Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
dropped off at Santa Elena's large modern Terminal
Nuevo on 6 Avenida, a mile south of the causeway. Three
Guatemalan companies - Fuente del Norte, San Juan
Bus and Linea Dorada - run one daily direct bus each
between Santa Elena and Belize City; all leave Santa
Elena between 5am and 7am, and Belize City between
9.30am and 2pm.
Destinations
Belize City (3 daily; 4-5hr); El Remate (every
30min; 45min); Guatemala City (24 daily; 9hr); Melchor de
Menchos (
micros
every 30min; 2hr 15min); Poptún (hourly;
2hr); Tikal (6 daily; 1hr 30min).
By shuttle bus
Book shuttle buses through hotels and
travel agents.
Destinations
Belize City (2 daily, 5am & 7.30am; 5hr;
Q160); Palenque (1 daily, 5am; 8hr; Q240); Tikal (1hr; Q70
return).
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist information
Inguat has an o
ce on Calle Centro
América (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm;
T
2421 2957) and a desk at
the airport (Mon-Sat 7.30am 11am & 3.30-7.30pm).
Los
Amigos
hostel is a good source of advice for budget
travellers.
Martsam Travel
Calle 30 Junio
T
7867 5093,
W
martsam
.com. A good travel agency that runs daily trips to Tikal, plus
on-demand expeditions to Yaxhá, Nakum and Aguateca.
Mayan Adventure
Inside
Café Arqueológico Yaxhá
, Calle
15 de Septiembre
T
5830 2060,
W
the-mayan-adventure
.com. Tours to Tikal, plus superb trips to other Maya sites,
including Yaxhá and La Blanca, and the little-touched ruins
of Nixtun Ch'ich, a few miles west of Flores. Rates depend
on the size of your party.
GETTING AROUND
Car rental
Budget, Hertz and Tabarini (which has the
widest choice;
T
7926 0253,
W
tabarini.com) operate from
the airport, and there are some o
ces in Santa Elena. Rates
(usually including insurance) start at around US$50/day for
a small car.
Lanchas
Small boats known as
lanchas
make regular
crossings to the Tayasal Peninsula from the dock on Flores'
northeast shore, until around 11pm daily, for a quetzal or
two. You can also negotiate a rate for a day or half-day trip
around the lake; the
lanchas
tend to hang out around the
southwest corner of the island, close to
Hotel Petenchel
and
near the dock for San Miguel.
Taxis and tuk-tuks
For short hops, tuk-tuk drivers charge
Q5-10 for anywhere in the Flores/Santa Elena/San Benito
area.
ACCOMMODATION
With a great range of accommodation available on the island, and some attractive alternatives just across the lake, there's
no point staying in noisier, dirtier and increasingly unsafe
Santa Elena.
★
Casazul
Calle Fraternidad
T
2366 2841,
W
corpetur
.com.
This colonial-style house is tastefully done up in
shades of blue. All rooms have private bath, hot water,
fridge, a/c and TV, some have balconies, and the lobby is
decorated with old photographs of Flores. Relax in a blue
wick
er chair
on the upper-level terrace that juts over the
lake.
US$49
La Casona de la Isla
Calle 30 de Junio
T
7926 0593,
W
corpetur.com.
An attractive mid-range hotel; modern
rooms have clean, tiled bath, a/c, telephone and cable TV.
There's also a swimming p
ool and
lovely sunset views from
the terrace restaurant/bar.
US$64
Frida Hostal
Avenida Santa Ana
T
7867 5724,
E
patiograndefrida@gmail.com.
Small family-run
hostel, offering very simple but brightly painted dorms and
private rooms - yes, there's a mural of Frida Kahlo - wi-fi,
and use of shared kitchen. The friendly owner also
run
s
Frida'
s
resta
urant, in Calle Fraternidad nearby. Dorm
Q45
,
room
Q110
Hospedaje Doña Goya
Calle La Unión
T
7867 5513,
W
hospedajedonagoya.weebly.com.
Spread through
two adjoining buildings, this friendly, family-run budget
FLORES
Casa Amelia
Calle La Unión
T
7867 5430,
W
hotelcasamelia.com.
Three-storey, pastel-painted
guesthouse; all twelve of the simple but appealing
rooms feature original art, there's a lake-view roof
terrace as well as a ground-floor restaurant, and they
offer tr
ansfers to and from the airport and bus station.
US$49
Los Amigos Hostel
Calle Central
T
4495 2399,
W
amigoshostel.com.
If you find yourself wondering
where all the backpackers have gone, this inconspicuous
backstreet hostel is the place. Over a hundred can fit into its
various brightly painted nooks and crannies, watching
DVDs, swinging in hammocks, exchanging information and
booking tours. Plus points include the courtyard garden,
the restaurant open for all meals and serving veggie food,
and the bar that stays open until 1am. The actual
accommodation, though, especially in the ten-bunk
dorms, tends to be cramped and dishevelled, while the
mass 4am exodus for the Q90
Tika
l sunrise tours p
retty
much
preclu
des sleep. Dorms
Q50
, deluxe dorms
Q60
,
rooms
Q130
