Palacio Nacional, Guatemala City

Advantages: Charming and unique hotel with wonderful Gautemalan artifacts and ambiance (a home away from home) run by delightful people.
Disadvantages: None

...experience when I stayed there! Last, the Posada Belen is very reasonably priced (a fraction of what I would have paid if I stayed in a major chain hotel). When booking the Posada Belen, I mentioned in an email that I wanted to take a tour around Guatemala. Francesca and René responded that they could arrange a week's tour for me (the Guatemala Classic Tour), which was truly wonderful. It was a comprehensive tour of Lake Atitlan, Antigua and Tikal. The tour was very flexible and was arranged according to my schedule and my needs, and it was always with small groups of people. The hotels on the tour were all excellent. I am very grateful to Francesca and René since they arranged a truly marvelous tour for me. Additionally, they arranged airport transfers and for a taxi to take me to the 2 best museums in Guatemala City. I... Read review

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Advantages: The people and rich culture
Disadvantages: You need at least 1-2 weeks for the experience and clubs are only open till 1am

...So I feel I should write a review of the the mighty they call Antigua of Guatemala, after living there for nearly 4 months I relised why it is considered to be one of the jewels of Central America. So lets be honest I could write volumes for this but I will try to avoid covering standard issues which you will find in travel guides. On first glance Antigua can seem like a beautiful but sleepy location as this is the impression I got on my initial visit passing through for just 1 day, but you see Antigua is the type of place you need a little more time to appreciate the fruits which it has to offer, and so my 1 day experience was not really a good indication of what Antigua has to offer the traveller/tourist/culture vultures! But on my more extended visit a few weeks later I saw that with a little time, research and 'getting to know... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Gorgeous town with a lot of character, plenty to do, and great markets.
Disadvantages: No alcohol after 8 on a Sunday

...I travelled through Guatemala as a student backpacker, but there are lots of things to do for any age group/interest. For the bargain hunters I thoroughly recommend the colourful and vibrant markets, but make sure you haggle (the best price is often gained from comparing different sellers, and having a grasp of the language!). I bought a beautiful bedspread for only £15, planning to send it home in the post, but ended up carrying it around the rest of Central America due to the £70 needed on stamps!! Even for the non-religious traveller, it is well worth visiting the churches, such as La Merced, San Francisco, and Las Capuchinas, for the colonial architecture and to appreciate the local devotion to the Catholic Church. The recent canonisation of Hermano Pedro (the first saint from Central America) involved a visit from the Pope... Read review

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