Our family of four will be going to Guatemala at the end of February. Major interests are the Mayan ruins and Antigua so we are also interested in hotel suggestions for Flores area and for hotels near the GC airport.

We have thought about this trip for a while and were able to get tkts for $357 each from Boston including one frequent flier purchase so decided this was the time to go for it. The other alternative was Pompeii/the Amalfi coast but this seemed much more affordable

Anyway, I am not trying to high jack the thread. I will post separately with some questions specific to our plans. For now, just topping

Here are my favorites...
Antigua: Casa Cristina, safe, great location near La Merced, clean, cute rooms, real hot water, free internet and purified water, extremely friendly and helpful owners, $25/night double.

www.casa-cristina.com

Panajachel: Mario's Rooms, similar descrip to above, beautiful garden area, right on Calle Santander, in room safes, $16/night double.

No website, ph. 7762-2370 / 7762-1313

Flores: Casona e la Isla, all of the above plus ac, pool, restaurant, and nice lake views, $52/night double.

http://corpetur.com/

My photos with travelogues are here if you're interested. Happy trails!

http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Hi Hopefulist- Thanks for the suggestions. I just contacted Casa Cristina as someone else recommended it and Posada La Merced can't accommodate one of the nights we need.

I thikn we'll probably try to spend less on a hotel in Flores or El Remate since we are going to "splurge" a bit to have the benefit of Jaguar Inn's location for two nights.

Thanks for the suggestions and help!

vttraveler--Enjoy your planning--that's half the fun, isn't it?

Oh, and hopefulist--I tried looking at the photos from your other link but I am not familiar with flickr--is there a way to scroll through without doing the slideshow?

When you're looking at a collection and see all the thumbnails, you can click on any of them to enlarge. Sometimes the slideshows are quickest and you can speed up the pace if you want. If you don't have fast internet it can take awhile - sorry!

Please keep us posted - I'm planning a return trip to Guatemala but will likely use the favorites I listed above - they were perfect last time and I'll know my schedule enough in advance to make reservations ahead. Happy trails!

So, we booked:
Casa Cristina in Antigua
Hotel Utz Jay in Panajachel

So far they've both been great about communication.

Still considering Flores or El Remate Hotels. well, also still deciding between staying in Flores or El Remate--suggestions?

Also still need a hotel for the night we arrive in Guatemala City. If anyone has recs, let me know!

<i>hopefulist</i> - the pics are great--thanks for sharing.