48 Best Hotels in Guatemala

This string of waterfront bungalows can best be described as Guatemala's most luxurious way of roughing it. Each is furnished with bright highland furniture and a pair of beds draped with mosquito nets. Don't be scared off by the shared baths; they're clean and comfortable, and the showers have hot water. The main building houses a restaurant serving excellent meals on a pretty patio overlooking the water. The dinner menu changes daily, but always includes lobster and other favorites. Dinner, at 7 sharp, is by candlelight.

This small hotel is in a secluded cove, and each of its stone-floor, stucco bungalows is shaded by avocado and papaya trees. Ask the friendly German owner to make you a tropical drink, one of his favorite pastimes. If piña coladas aren't your thing, request a massage—he is rumored to be the best masseur on the lake. The restaurant serves up great curries and other international dishes.

Magnificent views are the big draw at this rustic retreat. Rooms, in several wood-and-stone bungalows, are small but neat. The delicious home cooking is served family style in the main building, which resembles a New England farmhouse. The menu ($) changes constantly, but each meal comes with fresh vegetables and bread hot out of the oven. Electricity is solar-generated, with gas used to fuel the supply of hot water.

This slightly ramshackle hotel a few blocks off the plaza is a popular spot with travelers on a budget. Rooms on two floors of a converted residence face a small courtyard overflowing with plants. Several are arranged dorm-style with bunks, and sleep eight to 10 people. Though simple, they're clean and comfortable. There's a separate lounge where you can chat with other guests.

Rooms acquire progressively more amenities as you go up the stairs in this friendly hotel on a small street near La Merced church. First-floor rooms are a tad spartan, with only beds and tables. By the time you get to the second floor, there are televisions and nicer furnishings, and the two third-floor rooms offer art on the stone walls and nice views of the Volcán Agua. A rooftop terrace offers a 360-degree view of the city. The hot-water supply is limited here (only guaranteed between 4 and 11 am and 4 and 10 pm), but all in all, this is a nice budget find with free Wi-Fi and private bathrooms.

The owners of El Bistro also run a small, clean, and exceptionally inexpensive hostel next door. Lining a long first-floor corridor, the rooms have either double or bunk beds; all have shared baths.

This longtime budget standby just two blocks off the Parque Centro América has undergone a complete remodeling to upgrade its furnishings and facilities. Spacious, carpeted rooms on the upper floor contain private bathrooms; those on the first floor, all with partial brick walls, offer shared baths. All have colorful spreads and drapes. Everyone has access to shared kitchen facilities.

The Alps are nowhere to be seen, but at the very least, the sun-splashed breakfast room at this cozy little hotel does the name justice. The rooms are smallish but not cramped. Wooden masks and other handicrafts adorn the walls. A pleasant terrace is a great place for relaxing after a taxing day of roaming the markets. The hotel is down a small unpaved road near 7 Avenida, and removed from the cacophony of market central.

This quiet hotel has been popular with budget travelers for more than 40 years. An attractive, light-filled central courtyard behind the reception area is a nice place to relax. The rooms, all of which face the patio, are quite basic. The staff is friendly and will happily store your extra luggage while you travel around the country.

San Juan La Laguna's best (and only) lodging option, the Uxlabil has its own thatched dock and extensive grounds with a medicinal herb garden, Mayan sauna, and Jacuzzi. The simple rooms have textured walls reminiscent of beach sand, rather hard beds, and traditional-textile bedclothes.

A rustic bed-and-breakfast run by a friendly Argentine family, Finca Tatín is far off the beaten path, 20 minutes by boat from Livingston. The inn, which doubles as a Spanish school, rents canoes, which are a great way to see the river without the roar of a motor. A generator supplies the electricity here from 6 to 11 pm; the rest of the day, solar panels take their turn.

This hotel has succeeded where few others have by offering comfortable accommodations for a reasonable rate, making it a favorite of Central American business travelers who don't have big expense accounts. From the small reception area you climb a steep staircase to the pleasant but plain rooms, which are fitted out with tile floors and pale-green bedspreads.

Although they're a bit run-down, these nine bungalows are adequate and have fireplaces that keep you cozy at night. The best part of staying here is having round-the-clock access to the hot springs, which close to the public at 6 pm. The cabins themselves have no hot water, though.

There is only very basic accommodation here, but people come for the eco-activities, not the rooms. Built out over the water, this jungle lodge—the name is pronounced Tee-HAHSH—offers a number of types of accommodations, from cozy birdhouse-shaped cabanas to large two-story bungalows with kitchens and dining rooms. A series of swinging bridges over a mangrove swamp lets you stroll to the adjacent nature reserve. Also nearby is a plantation where you can learn how rubber is extracted from trees. The lodge is also known for its restaurant, which serves a variety of Italian dishes, including homemade pesto. There are also plenty of vegetarian dishes.

If your tastes run toward the simple, then this modestly furnished backpackers' hostel near the center of Cobán makes for a good budget find. Three of the six rooms are for one or two people; the other three have bunk beds and can sleep up to four; bathrooms are shared. Plenty of hammocks are hanging out in the garden and are nice to come back to at the end of a long day. The proprietors also run Cobán Travels tour company.

The rustic Doña Victoria was built as a convent more than 400 years ago. It's filled with charming antiques; rocking chairs and overstuffed couches line the wide stone porch encircling the patio, which is also graced with an old stone well. Rooms are spacious and have beds piled high with blankets for the cold Cobán nights.

Who would've thought that out-of-the-way Huehuetenango would have such a top-notch hotel? Spacious rooms, excellent service, and a central location make it the town's best lodging option. Third-floor rooms have great views, especially when the bougainvillea is in full bloom. At the restaurant ($) you can choose between a table in the shady courtyard or in the cozy dining room warmed by a fireplace.

This hotel in an older building a few blocks north of the plaza has a variety of rooms facing a cobblestone courtyard. The plant-filled portico leading to most rooms is scattered with inviting chairs and tables. Rooms are simply furnished, and a few have fireplaces. The hotel even offers its own rooftop market with 45 vendors on Thursday and Sunday market days.

It occupies a lovely 19th-century house, but this hotel isn't quite as charming inside. However, the reception area overlooks an enclosed patio overflowing with potted plants, and the lounge is furnished with reproductions of antiques. The rooms all have colonial-style furnishings; some of the larger ones have very nice views.

This large wooden hotel at the mouth of the Grutas is a good choice for budget travelers. There are sparsely furnished single and double rooms as well as several stone-and-concrete cabañas out back. Some rooms share a bathroom. There's also space for camping. The restaurant serves decent Guatemalan fare.

Run by a cordial Livingston family, Hotel Garífuna puts you in the heart of a lively neighborhood. The rooms in this two-story building open onto a porch overlooking the street or a tree-filled backyard. Expect very basic accommodation here, but the friendly owners make up for the fact that you have just a bed or two, a table, and a fan.

A series of A-frame cabins climb the hillside garden here up from the hotel's private dock. (The views are lovely, but the walk can be bracing.) Inside the cabins, expect rustic wood and blindingly white walls decorated with primitivist art. We like the whimsical, partially open bathrooms. (A hummingbird might be your companion in the shower.) You'll receive a 10-percent discount if you pay in cash. Thursday evenings this becomes one of Santa Cruz's places to hang out. The folks here present a weekly documentary film. The Q20 admission includes the price of one beer or herbal tea.

Nebaj doesn't have much in the way of lodging; the best bet is this friendly whitewashed hotel set around two courtyards. Some of the basic but spacious rooms overlook the garden. A few rooms in an annex next door have nicer furnishings and even toss in cable TV.

Rooms are simple here—expect tiled floors and two beds each—but the hillside location just above the dock gives you the best views in town, especially if you lodge on the top floor. All guests have access to the rooftop terrace.

This hotel has clean, simply furnished rooms, the best four of which overlook the lake. A third-floor balcony with wooden lounge chairs is the best place in town for an afternoon siesta. Although the restaurant always looks closed, it's open for business. Just call out "¡Buenas tardes!" until one of the workers appears. The Italian dishes are authentic and filling.

This four-story hotel in the heart of town offers clean, if basic, accommodations. Ask to see a few rooms, as some are much better than others.

Founded in 1892, this family-run establishment is one of Guatemala's oldest, still-operating lodgings. Over the years the distinguished hotel has maintained its tradition of good service. The wood-floor rooms, furnished with antiques, surround a few small courtyards leading off the lobby. Dinner is served in a fine colonial-style restaurant.

Make this your first choice in San Pedro. It costs no more than the other budget options, and provides you with a big step up in quality. Rooms are on two floors—those on the top floor have good views—and are bright and cheery, with either a double or a pair of twin beds.

Friendly owners are a nice plus at this budget find with mostly second-floor rooms in the center of town. Of the hotels we recommend in Panajachel, this one is closest to the bar action on Calle Santander. The noise is really only a problem on weekends, but rooms 1, 8, and 9 do not face the street and make for quieter evenings. Their bay windows face a center courtyard occupied by the sedate restaurant downstairs. Those three rooms are larger than the others and have fireplaces, too. We like Room 9 in particular; it has its own interior balcony.

This little hotel has a definite charm, most of it emanating from the engaging couple that runs it. The simple rooms, with handwoven bedspreads, surround a sunny courtyard. Clotheslines full of the day's laundry stretch to the roof next door. The shared baths are clean, but hot water is available only in the morning.