Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Creekrestaurantservesinternationaldishesandhasbothanindoor,air-conditionedsection,
or a breezy outdoor dining room under a thatched roof with beautiful bay views. The
Bonito River Bar has a nice lounge for relaxing as well as foosball and Ping-Pong tables.
A similar property,
Banana Palms Resort and Marina
(tel. 7930-5023 or 2331-2815,
www.bananapalms.com.gt
)
, can be found just down the road to the west. Here you'll find
modern rooms housed in attractive units with two rooms on the ground floor and one de-
luxe suite on the top floor. Rates range from $92 d for a standard room to $129 d for a
deluxe suite. Junior suites ($116 d) have ceiling fan, large bathroom, living room, small
kitchen, and a deck with lake views. The deluxe suite has all of the above plus a whirlpool
bathwithlakeviews.AllroomshaveDirecTVandair-conditioning.Thepleasantthatched-
roof lobby leads out to a thatched-roof bar next to a swimming pool with foosball and
pool tables and DirecTV. There are a nice dock and marina, game areas, a fitness center,
andalarge,airyrestauranthousedunderahigh-roofed
palapa
structure.Therestaurant/bar
serves seafood, Guatemalan, and international dishes.
From the castle, a road heads northwest to its juncture with the road back to Río Dulce.
Along this road you'll find
Hotel Chang-Gri-La
(tel. 7930-5467, hotelchangrila@ ya-
hoo.com,$39d),withmodernroomsandbungalows(sleepsix,$152),includinghot-water
private bath, air-conditioning, and cable TV. There are a swimming pool and a restaurant
serving simple international fare. A few paces away to the west,
La Cabaña del Viajero
(tel. 7930-5412) has charming tin-roofed cabins centered around a swimming pool. There
are simple rooms with shared bath ($12) and much nicer rooms with private bath, air-con-
ditioning, and TV for $22 d; all have mosquito netting and fans. There's a restaurant here.
Getting There
Castillo de San Felipe is three kilometers along the lakeshore from Río Dulce or four kilo-
meters by road, which you can walk in about 45 minutes. Heading north out of town on
the main road, turn left after the Banco Industrial. After a few kilometers, you'll pass the
turnoff for El Estor on the right. Continue straight on the main road for another kilometer
or so from here to the castle. Minivans ($0.50) leave every 30 minutes from the north end
of the bridge, or you can hire a water taxi ($5).
ElEstorisapleasant,friendlylakesidetownonthewesternshoresthatisbecomingagate-
way to some natural attractions in its vicinity. The town supposedly gets its name from a
corruption of the English word “store,” as it was referred to in the days of old when British
pirates sailing up the Río Dulce and across the lake would come here to buy supplies.
The town is also home to a nickel mine, which functioned here in the 1970s but was
later closed. Under the current government's push to exploit Guatemala's mineral wealth,
