Lovely space - there are amazing museum-quality statues, weavings, and other art items. The rooms had charm. Unfortunately, Guatemala City is a security concern, but an early morning outward flight led us to find a hotel in the city. When we arrived, the cameras at the door and intercom system were necessary to gain entrance. The owner was very nice, and helped us to find a safe-enough place to walk to get some dinner.
I had booked this inn through hotels.com via trip advisor after reading reviews. I prepaid for inn and it was non-refundable, which was not a problem. On the website it says to call to arrange a late arrival and also if you needed a ride from the airport (with an extra fee, which again was fine with me). I called all day and into the next day I was supposed to depart from Canada and I could not get through or when someone answered they spoke Spanish and then didn't say anything. I called hotels. Com and they said they would try to contact the inn. I called back to hotels.com and they said they would again try to contact and they could not get through either- no one answered and they even said they would have their Spanish consultant try and this too proved to be fruitless. Hotel.com was the best they understood I was a solo female traveler arriving very late to Guatemala City and refunded my reservation thankfully and gladly.…
More than a bed and breakfast, Posada Belen has the spirit of the Guatemalan culture in a very special environment. Conveniently located in the centre of Guatemala City, from here you can go wherever you want to go in Guatemala. The experience of the owners is a great source of advise, not too many owners know Guatemala as they, and you can get the right advise and attention.
I arrived at this hotel after a tiring 11-hour bus ride from Flores. The front door is flush with the sidewalk, and the hotel looked completely dark from the outside; there were no exterior lights. I pressed the buzzer, and the manager came and unlocked the door and led me to his office for check-in. He spoke no English. There were no lights on in the entryway, lobby, or hallway. It felt like it was the middle of the night, even though it was only 7 PM. I could barely make out the decor, but what I could discern looked like something out of "The Addams Family". The hotel rooms open with a skeleton key, which you must also use to lock the door once inside the room. My room had 2 single beds, which were very short and uncomfortable. I'm only 5'2", but I awoke during the night with my feet hanging off the end of the bed. I like a firm mattress, but I've slept on carpeted floors that were softer than those beds. The pillows felt like ten-pound sacks of flour. I finally gave up, threw them on the extra bed, and slept flat on the mattress. I liked the way the room was decorated. It was in traditional Guatemalan style and had a small antique bench, interesting artwork, a wardrobe cupboard, luggage rack, full-length mirror, and small desk fan. There was no TV, but Wi-Fi worked well. There were no windows to the outside, just a small window near the ceiling that faced into the lobby. The bathroom was also decorated in traditional Guatemalan style. The shower was hot and the pressure was good. However, it didn't drain well. By the end of the shower I was standing in nearly 3 inches of water. Soundproofing is almost nil. A woman in a nearby room coughed, and it sounded like she was in my room. However, I saw no other guests during my 2-night stay, and the only employee I saw was the hotel manager. The hotel supposedly has a restaurant, bar, and breakfast available, but I saw no activity, cook, wait staff, bartender, or food preparation. I certainly wasn't offered anything to eat. The hotel looked and felt deserted. I thought I had seen a bookcase near the manager's office when I first checked in, so after showering and relaxing a bit, I walked into the hallway to see if I could find something to read. I found the bookcase, but the hallway was so dark that I couldn't make out any titles. The manager had apparently seen me on the security camera. As I stood there squinting at the book titles, he rushed out of his office and asked if everything was okay. I said yes. He asked me if there was a problem. I said no, and that I was simply looking for a book to read. He didn't offer to turn on the light, but simply stood there staring at me. Apparently guests aren't supposed to be up and about after lights out. Mind you, it was only around 9 PM. A bit nonplused, I returned to my room. Since the hotel is supposedly a museum, the next morning I walked through the lobby intending to check out the artifacts. Calling it a museum is an exaggeration to say the least. The manager AGAIN rushed out of his office and asked me if everything was okay. He then stood there, hands on hips, eyeing me warily as I was looking at a small sculpture. I felt uncomfortable, so I went to my room, grabbed my backpack, and left for the day. In all of my travels--52 countries and counting--I have never stayed at a hotel that shut down at 7 PM. Or expected you to remain confined to your room. Or that treated you with suspicion for merely walking through the lobby. To top it off, I didn't see any mosquitoes in the room, but I awoke the next morning with several bites on my legs and ankles. I don't know what bit me, and prefer not to speculate. The manager arranged for an early morning taxi to take me to the bus station. I had also requested a wake-up call, but he overslept and the knock never came. Fortunately, I woke up on my own. The manager groggily stumbled out of his office a few minutes before the cab arrived. I was up, dressed,and heading for the door by then. I love old hotels, and I much prefer to stay at local hotels rather than American chains. Based on all the positive reviews, I was really looking forward to staying at this inn, and thought I would love it. I didn't. Most of the positive reviews are at least a year or more old, so maybe the hotel has gone downhill lately. Maybe I caught it at an off time. Maybe the manager thought that I, a short unassuming middle-aged nurse, looked shady. I don't know. All I know is that this was the weirdest, creepiest, and most unwelcoming hotel or B&B I have ever stayed in. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. This was my third trip to Guatemala, and I will return again. However, I will not be returning to this hotel, and I do not recommend it.…
My husband and I spent one night at this hotel, prior to our early-morning departure. The ethereal light filtering though the rooms and lobby, with the amazing textiles and mayan artifacts. We were the only visitors at this fine hotel, and yet it was inexpensive and we felt very safe. Our host helped us to identify an area where we could shop and pick up dinner. From the outside it doesn't look like much, but this wonderful spot deserves your full consideration.
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