Travel Reference
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cobblestoned plazas with weathered colonial fountains, a good-sized swimming pool amid
tropical foliage, and an open-air restaurant. There are eight large, luxurious rooms in the
main building, most with a fireplace, and five more secluded 'garden rooms' with private
terraces, plus five two-story
casitas,
each with two bedrooms, a kitchen and living room.
Considerable discounts are offered for stays by the week.
Posada San Sebastián $$$
( 7832-2621; snsebast@hotmail.com; 3a Av Norte 4; s/d/tr Q437/517/597; )
As carpenter, antique re-
storer and occasional xylophone player, Luis Méndez Rodríguez is the auteur of this con-
verted mansion. Each of the nine uniquely appointed rooms display his knack for finding
and refurbishing art and furniture. Big bathrooms with tub are a bonus, as are the roof ter-
race, the pretty little courtyard garden, and use of a kitchen.
GUESTHOUSE
Hotel Convento Santa Catalina $$$
( 7832-3080;
www.hotelconventosantacatalina.com
; 5a Av Norte 28; s/d/tr Q664/763/863; )
Of all the
dressed-up renovations in town, this is among the most impressive. Antigua's signature
arch, right outside the front door, was built for the nuns of the convent the hotel now oc-
cupies. Both the front colonial section and the rear 'modern' part are beautiful, though the
latter is quieter, with picture windows facing the old convent walls across a lawn; these
have good kitchenettes.
LUXURY HOTEL
Hotel Aurora $$$
HOTEL
(
7956-1000;
www.hotelauroraantigua.com
; 4a Calle Oriente 16; s/d/tr incl breakfast Q573/604/668;
)
Dating from 1926, the Aurora has a good, old-timey feel to it. The 17 large rooms wrap
around a manicured garden brimming with bougainvillea, with wicker rockers along the
corridors. Breakfast (included in the price) is served in the genteelly appointed dining
room.
