We found hotels in Guatemala on
Trip Advisor or
Booking.com,
or just zoomed in on Google on a town where we were going to
stay and looked for the names of hotels (many are NOT on any
booking service and, therefore, you have to call them or use
WhatsApp to contact them - and in one case, had our current
hotel call the next hotel).
I highly recommend you book hotels at least one day in advance -
it is SO hard riding around a chaotic town trying to find a
hotel, and getting to a hotel and finding it's already booked.
Booking at least a day ahead took SO much stress off of us. You
absolutely need a sim card (super affordable and wherever you
buy such will insert it and set it up on your phone for you) and
What's App for Guatemala! And not all hotels required
pre-payment or even a credit card to reserve.
The hotels we stayed at and what we thought of them (we
recommend all of them, though I'm sure a few aren't for
everyone):
Hotel Vista Al Cerro, Antigua
We stayed here our first two nights. A basic, clean, well-worn
hotel, in a good location, good for one or two nights when your
days are packed with activities and all you want to do in your
hotel room is sleep. The staff members are SUPER friendly and
helpful (but that's really all of Guatemala). We got there
earlier than planned and they rapidly prepared our room so we
could check in immediately. We stayed in the back room on the
first floor, and it does get loud early in the morning, as staff
arrives and prepares things in the kitchen, but we are early
risers anyway. No air conditioning, but the room cooled off at
night. Only drawback for me was there was nowhere to just hang
out and drink some beer you bought at the local tienda and chat
if there were more than two people already on the rooftop (which
has a wonderful view of the erupting volcano). Not sure if they
have secure parking - we weren't on our motorcycles yet when we
stayed here (it was our first two nights in the country).
There's a terrific place to have breakfast nearby: Puerta Once
Antigua.
Casa Amaranto,
Panajachel
An oasis in bustling Panajachel. We stayed here two nights. A
beautiful garden and pool that offer great respite after a long
day of exploring. Very friendly, welcoming staff that seems so
happy we were there (but that just seems to be the rule of
Guatemala!). Private parking (we were on motorcycles and need
secure parking). Lovely, clean room and VERY comfy bed. No air
conditioning but it cools off at night. Would have been nice to
have had more ventilation in the room and way more hooks to hang
things. Sitting out in the garden, drinking cold drinks, laying
in a hammock or sitting at one of many tables around, and
playing with the kitty... so nice. Easy walking distance to the
shore and to boats to go across the Lake. I thought it was
amazing value for the money. I'm betting it's loud and lively on
the weekends but... that's Guatemala.
Plaza Hotel, Santa Cruz del Quiche
Absolutely, there must be better hotels in Santa Cruz del
Quiche, and if you can find such, go for it. But we showed up in
town on our motorcycles with no place to stay, hadn't followed
our own advice of finding a place BEFORE we ended up in town, we
were so tired, the market was going on in downtown so we were
having trouble navigating through the city, and we stumbled onto
this place. I had a look at a room before we decided to stay. It
is a WELL worn place, no matching anything, but our room was
clean - sheets, floors, bedding, bathroom, everything. Suicide
shower - we passed on that. But all plumbing worked. The
Internet worked okay. And the parking was private - the door was
closed at a reasonable hour. And since we ended up here on
market night and it was right there by us, we walked out to see
it and, wow, it was AMAZING. The market just goes on and on and
on throughout the streets, and it's fascinating. The people
working the market are so friendly, not pushy, and once they
realized we were foreigners, happy to chat. The Quiche market
was a highlight of my entire two weeks in Guatemala and it's
because we were at this hotel we were able to enjoy it. The main
plaza and church are near enough to walk to and worth it. Again,
more up-to-date hotels out there with better amenities - like a
place to sit and look out over the city, or maybe a garden, etc.
- but we have zero regrets staying here. Just make sure you look
at the room first before saying "yes."
Don Layo de Nebaj
Sparkling clean, modern rooms, great plumbing, hot water for
showers, decent Internet, VERY comfy beds, very quiet, and
protected parking (we were on motorcycles and needed such). The
antithesis of our previous hotel in many ways, in terms of
modernity. But just as clean. And way more quiet. And just like
everywhere else in Guatemala, super friendly staff. Added bonus:
a restaurant on the top floor with open views of the city.
Located right in the center of town. The steps inside are a bit
steep - be careful. Highly recommend this place.
Hotel Casa Duranta
An oasis in the middle of busy Coban, with an incredibly
friendly, helpful staff and a beautiful courtyard and garden
that immediately cool off at sunset. Sitting in the passageway
outside our room, looking out into the courtyard, was
delightful. They have a small dining area but weren't serving
food when we were there. Very decent Internet and they have
their own private locked parking lot in the next block. No air
conditioning, but it cools off at night so much, we didn't need
it. Clean rooms with old-world decor and oh-so-much charm. It
almost felt like a converted monastery. This is the kind of
place I dream about being in because it feels so romantic. Very
easy to walk downtown.
El Retiro Lodge, Lanquin
Gorgeous, steep grounds right on the river with a private
swimming hole and wonderful views of the jungle all around. It's
affordable and there is a very decent restaurant onsite, and the
restaurant staff are all super nice and very accommodating (when
I asked for something on the lunch menu for supper, they were
fine with such). Mango vodka cocktaill rocks. Rooms are clean,
but I wasn't crazy about the bed (hard as a rock) or what they
provided as a pillow (also a rock). Rooms are in separate,
picturesque bungalow buildings, usually four to a building, each
with a hammock outside. Only hotel we stayed in that had air
conditioning (we did use it some each night). The office is on
the top of the hill and the bungalows go down the hill, and the
restaurant and river are on the bottom. The really steep hill
and very slippery walkway mean it can be treacherous to walk
around, especially when it has rained: I looked every inch the
old woman I am going from our room down to the restaurant and
back (walk barefoot - it's easier to get a grip). The lodge
definitely caters more to the Young Folk, so I was super worried
about late-night music, but apparently the young people at the
hostel with us retired before midnight, so it wasn't a problem.
They have a pool table and a ping pong table and they are VERY
popular with guests. Internet only at the restaurant, but that
was absolutely fine. It's nice to just sit at the restaurant and
look out over the river and jungle. No private, covered parking
for the motorcycles, but they were on the property, right
outside the office and we never worried. We booked our ride to
Semuc Champey through the hotel. We stayed here two nights.
Hotel Verapaz, Salama, Guatemala
It will not be the greatest hotel you have ever stayed in. But
there are very few options in Salama. It's fine for a stay over
on your way to somewhere else. This place had secure parking,
the room was clean if quite run down, the staff was helpful
(even called the hotel we wanted to stay at the next night to
secure a room for us) and it's in a good location - though
Salama didn't feel as safe to us as all the other towns (lots of
young men grouped together on motorcycles - one group looked
like they were waiting for us when we were walking, so we turned
left quickly). There's a little area outside you can sit and
drink your beer and enjoy the evening. There is a pool and it
looks like that, someday, it might be really nice - not sure
when the work around it will be done. I wasn't crazy about
getting up in the night, putting on my headlamp and watching two
giant cockroaches run across the floor, but the reality is that
I am in Guatemala and that this didn't happen earlier, given the
flora, is extraordinary. Just around the corner from this place
is Irene's, a FABULOUS place for breakfast. This is not too far
from downtown - but there is not much to see downtown.
Tamarindo's Hotel and Restaurant, Pachalum
One of my favorite places that we stayed in all of Guatemala.
The photos don't do it justice: it's a picturesque little site
with adorable little rooms and a decent restaurant and a super
friendly helpful staff (which is the norm for Guatemala). The
answer to everything was "Yes!" Good plumbing, good shower,
comfy beds. Private, protected parking. And the surrounding
village is very nice and worth walking around. Wouldn't have
minded staying here two nights. Remember that they cannot
control how loud the surrounding town may or may not be. Also
note that the area is VERY hilly. The town is not only high on a
hill, but the town is hilly as well. We came in on motorcycles
from Rabinal on the 5, and much of the road is not only unpaved,
it's dirt and sharp rocks - but chicken buses and locals do it
on 125s, so we did it too! And going out of town to see the
Mayan ruins of Mixco Viejo, San Martin Jilotepeque, you will go
through two sharp steep hairpin turns that will leave you
breathless.
Hotel Pez de Oro, Monterrico
This little hotel is a GEM. Right on the beach, and with a
little pool as well. Very clean, adorable rooms, affordable (if
you don't think so, check out the prices of other hotels in
Monterrico), super friendly staff (does Guatemala have any other
kind?) and private parking for the motorcycles. No air
conditioning though and, strangely, it's hotter at night than in
the daytime. You aren't in an entirely closed space: there is a
big gap between the walls and the thatched roof. We had mosquito
netting on our bed but never used it. Excellent plumbing in the
bathroom. The supper I had in the restaurant was the best I had
in the entire country. We drank them out of cold Gallo though.
Delicious breakfast.
Casa Mia, Antigua
We got a good last minute deal via Booking for this picturesque,
boutique hotel. The most comfortable bed in all of our trip.
Nice place out back to drink beer and look at the stars. There
is a bar there but it was closed when we were there, which was
fine - just go to a tienda for your beer. Secure parking. Great
location. Front desk guy saved us from missing our flight out,
by insisting we leave WAY earlier than we had planned - he
arranged our driver to the airport.
Also
see my
reviews of hotels, restaurants, sites & other travel
services on Trip Advisor (I've already got several reviews
up for hotels in Guatemala).
Back to my
January 2024 Guatemala Motorcycle Adventure main page.
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