Our Stay at the Hotel Camino Real in Antigua, Guatemala

While most of our travel consists of stays at fishing lodges where the accommodations are part of the package price, on our recent fourth trip to Guatemala we arrived 48 hours early to do the full tourist thing in the historic city of Antigua. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 16th century, essentially destroyed by an earthquake in 1773, and now a vibrant hub of Guatemalan culture – from coffee to art to chocolate to fine dining. With our tight schedules, we had not previously found time to make the side trip, but after both fishing and non-fishing travelers alike said that we needed to do it, the stars finally lined up and we made it happen.

There exists a wide range of accommodations within the city, everything from hostels to upscale hotels, although no high rises in keeping with the historical character. Casa Vieja Lodge provides a list of hotel recommendations in both Guatemala City and Antigua on their website, but they called the Camino Real (owned by Westin) their “best pick for your stay in Antigua” so we decided not to overthink it and just booked two nights.

They were Saturday and Sunday nights and while the rates were different, they averaged out to about $190 each, a more-than-reasonable amount for a property of this caliber.

Getting There

Our package deal with Casa Vieja included one ride from Guatemala City or Antigua to the lodge, and one ride back to the airport. That meant we had to arrange a third segment, the one from the airport to the hotel. There are taxis and Ubers available, but in order to ensure reliability and safety Hanna had the hotel arrange for a private driver. The cost was $75 for his van. Had our travel partners arrived at the same time as us, they could have joined us, but since they were coming a day later, we had it all to ourselves. After we passed through customs and out the doors, he was waiting there, holding a sign with Hanna’s name on it. His van was parked in the garage directly across the street and we were on our way in air-conditioned comfort in five minutes. At off hours in might have taken substantially less time but in the middle of the day the city traffic delayed us slightly and it took about an hour and a half to arrive. We pulled into the hotel’s cobblestone driveway and were greeted by a full staff. Check-in was simple and our luggage was taken to our room. When we booked a tour of the Pacaya Volcano for the next morning, the same driver arrived promptly at 6am to take us there – and he waited while he made the hike up and down.

The Hotel and its Amenities

The hotel itself is exquisitely decorated, but subtle. Behind the gates, which you use your smartphone to unlock, there are a series of little courtyards with fountains and a small jacuzzi-style pool. The rooms themselves are quite spacious, with quality linens, towels and robes, powerful air conditioning, and television, including Netflix. When we had an hour to kill on the last morning we simply luxuriated there and watched television.

In the passageways, there is a station with coffee and filtered water for the taking a nice touch. The “lobby” area has comfortable, period piece furniture, a fireplace, and decorations that make you feel like you’re in an historic zone.

Getting Around

What we really liked about this location is that it was just four blocks from the Parque Central, the center gathering place of the city, and within walking distance of everything we wanted to do (except the volcano). The streets are cobblestone, the sidewalks are narrow, and the drivers are a little wild, so you’ll need to be careful, but there’s little reason NOT to walk everywhere. If you need a ride, there are tons of taxis and Tuk Tuks.

Once you walk down the driveway, there are almost immediately shops and stores where you can get everything from art to sundries to exquisite clothing. The hotel does have an underground parking garage, but unless you’re planning to take a drive every day I don’t see a reason to rent a car. 

The Service

The service was exceptional on all counts, particularly Anagrace at the front desk. I could always find someone who spoke either decent or fluent Spanish to help us and to answer our numerous questions. They booked a Saturday night dinner reservation for us at La Fonda de la Calle Real. They also booked our volcano trip – and since we’d be gone before the breakfast included in our rate would be served, they packed a box lunch so we would not go hungry. It included a ham and cheese sandwich, juice box, yogurt with granola, and a piece of fruit. One other nice feature was that our final day checkout was at 1pm – with a 2pm pickup by the lodge, that meant we had a place to keep our stuff and relax almost the entire time.

The Food

As noted above, our room rate included breakfast, and fortunately we were there on a weekend, when there is an exceptional buffet brunch. At 9am, we were greeted by staff dressed up in 16th century costumes and we did not have to wait at all – instead we were whisked directly to a table. The buffet had serve-yourself stations for fruit and breads and pastries, but the made—to-order options were amazing. There was a chef preparing authentic Mexican street tacos, another preparing omelets, and another offering up Asian spring rolls. There were Guatemalan dishes including pepian, a spiced stew, as well as carved grilled and roasted meats. Our coffee and water glasses were never empty, thanks to a hyper-attentive staff. A brunch like this would have likely cost $50 to $80 in any major US city, which further made our stay a bargain. After eating, we didn’t have any lunch, and we were fine until appetizers were served at Casa Vieja a little after 4pm.

Who Should Stay Here?

If you demand a high level of service and amenities but have a fairly limited budget, the Camino Real is a solid choice. You’ll pay about what you would for an airport Hyatt or Hilton or Marriott, but get much more character and proximity to the sites of the city. We felt very safe and secure. While the hotel is set back from the street, and therefore relatively quiet, there was a major teen soccer tournament going on nearby (we had a team from Bermuda on our plane, and teams from Haiti and elsewhere at the hotel), so it wasn’t necessarily quiet all of the time. That’s the double edge of a good rate – it widens the range of people who can stay there. On the whole, though, we found this to be a really good value.

Who Shouldn’t Stay Here?

If you’re backpacking through Central America, and need to keep your budget below (or well below) a hundred bucks a night, this won’t cut it and there are plenty of other options within a few blocks that will. Also, if you plan to lounge by the pool for an extensive period of time, or otherwise want a more natural setting, this is not for you. The heated pool is perfectly serviceable, but it’s quite small, and ensconced within a Melrose Place style interior that doesn’t allow for heavy sunning, and certainly not much swimming or sunning.