Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
thin mattress atop a concrete block. This peculiar arrangement has been called to attention
in hotel descriptions where applicable.
The cheapest of the cheap hotels may not offer hot water or may not have it on during
thewholeday.Alwaysinquireaboutthis.Inmanybudgethotels,thehotwatercomesfrom
an electric hot-water heater attached to the showerhead. These can often look scary, with
wiresjutting outall overtheplace. It'sagoodidea tocheck outyourwater-heater situation
before taking a room. Be very careful not to touch the showerhead while in the shower,
unless, of course, you enjoy being mildly electrocuted. As a final note, bring flip-flops or
some other type of shower shoe to avoid catching a nasty fungus in shared bathrooms.
There are a number of good-value, moderately priced hotels throughout Guatemala char-
ging somewhere in the vicinity of $25- 50 per night. Spending $50-100 a night in Guatem-
ala gets you a very nice spread indeed. Despite its newfound popularity, you can still get
some very good travel deals in Guatemala. You'll certainly get more bang for your buck
than in Belize or Costa Rica, but it's anyone's guess as to how much longer this will last.
In the $25-50 range, you'll be surprised at what you'll find. Many rooms in this category
come with private bathroom and almost all moderately priced rooms have cable TV (with
channels in English), so you can catch up on the news back home or keep up with your fa-
vorite sports team while on the road. Decent mattresses and air-conditioning are also avail-
able in some of the better-value accommodations in this category.
