Accommodations

Under US$10

The most pleasant budget accommodations are found at the rustically charming Casa de la Iguana B&B (tel. 7947-0064, $5–8 per person), about one kilometer from the center of town along Calle Marcos Sánchez Díaz, where fan-cooled rooms housed in thatched-roof bungalows with somewhat stiff mattresses, private bath, and hot water go for $8 per person or $5 per person in a shared-bath dormitory. Breakfast ($2) is served 7–10 a.m. in a thatched-roof dining room overlooking a pleasant tropical garden and includes a choice of scrambled eggs, pancakes, or cereal. There’s also a book exchange.

If you’re in a pinch, head to the no-frills Hotel El Viajero (tel. 5718-9544), closer to the center of town along the same street where rooms sharing a bathroom cost $2 per person or $6 d with private (cold-water) bathroom.

Continuing toward town the next place you’ll come across is Hotel Henry Berrisford (tel. 7947-0471/72), offering basic rooms spread out among several floors with ceiling fan, spongy foam mattresses, TV, and private cold-water shower for $10 per person or $7 minus the TV.

On Calle Principal, Hotel Río Dulce (tel. 7947-0764) has excellent-value rooms with shared bath for $5 or with private cold-water bath for $6. The shared-bath rooms are upstairs, are somewhat more cheerful, have balconies with street views, and get more ventilation than rooms with private bathroom, which are all on the first floor. All rooms have fan and spongy mattresses.

US$10–25

On Calle Principal, Hotel Ríos Tropicales (tel. 7947-0158) has basic shared-bath accommodations for $7 per person as well as nicer rooms with private bathroom for $25–27 d. There is hot water and an attractive courtyard with hammocks. The more expensive rooms have ceiling fan and some nice furniture. There’s a small café serving breakfasts.

Along the waterfront is Hotel Doña Alida (tel. 7947-0027, $25 d), with 10 large, modern rooms with private bath on a quiet street overlooking a beach. Rooms 10 and 11 are worth requesting for the sea views. To get here, turn right on the street just behind the Villa Caribe and walk north 2.5 blocks.

Along Calle Marcos Sánchez Díaz, about 400 meters west of the boat docks, is Hotel Casa Rosada (tel. 7947-0303, www.hotelcasarosada.com [2], $20 s/d), a delightful place to stay with 10 rooms, all with shared bath, centered around a pretty pink wooden house on the shores of the Río Dulce. The rooms are housed in attractive wood-and-thatch cabins with nice furnishings and hand-painted accents. Amenities include ceiling fans and mosquito netting. Some rooms are brighter than others. There is a dock leading out to the river where you can get dropped off. The restaurant here is excellent.

Out of town northwest toward Los Siete Altares [3] is Playa Quehueche, a sliver of a beach that holds a few comfortable lodgings. The first of these is Hotel Ecológico Salvador Gaviota (tel. 5514-3275 or 5514-7933), which has simple rooms in thatched-roof cabins, including shared-bath doubles ($20), rooms with private bath ($13 p/p), and bungalows sleeping up to five for $57. There is a simple seaside café serving local fare and there’s a pier out front over the ocean where you can swim or lounge in a hammock. A boat ride into town costs about $3.

Also in this neck of the woods and farther west is Hotel Ecológico Siete Altares (tel. 5514-3339 or 5205-7864, www.geocities.com/sietealtares [4], $15 p/p), where thatched-roof beachfront bungalows sleeping 2–6 people have ceiling fan and private bathroom. A restaurant serves a variety of menu items from hot dogs and barbecue chicken wings to grilled meat and seafood dishes, along with cocktails to enjoy by the beach.

US$50–100

Right at the entrance to town near the main dock, the Hotel Villa Caribe (tel. 7947-0072, www.villasdeguatemala.com [5], $79–110 d) is a large white building with a commanding presence over the waterfront. Standard rooms have tile floors, fan, and private hot-water bath, while three attractively furnished suites housed in separate bungalows come with air-conditioning, TV, minibar, and lovely sea views. There’s a large swimming pool and a restaurant that serves bland international fare. Splurge for the suite.

About 500 meters west of town along Calle Marcos Sánchez Díaz is the
Posada El Delfín (tel. 7947-0056, www.turcios.com/eldelfin [6], $75–150 d), where the modern, comfortable rooms have air-conditioning, private bath, ceiling fan, phone, and wooden furniture. All upstairs rooms have carpeting. There are also larger suites, including the wonderful honeymoon suite on the end of the two-story dock with a balcony overlooking the river below. It comes equipped with fridge, TV, and a CD player. Guests can relax in a lounge on the second floor, in the small swimming pool, or in hammocks on the dock over the river. For overall comfort and relaxing riverside ambience amid refreshing breezes, this place can’t be beat.

On the street parallel to Playa Capitanía is Gil Resort (tel. 7947-0039, http://www.gilresorthotel.com/english/index.html [7], $50 d), housed in an airy, two-floor wooden building. The comfortable rooms have wood paneling, TV, and a/c. There’s a nice sitting area with sea views and a Jacuzzi hot tub.

The nicest of the town’s accommodations is Vecchia Toscana (Barrio París, tel. 7947-0883/4, www.vecchiatoscana-livingston.com [8], $48–80 d). The tastefully decorated rooms feature mosquito netting and a fan or a/c and are built on well-manicured grounds surrounding a swimming pool.

On the other bank of the Río Dulce and at its mouth, Sierramar Eco-Lodge (tel. 5590-0789 or 7832-3885, www.sierramar.com [9], $25 d) is a comfortable eight-room lodge with bungalows fronting a pretty beach on Bahía de Amatique.