EL ORIENTE AND IZABAL - Guatemala - page 348

RECREATION
Chatun
After a visit to the Black Christ, many pilgrims feel the need to unwind for the rest of
their stay. Among the recreational options for devotees and their families is Chatun (tel.
7943-0498, 9 A.M.-6 P.M. Wed.-Sun., $8 adults, $4 children), a very pleasant nature park
three kilometers outside of town in the direction of Honduras. Among the many attractions
areanine-stationcanopytour,apettingzoo,duckpond,invitingswimmingpools,camping
area, climbing wall, horseback riding, and nature trails. You'll probably work up an appet-
ite with all there is to do, for which there are a restaurant and several snack bars. If you're
traveling with kids, this would most certainly be an obligatory stop.
ACCOMMODATIONS
AvoidstayinginEsquipulas'slow-budgetaccommodations,astheyarethehideoutoflarge
groupsofmenfromelsewhereinCentralAmerica,includinggangmembers,whohangout
in these parts seeking to make their way north. Esquipulas is somewhat close to the Hon-
duran border and so has become a transit point for illegal immigration.
$10-25
The first option in this category is the Hotel y Restaurante Aposento Alto (3a Avenida
10-66 Zona 1, tel. [phone], $20 d), where the rooms have hot water, cable TV, fan, and
fluorescent lighting. The restaurant downstairs serves inexpensive Guatemalan and inter-
national dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Among several options facing the park
from the southwest is Hotel Posada Santiago (tel. [phone], 2a Avenida 11-58 Zona 1,
$20 d), with comfortable rooms with hot-water bath, cable TV, and fan. One double room
has a view of the basilica and there is a good restaurant serving Guatemalan and interna-
tional fare in the lobby. At the upper end of this price category is Hotel Villa Zonia (10a
Calle 1-84 Zona 1, tel. [phone], $25 d), very close to the bus terminal and surrounded
by budget accommodations. The smallish rooms have private bath with cable TV and hot
water, but there are better values elsewhere. The single room prices, in particular, are a rip-
off.
$25-50
An excellent value in this price category is Hotel Portal de la Fe (tel. [phone],
[e-mail], www.portaldelafehotel.com , $34 d), with 29 attractive, spot-
less rooms with comfortable beds with wrought-iron headboard, ceiling fan, and private
hot-water bath. Rooms are distributed on three floors around a pretty courtyard fountain lit
fromabovebyanopaqueroofopening.Nightlyratesincludefreehalf-houruseofInternet.