Luxury & Budget Accommodations

Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua is undoubtedly one of Central America’s top travel destinations. This historic and beautiful city offers accommodation for both luxury and budget travelers and I’m giving a review of both below.
 

Luxury: The San Rafael Hotel

The San Rafael is currently Antigua’s best kept secret! This newly restored colonial hotel is a perfect choice for a comfortable stay in Antigua. It’s location can’t be beat, just steps away from Saint Catalina Arch (Arco de Santa Catalina), the most famous landmark in the city and a less than 5 minute walk to the main plaza. The Rafael only has 7 rooms which means it’s never very crowded in the beautiful courtyard and you’ll never wait long for the staff’s attention.

The included breakfast each morning was much better than your standard toast and jam, I actually had a menu of choices to order from and enjoyed a large omelet with juice.
 

The Rooms

I had the pleasure of staying here on two occasions and enjoyed two of their uniquely decorated rooms. The beds were comfortable, the wifi worked great, and the showers were hot. What more could I ask for?

Both rooms had high ceilings with beautiful chandeliers.
 

Relaxing Outdoors

Easily one of my favorite things about staying in old colonial cities are the elegant and beautiful courtyards. Despite it’s small number of rooms this hotel offers a lot of great outdoor space to enjoy. Not one, but two courtyards with serene water features, paintings and comfy sitting areas made it the perfect place to hide from the public and get some work done on the laptop!

See more on their website: www.TheSanRafaelHotel.com

On A Budget? Check out La Sin Ventura Hotel

Traveling on a tight budget often means cutting costs on accommodations. But if you’re traveling solo and prefer your own private room over a hostel dorm finding a cheap place to stay can be challenging. I found La Sin Ventura to be a good compromise at just $18/night. Located right next to the city center and main plaza there were no complaints about location.

Pros – The price, clean rooms, central location, hot water (never guaranteed in C. America).

Cons – No A/C or fan, tiny bathroom, only 1 electrical outlet, a loud bar downstairs.

Overall I found it to be a great value.

See more on their website: www.lasinventura.com