If you don’t mind being a little far from the lakeshore, a good choice in the main town is Hotel Las Casitas (Calle Prinicpal, near the market, tel. 7762-1224, $36 d including breakfast and taxes) with attractive rooms featuring traditional furnishings and vaulted wooden ceilings along with private hot-water bathroom.

Posada de los Volcanes (Calle Santander 5-51, tel. 7762-0244 or 7762-1096, www.posadadelosvolcanes.com, $35–43 d) is an excellent value hotel in a neocolonial three-story building with spotless rooms, including tile floors, cable TV, patio furniture for relaxing on the balcony in front of your room, and private hot-water bathroom. Rooms on the top two floors are more expensive. The owners, Julio and Jeannette, are friendly and knowledgeable. They can arrange pickup from Guatemala City upon your arrival and bring you to Panajachel for $25 per person. The same service costs $12 from Antigua.

Hotel Playa Linda (Calle del Lago, tel. 7762-0096) is just off the public beach and has spacious though somewhat spartanly decorated rooms for $40 d or $55 with lake views.

Müller’s Guest House (Calle Rancho Grande, tel. 7762-2442) has three comfortable rooms with hot-water private bathroom and attractive wooden floors and ceilings set around a pleasant garden. Rates include breakfast.

Hotel Posada K’amol B’ey (Calle Ramos, tel. 7762-0219, hotelkamolbey [at] yahoo [dot] com) is a large property with two different sections and prices ranging from $30–40. The clean rooms have TV and private bathroom. There’s a spacious apartment sleeping five people with living room, kitchen, dining room, cable TV, and private bathroom fronting attractive gardens for $78.