Lush Atitlán — Attraction in Sololá

We booked the Sirena suite at Lush and it was as gorgeous as it looks in the photos. Each door - there are several - was a beautiful, rustic carved work of art. The decor, contemporary stained-glass windows, and integration of solid rock into the shower and bathroom add to the unique and exceptional beauty of the suite. ||This isn't an optimal hotel for everyone. To get to the Sirena suite you must climb about two flights of winding irregular rock stairs with a slender black metal railing that contributes more to the appearance of the hotel than it does to providing a stable hand-hold as you walk up the stairs. Injuring my knee while hiking added a bit to this challenge. Fortunately, the hotel sent an impossibly agile and strong young man to bring our luggage to our room. I don't think he even broke a sweat. ||Our king-sized bed was comfortable, with spectacular views of Lake Atitlan. Shades are available to keep the sun from waking you. There are no screens on the windows and there is no air-conditioning. This wasn't a problem at all for us. We didn't have an issue with mosquitos coming in, and it never got uncomfortably hot. ||The bathroom was very dark--I nicknamed it the dungeon. I worried about insects hiding in the rocks and coming out while I showered. It was unnecessary. It was one of the cleanest showers I encountered in Guatemala. My only major complaint is that the floor of the shower was very slippery when wet. A coat of paint with some grit mixed in or some other approach to fix that is needed. ||The bathroom sink is a beautiful, contemporary work of art with tile. A short outdoor set of stairs connects the downstairs and upstairs space. The second floor is equally breath-taking with a rustic table and chairs, open air balcony, double bed, and kitchen area. We spent hours sitting in the balcony at all hours, just taking in the spectacular view of the lake and volcanoes. ||There was ample drinking water including a bottle and glasses on the first floor and a larger glass container on the second floor. The first-floor bedroom has ample storage with shelves and a closet built into the walls. ||The second-floor kitchen provides a small refrigerator, cook top, kitchen sink and some silverware and dishes. ||There are some quirks. I found I could hear people talking in other rooms as if I were in the room with them when I stood at the bathroom sink. There are also spiders that come out at night. They are quite flat with long legs, small bodies, and a size that isn't very intimidating. ||We did have a wasp nest in the drainpipe above our balcony, which the hotel treated at our request. My husband found a scorpion on the floor one evening and the hotel sent the same young man who carried our luggage to remove it. He also cleaned our room and carried our luggage to the dock. He was so sweet and pleasant. We tipped him well. ||It was strange to me that the hotel provided coffee but no milk, and limited breakfast choices on the restaurant menu for the included breakfast. Bumping up prices for the room by $10 or so would allow them to expand choices and include a glass of juice. Every other hotel we stayed in that included breakfast was more generous in what they provided compared to Lush. I do want to note that the breakfast provided was of excellent quality and plenty to eat. ||My husband and I loved Lush. The grounds are full of bits of local contemporary art and beautiful tropical plants and flowers. It captures the spirit of San Marcos marrying Mayan and artsy bohemian elements. We did not want to leave--ever. ||We traveled to San Marcos from Panajachel on one of the local ferries. Expect to carry luggage some distance over uneven walkways to Lush and just about any other lodging on Lake Atitlan. Stray dogs are an issue almost everywhere you may stay in Guatemala. They bark at night and leave walking paths a minefield. ||Lush is conveniently located in San Marcos with numerous restaurants, shops and the nature...

I am rating my stay at LUSH a 5 out of 5!! Location, location, location!! Epic Views!!||||I am giving LUSH such a high rating because of the feeling you get when you leave this hotel - healthy, vibrant, and immersed. It provided me with an amazing getaway escape that integrated me more fully to the heart of Lake Atitlan. From the intricate decor details, to the nourishing vegetarian food options, lush jungle gardens, scenic views, Mayan cultural immersion the delightful service staff - you will feel immersed in an experience. ||||This hotel is not without it's other perks - I did notice a compliant about the cold water one-time or insects/scorpions although this was very rare and resolved. But if you want to travel and get an experience of being in nature with the jungle where all of that exists, wouldn't you expect that from time to time? This was also a rare occurrence. I think people should be more open to co-existence with nature. I also think if this bothers you, you can be extra safe by bringing an insect repellant and leaving your suitcase on a chair/table just in case. It's not like this is anything out of the ordinary. If you want one thing it comes with all of this. I think people that complain in the reviews forget that this is also Guatemala with a different cultural perspective on amenities like this just not available 24/7 in all countries for various structural reasons. Be understanding, be happy, be grateful!! Enjoy life! People are trying their best with the resources available. Another thing is there is construction happening nearby since Lake Atitlan is becoming more tourist popular and this is only during the daytime - you can be out and about anyway. This doesn't have to do with this hotel. ||||I personally don't travel to stay at 5 stars hotel, although I do love luxury and this hotel also provides that and loads of comfort and fresh towels and cleaning services daily!! Rather, I travel to learn more about myself and to connect with nature and to the people from different parts of the world - that's what you will find here. I have to add that the cave showers were something else and really fun!! ||||If you speak Spanish that will be a huge plus but the staff also speaks English and is incredibly sweet. The staff will also carry your bags from your taxi all the way to your room, can you talk about exceptional service!! Some of mine and my friend's bags were also not the lightest so extra kudos haha!! Another huge perk is the hotel is family and locally-owned so you know your contributions are going to a great place to support a family, local business and local Guatemalans as part of the staff. ||||I loved staying here and will continue to recommend to all my friends. They made me feel welcomed and at home!! Thanks for taking such good care of me LUSH!!! Would love to be able to come back one day!! Beautiful beautiful...

It is really upsetting to have to write this review because Lush is such a magical place, but shady staff and poor management caused the worse experience we had during our 5 day stay at Lake Atitlan. For the record, the 1 star rating has nothing to do with the facility, but rather the staff. The place was incredible and it was only the interaction with the staff that was in an issue.

First, the day we arrived there was a mudslide that caused the road to be closed. Not management's fault at all, but we did pay $120 dollars to get there and we were only take to the first city on the lake instead. The hotel then set us up with a $40 dollar private boat to Lush, but still expected us to pay the $120, even though they didn't complete the trip. This was annoying, but we paid it after management said they would not give us a discount. Fast forward to the end of our stay- my girlfriend and I were checking out and asked that we could keep our valuables locked in our safe while checked out the nature reserve next door. The staff told us it was a must see before leaving. We were told that guest were coming and they needed us to clear out, but they had a room that they locked guest's luggage and valuables in. We were ensured that it was locked and the staff watched the room. When we got back, we saw the door wasn't locked. We quickly looked at your stuff and didn't see anything missing and went to our next location.

The next day when heading to town, I saw that my $200 of emergency money that was hidden in my bag was gone along with 500 Q's from my girlfriends bag. We also found that my pants were moved into her bag. We immediately emailed the owner, Lily to explain what happened. Our valuables had been locked in the safe the entire time there and we had accounted for the this money right before checking out. We didn't think to look through our stuff after leaving because the money in our wallets and passports were accounted for. This was obviously something the staff recognized and that is why they went through our things to find the money we had hidden, knowing that we would say something right away if money was missing from our wallets. After a few email exchanges with Lily, no resolution was given and she seemed to place the blame away from her staff on to us.

Both my girlfriend and I have traveled all over the world and have been in numerous situations where we were robbed or mugged. This is the downside of traveling sometimes, but we have never been robbed by staff at a high end establishment like Lush. You pay for a place like this to have the piece of mind and we didn't feel like we had to worry about this happening there. It is a real shame because we would have loved to return to Lush and enjoyed our time there. I would highly recommend you look at staying elsewhere if you are coming...