PETÉN - Guatemala - page 502

better choice is the Jaguar Inn (Calzada Virgilio Rodriguez Macal 8-79, tel. [phone],
www.jaguarinn.com , $20), where tastefully decorated rooms are centered around a court-
yardandthehelpfulstaffcanhelpyouplanyouronwardtravel.Air-conditioningisanextra
$5 and there is a small pizzeria on-site. The owners also have a hotel at Tikal National
Park by the same name. Another good budget choice is the Hotel Posada Santander (4a
Calle,tel.[phone]),wherespotlessroomswithTVandsharedbathgofor$10d.Rooms
without TV but with private bath go for the same price. There is no hot water but there is a
small restaurant here.
Hotel Continental (6a Avenida, south of Calzada Virgilio Rodriguez Macal, tel.
7926-0095, $10-20 d) offers a variety of prices and corresponding levels of comfort in its
51 rooms. The owners and staff are friendly.
Moving up in price range and correspondingly closer to the lakeshore is Casa Elena
de las Flores (Calle Principal, Ingreso a Isla de Flores, tel. [phone],
www.hotelcasaelenadelasflores.com , $36 d), where 26 comfortable rooms are set in a
pleasant colonial building around a nice swimming pool with palm trees and a garden.
A popular repository for tour groups, the Hotel del Patio (8a Calle, tel. [phone],
www.hoteldelpatio.com.gt , $62)iscomfortableandoffersmanyservicesandamenities but
has seen better days. Rooms are in a neocolonial building. Those on the first floor are par-
ticularly susceptible to mold. There are better deals elsewhere in this price range.
Along the lakeshore, as you approach town from the airport, is the Maya In-
ternacional (tel. [phone] central reservations or 7926-2083 direct,
www.villasdeguatemala.com ) , with 24 standard rooms and two junior suites ranging in
price $70-100. One of the area's first accommodations, the recently remodeled property
featurestastefullydecoratedroomswithbalconiesoverlookingthelake,tiledfloors,ceiling
fans, air-conditioning, and cable TV. The lodge's Vista al Lago Restaurant offers gorgeous
lakeviewsandavariedmenu,includingaSundaybrunch.Aswimmingpool,greatservice,
wireless Internet, and lovely open-air palapa lobby round out the list of features making
the Maya Internacional an excellent choice.
Farther along the lakeshore near the causeway connecting Santa Elena to Flores are
a number of newer options, including the 62-room Petén Espléndido (tel. [phone],
www.petenesplendido.com ) , where doubles cost $90 and the feel is that of a U.S. chain
hotel with all the usual amenities. Next door is the curiously named Express by Maya Inn
Hotel (tel. [phone]), where 20 comfortable if bland rooms go for $40 d and include air-
conditioning, cable TV, and somewhat cheerful furnishings. The in-room lighting is fluor-
escent.
The standout in this part of town is the Hotel Casona del Lago (tel. [phone],
www.hotelesdepeten.com , $86 -95 d), a beautiful blue house which could just as easily fit
in to the seaside landscape of Cape May, New Jersey. The large, bright rooms have spa-