Combining bargain-basement prices with an ultra-convenient location, the best value in Tegucigalpa is Hotel Iberia (on the small street leading to Iglesia Los Dolores, tel. 504/237-9267, US$7 s, US$10.50 d with shared bath, US$11.50 d private bath), centrally located between Avenida Colón and the church—a more desirable location now that the street vendors have been moved into a separate covered market. There is a pleasant, sunny common area with TV on the second floor, and hot water 6–8 a.m.

Another good choice is the American-owned Hotel Nuevo Boston (Av. Máximo Jeréz 321, tel. 504/237-9411, US$12 s, US$19 d), just west of Los Dolores church in Barrio Abajo. Very quiet rooms are set around two small courtyards. The rooms have fans and hot water; the larger rooms facing the street cost a bit more. No TVs in the rooms, just the one in the comfortable sitting room next to the reception desk.

If those two are somehow full, a third option in the same price range is the Nan King (Av. Gutemberg, a block east of the San Miguel market, tel. 504/237-1226, US$10 s, US$16 d with fan, more for a/c and TV), attached to a busy Chinese restaurant. The rooms are somewhat dark and the linens are shabby, but the bathrooms are clean enough and the owners speak English. They have big rooms that can sleep up to 10 people, and they are planning to install wireless Internet.

Also nearby is Hotel Istmania (1438 5a Av., half a block north of the Iglesia Los Dolores, tel. 504/237-1914, lahasbun [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$22 s, US$24.50 d, $2.50 more for a/c), an aging but comfortable and clean multistory hotel. A few rooms have tiny balconies and views (try room 701), and you can catch a wireless Internet signal from the upper rooms (Internet is also available in the hotel lobby).

Hotel Granada I (Av. Juan Gutemberg 1401, tel. 504/237-2381, US$14 s/d), in Barrio Guanacaste, is something of a Tegucigalpa institution, attracting an eclectic assortment of travelers and Hondurans with its three floors of clean, inexpensive tile-floored rooms. All rooms have private baths and fans, and some have TV or two beds for a bit more money. Check mattresses as some are much the worse for wear. Drinking water is free and the reception desk sells soft drinks.

Around the corner and up the hill are the Granada II (Subida Casamata 1326, tel. 504/237-4004) and Granada III (Subida Casamata 1325, tel. 504/237-0798), with about the same prices. Ask for a room that does not face the street for a more peaceful stay.