(PLACENCIA, Belize) – As Belize becomes one of the biggest boom areas of the Caribbean, affluent visitors—and more and more celebrities—soon find themselves switching from the adventures of island-hopping to the pastime of island-shopping.

Whether fly fishing, diving or sailing, wealthy visitors soon hear that private islands and prime properties can be purchased in Belize from original owners for a fraction of what waterfront costs back in the U.S. and elsewhere in the Caribbean.

While the Bahamas has been a draw for the trendy island homes of many celebs in recent decades, Belize is quickly moving into the mix for its more consistent climate, warmer water and weather, affordability, incredible barrier reef and proximity to that which the Bahamas will never have: an astonishingly bio-diverse mainland replete with stunning waterfalls, ancient ruins, jaguar jungles, mountains and rushing whitewater rivers. Not to mention super-friendly tax laws and the fact that Belize is an English-speaking member of the British Commonwealth.

Most people coming to Belize for the first time never get off Ambergris Caye. North Americans who have been here many times have discovered that the most beautiful and best places to live are on the mainland. It’s a more relaxed, non-touristy atmosphere and allows you some breathing room, yet still has great beaches and is minutes from the beautiful Mayan Mountain range.

Belize is also blessed with true tropical weather. It’s far enough south that visitors are never subjected to the chilly waters and wish-I’d-brought-a-sweater days that are the Bahamian winters. High-profile celebs who favor fly fishing and diving invariably come to Belize at some point. That’s nothing new, what with vacationers like the actress Charlize Theron, who swam in Belizean waterfalls in 2007. But while celebrity visits to Belize are practically de rigueur, more of them seem interested in getting a piece of this paradise for themselves.

Ever the eco-conscious environmental activist, former pretty boy Leonard DiCaprio has bloomed into a gritty leading man and capped off his career maturation with his own Belizean island, Blackadore Caye, which Private Islands Magazine says he bought in 2005 for just under $2 million. Huge by Belize standards, Blackadore is a rambling 104-acre island located in the prime area between mainland Belize and Ambergris Caye, close to the famous Barrier Reef. DiCaprio has stated that he hopes to make it a public destination and a model of sustainable development.

People come to paradise first for the palm trees, year round tropical air and clear blue waters. That’s how most of us define the ultimate escape. The mainland of Belize has all that—miles and miles of pristine oceanfront, in fact—but also offers up access to much more diverse adventure opportunities that appeal to someone who is looking for more than just a few days in the sun.

The Mayan ruins, whitewater rafting, mountain hiking and biking, and so many other activities are just something you are not going to conveniently find from one of the islands.

Projects like The Peninsula Club near Placencia are cropping up on the mainland. The Peninsula Club has the country’s first marina, and is located right next to one famous celeb’s long-time escape. Belize is a special place, something Francis Ford Coppola figured out a long time ago. Coppola first went to Belize while filming the groundbreaking Apocalypse Now and quickly wanted a piece of this lush little country for himself. The iconic director now owns two resorts in Belize (Turtle Inn and Blancaneaux Lodge) and one across the border in nearby Guatemala.

Travel and Leisure magazine touts his Blancaneaux Lodge highly in multiple annual reviews, for its forest scenery, remote setting and unique architecture. Hey, in Belize, all you have to do is not get in the way of the scenery, and Blancaneaux is situated near the Mayan ruins of Caracol.

Of Blancaneaux, T&L writes: “Spot rare howler monkeys and iguanas from the safety of an idyllic, horseshoe-shaped tub designed by Oscar-winning production designer Dean Tavoularis at Francis Ford Coppola’s Blancaneaux Lodge. Made from thousands of pieces of local granite and built by local stone craftsmen, it sits in a hillside amid the same kind of lush jungle paradise Coppola fell in love with while filming Apocalypse Now.”

The Turtle Inn, Coppola’s first creation in the region, also gets high marks for style and intimacy without exorbitant expense. Three restaurants, a pavilion home, eight villas and 17 cottages that are a stone’s throw from the beach create a powerful draw, along with proximity to the charming town of Placencia—full of friendly cafés and guesthouses—and the nearby Monkey River, where fantastic jungle eco-tours are offered.

Top it off with relaxing Bali-inspired architecture and décor, and The Turtle Inn is a great illustration of what Belize is all about.

The first time you see them, it’s hard to believe they call them ruins. Fact is, the Mayan descendents that function as your tour guide when you hike through the ancient ruins of Belize do not like them to be called ruins at all.

Carocal on the Belize mainland was not the Belize I’d imagined. My friends all showed me photos of their Belize trips…the usual island vacation stuff…blue water, palm trees, incredible diving, the fishing and all the flowery drinks and seaside hammocks you associate with Jimmy Buffet and Jerry Jeff Walker’ anthems.

Mostly, my friends never went to mainland Belize, where I am now. And as we start to ascend the Mayan temple deep in the verdant jungle, I can’t believe my eyes…and feet.

My shoes are traipsing over ancient stones, some of the steps raise up over knee high, and it is a bit of a grunt to get to the top.

But my breath is stolen for a different reason: I have ascended the tallest man-made building in the entire country of Belize: A 15-story Mayan pyramid that soars to 140 feet above sea level!

A friend on the trip summed it up best:

“It’s surreal, you’re walking through dense jungle, and it opens up and you see monkeys running around among all these huge rock structures built by hand without modern equipment.   How did the Mayans get these huge rocks up 140 feet to the top of their temple?”

The aura is astounding. You almost expect to see Harrison Ford burst from a tunnel pursued by brightly painted native warriors with blowguns.

The part of Belize I have grown to love, the central coastal region of the country, has all that same island vacation tropical paradise stuff, plus another world of wonders in the form of volcanoes, whitewater rivers, preserves where wild jaguars roam and of course the remains of Mayan civilization.

And a whole lot fewer tourists. There is plenty of room to roam, and to be alone doing it. In fact, 41 percent of Belize is nature reserve managed by the government or other organizations, and 70 percent of Belize land is still covered by some kind of forest.

Overpopulated Guatemala has depleted it’s natural resources, but Belize remains pristine…and full of mystery.

Around the ruins where we hiked, there are lots of structures still uncovered in the complex. Mounds of earth and ancient relic reclaimed by the jungle remain untouched because there is no funding to come dig them out. How much amazing architecture that was wa-a-a-ay ahead of it’s time remains hidden in the jungle here? No one can say.

On the temple, arches and rounded entryways boggle your mind, as you see first-hand where heavy stones were somehow fit together in a complex pattern to become solid, without mortar or cement. Holes in certain parts of buildings correlate with the sun angle at certain times of day – really advanced stuff.

Stuff you will not find on any of Belize’s wonderful, touristy islands nor any of the small private ones. I cannot wait to see what else the mainland holds!

I didn’t worship at the Mayan temple, but I think my heart started to worship this incredible little country a little.