THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS - Guatemala - page 266

Hotel Horiani (12 Avenida 2-23 Zona 1, tel. [phone], $8 d) is another good value
with better beds than others in its price range and clean rooms with shared bath. The
woman who runs the place also does a good job of screening would-be troublemakers. It's
a good choice for solo women travelers. Moets Guest House (7a Calle 15-24 Zona 1, tel.
5585-4213,$4p/p)hasjustfiverooms,allwithsharedbath,thatareslightlynicerthanoth-
ers in this price range. There's a pleasant courtyard sitting area and a café-bar in the front
lobby. Casa Argentina's (Diagonal 12 8-37 Zona 1, tel. [phone], $3 in dorms, $4 p/p
shared-bath room to $10 d with private bath) is a solid budget choice with 27 clean rooms.
Some have cable TV and there are always tea, coffee, and purified water available. Guests
have use of the kitchen. It's run by the very friendly and hospitable Leonor Morales and
her charming mother. Quetzaltrekkers is housed here.
$10-25
Casa Doña Mercedes (6a Calle and 14 Avenida 13-42 Zona 1, $20 d) has excellent-
value rooms with tile floors, wood ceilings, Guatemalan bedspreads gracing the firm beds,
and spotless shared bathroom. Another good choice is Hotel Kiktem-Ja (13 Avenida 7-18
Zona1,tel.[phone],$21d),housedinanoldcolonialbuildingwithwoodenfloorsanda
plant-filled courtyard. Some rooms have chimneys and desks; all have reading lamps, hot-
water bathroom, and cable TV. Conveniently situated near Parque Centroamérica, Hotel
Occidental (7a Calle 12-23 Zona 1, tel. [phone], $16 d) has 10 spartanly decorated
rooms with cable TV and private hot-water bathroom.
$25-50
Los Olivos (13Avenida3-32Zona1,tel.[phone]or7765-3469,$27d)isagoodchoice
if you're traveling with a rental car, thanks to a large covered parking lot. All rooms have
private hot-water bathroom and cable TV housed around a covered opaque-ceiling court-
yard. Basic meals are also available and the owners are quite friendly. Hotel Modelo
(14 Avenida “A” 2-31 Zona 1, tel. [phone], $40 d) is a well-situated, excellent-value
hotel in an old colonial home run by a friendly Guatemalan family. The nicest rooms are
in a section fronting the street and opening to a pleasant garden courtyard. All have private
bathroom, hardwood floors and ceilings, cable TV, charming antique furniture, warm wool
blankets to ward off the chill, and pleasantly hot showers. There's free Wi-Fi and the res-
taurant here serves good breakfasts. Hotel Villa Real Plaza (4a Calle 12-22 Zona 1, tel.
7761-4045, $43 d) is housed in a 19th-century building that once served as a prison. Some
of the rooms tend to feel a little bit dark, but that's a common thing in Xela's older con-
structions. All have private bath, cable TV, and closets. Some have a chimney. The lobby
has a nice restaurant set in a courtyard under an opaque roof. There are rooms in a new-
er section with somewhat bland decor that tend to get loud thanks to the presence of the
hotel's conference center in this part of the lodge. Hotel Casa Florencia (12 Avenida 3-61