feeling. One reason may be that Coppola still often escapes here with his family. The main villa has a sitting room with wooden beamed ceilings and worn leather club chairs and couches that are strewn with colorful Guatemalan blankets and pillows. Locally made jaguar masks, Indian paintings and black-and-white photos hang on the walls. String hammocks in bright orange and yellow draped between two palms invite lazing away an afternoon. Little stone paths wind through the lush landscape to thatched-roof bungalows that overlook the Privassion River. Under the thatch, white-washed walls, hardwood floors and simple wooden furniture provide a muted backdrop for the vibrant colors of the tropical trees and plants outside and to the exuberant hues of the rich local textiles and crafts that adorn the insides. Bathrooms, too, have wooden vanities and a trim of brightly-painted tiles in the showers. (Warning: there are few bathtubs because of water scarcity.) The best villas (there are eight villas altogether) overlook the river and come with their own pebble-encrusted plunge pools. Families should rent Coppola’s house when it’s available because it comes with an inviting open-air living area, a small kitchen and a large deck with a dining table to seat twelve. There is also a two-bedroom family cabana but you have to climb a steep set of stone stairs to reach it, so it’s not toddler-friendly. Rooms from $225., includes breakfast and the use of bicycles, and will go up to $250 on December 1.