Posada Belen Museo Inn — Hotel in Guatemala City

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...

There's a rich beauty and unspoken love in this place. For starters, the hotel is in an historic area of the Capital, where many of the buildings hold centuries of history (many of the buildings here are forbidden from being remodeled). Many of the old buildings are reminiscent of Spanish-style architecture (open on the inside, iron bars on the outside).

The entire hotel experience was nothing short of wonderful. Everyone from the owners to the staff were courteous, friendly, and supremely helpful in all things (from finding locations, making local calls, carrying luggage, making off-hours meals). One can tell that everyone here loves what they do and the people they serve.

The hotel is adjacent to what appears to be some police outpost (we stayed in this hotel 5 nights and the police cars were there all the time). Although the statistics show high crime rates in the capital, one must also travel wisely (not wearing a lot of flash, and asking the tour guides where and when it’s safe to take out cameras). Overall, it’s not scary, and if you’re intelligent, you’ll have a good mind for personal safety (do’s and don’ts); and if not, simply ask and anyone will be happy to tell you.

We arrived for Holy Week (the time between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday) and in 2014, this time was a bit warm, but a few fans and cold water (their water is filtered and purified) did the trick (we came from Florida so it was much cooler for us than we’re accustomed to). The tour guide told the hotel we’d be coming for our honey moon and the staff had hand-made a rose-petal decoration (I imagine it took half an hour at least) for us, and they gave us a delicious bottle of wine (normally I don’t like Merlot, but this Peruvian wine was delicious). The breakfast is amazing (the “plato tipico” or typical plate).

For business, there is a little business center, and wifi for the guests.

They thought of everything in this hotel: for instance, if the solar-heated water runs out, they also have electric water heaters so you’re never without a shower. Even the maid is honest. I had left Q.5 for her for making the beds and not knowing, she left the money there for us because we didn’t tell her anything.

I wish there were more than 5 points to give the hotel, because I’d give them over 100%. Hopefully we can come back some day and we’ll definitely be staying here over...

This unassuming little inn iIs tucked into a residential neighborhood in Zone 1, the historic district. It is so low key that I wasn’t actually sure I was at the right place. Built in 1873, the Inn has been open since 1973. ||If you need glitz and glamour, this hotel is not for you. By most rating standards this hotel is two stars at best. But on the scale of authenticity, the warmth of the staff, the service provided and as a travel experience it is Five Stars all the way. ||We were waited on hand and foot by Nilo. Nilo welcomed us, brought us cold beers and hot coffee and cooked excellent meals for both breakfast and lunch. Nilo also got up at 3:30 AM to see us off on our Tikal tour; and he did it graciously, as if getting up in the middle of the night was no big deal. When we checked out both Nilo and Marvin saw us off with hugs ||The rooms are not large but they are immaculate. The towels are small but clean. This place is short on frills but long on charm. I can’t wait to go back and see my...