LAS VERAPACES - Guatemala - page 446

www.casaduranta.com , $47 d), with 10 tastefully decorated, well-appointed rooms—all
with private bath—with Guatemalan indigenous blankets, tiled floors, and wrought-iron-
works inside and outside the rooms. There are a TV lounge, a reading area, and wireless
Internet throughout the colonial house centered around an appealing courtyard. An on-site
café is open for three meals daily. West of the central plaza is Hotel La Posada (1a
Calle 4-12 Zona 2, tel. [phone], www.laposadacoban.com , $50 d), in a 400-year-old co-
lonial mansion with tiled floors, Guatemalan accents, and attractively tiled private hot-wa-
ter bathrooms. Try for a room away from the busy main street on the front end of the hotel.
There is an excellent restaurant here. Under the same management as the Hostal de Doña
Victoria, the Alcazar de Doña Victoria (1a Avenida 5-34 Zona 1, tel. [phone], $35 d)
is a much larger, 50-room operation. The spacious, tastefully decorated rooms centered
around a courtyard have firm beds and cheerful private hot-water bathroom, though rooms
on the first floor can be a bit damp. All have tile floors and cable TV. There are a café and
bar as well as an events salon, which was recently moved to an area away from the main
building, greatly enhancing the guest experience. Near the bus terminal is Posada de Car-
los V (1 Avenida 3-44 Zona 1, tel. [phone], www.hotelcarlosvgt.com , $26 d), which
has homey rooms housed in a large wooden house reminiscent of a rural Swiss chalet, all
with firm beds, private hot-water bath, and cable TV. Downstairs there are a lounge with a
big-screen TV and a restaurant serving three meals daily. A newer section of 10 additional
rooms housed in a separate concrete building is equally comfortable though not as quaint.
Just a block from the Iglesia El Calvario, Hotel Mansión Armenia (7a Avenida 2-18
Zona 1, tel. [phone], $30 d) is housed in a modern concrete-block building and is clean
and neat throughout. Rooms have firm beds, private hot-water bathroom, cable TV, and
in-room phone. Hot water is available 5 P.M.-8 A.M. Under the same ownership as Trans-
portes Monja Blanca, the pleasant Posada de Don Antonio (5a Avenida 1-51 Zona 4, tel.
7951-4287, [e-mail], $35 d) has 21 rooms in a two-story coloni-
al building centered around a beautiful garden with a pretty fountain. There are nice tiled
floors and decorative tiled stairs throughout. Rooms have firm beds, cable TV, and hot-wa-
ter private bath. There's also a restaurant open daily for breakfast and dinner. This hotel is
a good value.
In a class all by itself on the road into Cobán from Guatemala City, Italian-owned
Park Hotel (tel. [phone], www.parkhotelresort.com ) is situated on its own 15-acre
forest preserve and has many excellent amenities, including a gym, tennis courts, nature
trails, and even a small zoo. Its 96 comfortable and well-decorated rooms are an excellent
value starting at $28 d for a standard room with all the usual amenities, though they are
right by the road and tend to be noisy. A better option is a junior suite ($47 d). Try to book
one in the Firenze building, where odd-numbered rooms have a view of sprawling gardens
and a fishpond under a quaint wooden bridge. Suites with a living room and chimney are