31 Best Hotels in Guatemala

This hotel in a century-old house offers great in-town value and gives old Cobán standby La Posada some competition. The building is constructed, colonial-style, around a lovely garden. Rooms contain two queen-size beds, tile floors, huge bathrooms, and lots of wrought iron. Enjoy the evenings on the chairs outside your room on the wide veranda lining the perimeter of the garden. Top it all off with a knowledgeable owner, and you have one of our favorite lodgings in the area. The restaurant serves local cuisine and is open daily except Monday.

A twice-remodeled, half-century-old house designed in typical Antigua colonial style is one of the city's best small inns. You'll most remember the comfy four-post beds about this place: all are king- or queen-size and furnished with Italian linens and down pillows. Only one second-floor room contains two beds, making it the only option if you're not here as a couple. Getting to Room 7 requires a bit of sure footing: large stepping stones lead to its door over a small pond with floating votive candles. An amply sized rooftop suite has its own private hot tub.

True charm pervades La Posada, a lovely colonial home overlooking Cobán's central plaza, which the current owner's grandmother opened as a hotel in 1939. Rooms have wooden floors and exposed beams and are furnished with antiques. Some have special touches like wardrobes and writing desks, and three have fireplaces. Painted blue chairs and cloth hammocks fill the porch overlooking the pretty garden. In the reception area is a Ping-Pong table, which is popular with families. Request a room away from the street if you're bothered by traffic noise. A cozy restaurant with a fireplace serves international as well as Guatemalan favorites.

Don David Kuhn has lived in the area for 40 years and is a great source for Tikal travel tips, while his lakeside hotel, an institution in Petén, also offers much to the visitor. In fact, you can consider this little inn as the area's semiofficial tourist information center. (The hotel's website also has a wealth of information on travel to Tikal.) Rooms are simple and clean, all with private baths and most with air-conditioning. The gardens, though, really deserve your time, as does the lakefront deck. (Remarkably, food and drinks can be delivered to you there via a mini hand-cranked ski lift, the \"Toucan Express.\") The casa has an open-air restaurant with good home cooking and winning views of Lake Petén Itzá.  The hotel offers good, well-priced tours to Tikal, Yaxhá, and other sites, along with horseback riding and boat rides on the lake. Choice of breakfast or dinner included.

A beautiful courtyard with a fountain and colorful gardens welcomes you to this retreat. The elegant rooms downstairs open onto small gardens, whereas the romantic suites upstairs have four-poster beds piled high with down comforters and terraces where hammocks swing in the breeze. The rooftop patio is wonderful in late afternoon or early morning, and the restaurant is one of the best in town. The meat dishes are particularly good, such as the lomito (pork) bourguignonne with escargots.

The hotel and restaurant maintain an active evening cultural-events program open to the public.

This little jewel of an inn on a quiet side street is exceptional, thanks to the couple that runs it. Built in 1873, the family's former home has been renovated just enough to combine quirky Old World charm with basic comforts. Rooms have tile floors, handwoven bedspreads, and walls decorated with Guatemalan paintings and weavings. Turtles roam the tiny garden, and a small but impressive collection of Mayan artifacts graces the dining room, where meals are served family style. The owners are also a great source of information about the city.

This longtime favorite has deluxe accommodations in private stone-wall bungalows with volcano views, as well as a few rooms and suites in the main building. Pass through the carved-wood doors of your bungalow and you'll find a fireplace and thick wool blankets piled high on the bed. The restaurant (¢–$) serves exquisite food, such as smoked chicken píbil in a tangy red sauce and Thai coconut shrimp. The wine list is surprisingly extensive. On the premises is a small store where you can rent canoes and mountain bikes.

On the beautifully tended grounds at the dock entrance to Santiago Atitlán is a string of rooms with private patios overlooking the lake. Stone pathways loop through a series of taxonomically arranged gardens (cacti in one, flowers in the next, and so on)—and most of the hotel's restaurant's fruits, vegetables, and herbs are cultivated out back. Canoes are available for paddling around the lake.

This inn is a collection of little buildings about a block from the main street. Spacious, if sparsely furnished, rooms have sliding-glass doors that open onto the lovely garden. The rooms may seem a bit cool because of the tile floors, but they have fireplaces that warm you up in a snap. The grounds are surrounded by a wall, which makes the terraces by the pool a private place to sunbathe. The restaurant is one of the best in town, serving a wide selection of Guatemalan dishes. The agreeable chefs will sometimes even prepare dishes to order. You receive a 5% discount off the room rates if you pay in cash.

This romantic little B&B west of the central plaza blends colonial comforts with modern conveniences. The rooms—most have fireplaces—are spacious and homey, with handmade wall hangings and throw rugs and the occasional rocking chair. On the roof is a two-level terrace with a fantastic view of the city. Complimentary breakfast is served in a small dining room downstairs. The staff is incredibly friendly and will be happy to help you with travel plans. You'll get a small discount if you pay in cash.

Located in the heart of the city, this genteel inn, Antigua's oldest, is still run by the same family that opened it in 1923. The dimly lit colonial-style rooms face a beautifully tended garden. You can relax in a tiled portico strewn with plenty of comfortable rattan chairs. Although the wooden furniture and armoires give off a very old-fashioned vibe, you will find Wi-Fi and TV in all the rooms,

Rooms here are just functional; but Lake Petén Itzá is a few skips across the street and verandas in tones of blue and orange make for lovely places to sit. Colonial spindles and other notes up the charm dial, as does the little checker-clothed restaurant where you'll have included breakfast (hot and decent). It's easy to confuse this with the several similarly named hotels.

This hotel was built amid the ruins of an old convent of which only the often-photographed Arco de Santa Catalina remains. The spacious rooms, all a bit dimly lit, are tastefully decorated with handicrafts and handwoven bedspreads. Most face a verdant courtyard, where a smattering of tables and chairs encourages you to settle in with a good book. The modern rooms in the annex are brighter and have kitchenettes.

Set amid colorful gardens, this hotel gives you comfortable accommodations without the hefty price tag of more deluxe digs. The medium-size rooms are simply and tastefully furnished. Most open onto the pool area—these are set way back from the street, giving you no sense of being smack-dab in the center of town—where you can spend your afternoon on a lounge chair with a cocktail. The restaurant has a certain elegance, with tables set beneath a soaring thatch roof. The menu includes well-made pasta dishes and lots of wine.

This hotel has the feel of a backpacker's lodge without backpacker prices, but it's in the park, and despite the less-than-luxe mattress, you'll awaken to birdsong. Jaguar Inn has a decent if overpriced restaurant with shaded outdoor seating. Rooms of different sizes have tile floors, fans, and wooden furnishings, with Guatemalan fabrics. You can also camp here on a crowded platform for about Q110 (US$15) per person, including complete supplies and use of bathrooms and showers (we don't recommend this option). The inn optimistically promises electricity from a generator 24 hours a day, but hot water is only available from 6 am to 9 am, and 6 pm to 9 pm. The hotel will pick you up in Melchor near the border for US$90 one-way for two people.

The common areas, with lake views and cheery colors are lovelier places to be than the simple rooms, but the oldest hotel in Flores remains a reliable one. A plunge pool graces the atrium of this classic lodging, almost like a functional fountain (which can actually be a little off-putting unless you don't mind swimming in front of guests checking in). The lakefront location is excellent. With so many options nearby, it's best to dine outside the hotel. The same owners also operate Hotel de La Casona del Lago, among others.

The hotel whose name translates as "fish of gold" is best known for its Italian restaurant. Stop by for dinner even if you aren't staying here. Thatch-roof, tile-floor bungalows are scattered around the grounds, each with carved-wood furniture and ceiling fans that keep each unit surprisingly cool.

Retalhuleu's prestige address is this medium-size, colonial-style hotel a couple of blocks from the Central Park. It is frequented by business travelers during the week and vacationing families on the weekend. The large rooms are arranged on two floors around the pool area, and contain dark-wood furnishings and two beds each. Ask for a room that doesn't overlook the busy 5 Calle.

The poolside restaurant is the best in town.

A night in this restored colonial mansion—it’s actually three adjoining residences, one of which is a national monument—is a journey back in time. All rooms have soaring ceilings and gorgeous tile floors, and are set around two large courtyards and several smaller gardens. A tile fountain trickles in the dining room, which is on a garden terrace; to the side, a woman prepares tortillas on a piping-hot grill. Indulge in a serving of Antigua flan, a dessert layered with figs and sweet potatoes. Light sleepers, beware: the lively marimba band can sometimes play long into the night. The lodging is part of a two-hotel chain, with another branch in Panajachel on Lake Atitlán; a stay at both places in a single trip gets you a 10% discount off the rates.

A pair of conjoined colonial homes—leading to a pair of two colonial garden courtyards—makes up this friendly lodging a block from its namesake church. Rooms are simply furnished with wood furniture and colonial-style art. A few of the larger rooms have their own kitchen and are large enough to accommodate a family. Elsewhere in the hotel, you'll have access to shared kitchen facilities. The hotel offers discounts for long-term stays, as well as baggage storage if you plan to travel elsewhere around Guatemala.

In a lovely old building, this hotel is a welcome retreat from the frantic pace of the streets outside. The large, elegant lobby has an antique chandelier and a sweeping staircase. The high-ceilinged rooms, though a bit plain, are nevertheless comfortable. If you don't mind the noise, ask for one with a view of 6 Avenida—it's a great way to view the action without having to fight the crowds.

The cluster of bungalows, set farthest from the park entrance, wraps around a well-manicured garden and a pool, which you will be very happy to see after trekking through the ruins. There are several types of accommodations: bungalows (the best choice), junior suites in two buildings, and rooms in the main lodge building and in an outbuilding. The bungalows have thatch roofs and stucco walls decorated with traditional fabrics. Electricity is limited. A restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner has a menu with daily specials. Some bookings require a breakfast and dinner package. Try to avoid this as the food is underwhelming.

Any lodging with its own heliport must cater to an affluent clientele, right? Yet rates are very reasonable here. Opt, if you can, for one of the 14 rooms across the street from the reception. They are scattered throughout a pleasant garden. With their stucco walls, big wooden doors, armoires, antique furniture, tile floors, and hammocks in the breezeways (and some rooms with fireplaces), they echo an old Guatemalan hacienda. Eight other rooms sit either above the reception area or near the parking lot. Beef is the specialty in the restaurant ($–$$), along with great lake views.

Surrounding a covered courtyard illuminated by skylights, the spacious carpeted rooms at Hotel Villa Real Plaza all have fireplaces that you'll appreciate on cool evenings. Those in a newer wing are superior to those in the dimly lit older section. The restaurant (¢–$$) has an interesting menu, whose offerings range from chicken cordon bleu to a variety of meaty stews. You'll receive a small discount if you pay with cash.

Built atop a cliff overlooking the azure waters, this gorgeous inn unquestionably has a great vantage point for gazing at Lago Atitlán. All the rooms have views, but those from Number 1 and Number 3 are the most breathtaking. If you can tear yourself away from the windows, you'll notice that the beautifully decorated rooms have wood-beam ceilings, red-tile floors, and stucco-and-stone walls hung with local handicrafts. If you want to get a closer look at the lake, kayaks are available. Meals are served family style in the cozy restaurant (¢–$).

You enter this stately hotel through iron gates, then step into a small reception area that leads to a comfortable lounge with a fireplace to keep out the chill. The restaurant spills out into the courtyard; its cast-iron chairs are surrounded by arches covered with dangling philodendrons. Traditional tile floors grace the rooms, which are furnished with antiques. Rooms in the front open onto a balcony, but those in the back are quieter.

The grande dame of downtown hotels, the Pan American opened in 1942, and was for many years the most luxurious lodging in town. To step into the dark-wood lobby of this former mansion is to leave the confusion of the city behind. A covered courtyard with attractive wrought-iron chandeliers spills out from the restaurant, whose servers wear traditional highland dress. The rooms are small but attractive, with tile floors, handmade rugs and bedspreads, and walls adorned with traditional paintings. The restaurant, known for its brunches and its coconut cream pie, is one of the few dining options left in the Old City.

You start seeing the signs advertising this hotel on the Atlantic Highway as you leave Guatemala City, and long before you get here you've memorized the name and location. The place, a few kilometers south of Cobán, is huge, and in that regard very un-Verapaces-like, humming with all the activity—gym, shops, playground, meeting rooms—of a hotel that bills itself as a "resort and conference center." Rooms are scattered around the lush grounds; some have fireplaces. The hotel has a lot of amenities and is a good value.

The pretty fountain that gives this hotel its name—búcaro refers to a water jar—set against a wall in the courtyard, is just one of the little touches that make this hotel special. The rooms have red-tile floors and wrought-iron furnishings. The owner and staff are extremely friendly.

Several blocks southeast of the city center, Quinta de las Flores has plenty of peace and quiet along with views of three volcanoes from the well-tended gardens and the open-air dining room. This 19th-century hacienda combines colonial comfort with a sense of whimsy—the decor includes modern takes on traditional crafts. All rooms have fireplaces to keep you cozy on chilly evenings. The quaint bungalows, which sleep as many as five, have small kitchenettes.