Hotel Ecologico Ecológico Cabañas del Lago — Hotel in Izabal

This is such a hard one to rate. The hosts, Hugo and his wife & daughter, are just so darn nice, it's hard to be too rough on them (personally I wonder if that's part of their strategy). But honestly, this hotel is very run down, so if you stay here, just be aware that many of the online pictures are not accurate anymore. The best way to rate this is by doing pros and cons:||||Pros: Lakeside location. As stated, owners are incredibly helpful. They set us up with a private tour one day with a very kind guide named Benjamin. We saw the Reserva Bocas del Polochic, with tons of monkeys, birds, a manatee, swamps and much, much more for $300Q. They also told us how to reach the Finca El Paraiso hot-spring waterfall, a must do! ||||They cooked very tasty dinners and breakfasts for us, and treated us to coffee each afternoon. Our first day there they were going shopping and asked if we needed anything and brought us back a gallon of water. There is no wifi on site, but their daughter let us use her Claro USB device. This is fine if you are the only one who wants internet. Luckily we were the only guests there, but my boyfriend and I could never surf at once. On our departure day, they would have taken us to town to catch a bus if our scheduled taxi hadn't arrived. Again, they are the heart of the hotel.||||We did love all of the monkeys (howlers) on the property - was very cool to be living among them (and they weren't loud at all). There is a restaurant about a 10-15 minute walk away on the beach, if you desire other food. We never tried the a/c or the tv.||||Cons: The property is run down and has a lot of deferred maintenance. The "playa (beach)" is basically useless. Mostly rock and dirt, with two uncomfortable picnic tables. You will take your life into your own hands getting onto the dock with a perilous 2 x 8 board you must balance and walk over, and once on the dock itself, you will find two chairs covered in bird poop. We turned right around and went to the main restaurant deck and never ventured back again, which was a shame, because we would have loved to hang out over the water. ||||The food was great, as stated, but I made the mistake of trying to find someone one day (that happens a lot, them disappearing) and I was appalled to see all of the dishes we had used for all of our meals and coffee still sitting in the kitchen, unwashed! So unsanitary. Also the chandelier over the reception area had major cobwebs; their rate sheet was unreadable; and there was tons of clutter all around. They also took our laundry to be cleaned one morning and didn't return it until the next morning, about 90 minutes before check out - very stressful!||||The deck oddly had fake flowers in the planters. The grounds needed a good raking and general trash pickup. Our room had three double beds. You were only given one small sheet that did not reach all the way across the bed. My boyfriend and I each had to use our own sheet in one bed (God help you if you have 3-6 people per room). Also no blanket. Only one bath towel each given, no bath mat or hand towel. The shower had great pressure but was lukewarm at best and had mold in spots. The bathroom door annoyingly would not stay open without using a stick. The porch lite didn't work but one in a little kitchen area next to it did. Also, be aware when you eat their dogs and cat will sit at the table and beg - very annoying.||||One last thing - there are no rooms on the lake - pictures can be deceiving.||||All in all, we had a decent experience, but just seeing the potential of the place is sad. It seems as if they have lost their desire to take their guest experience and comfort into account, and they treat it more as a family home where people can come crash if they want instead of a hotel. The prices are great though. $191Q for the room, $125Q for 4 breakfasts, $135Q for 2 dinners, $5Q for coffee, and $25Q for a large...

We had a great experience overall. The lake was beautiful, and the water was pleasantly warm. The pool is shallow, which was perfect for my kids—they loved everything about our stay. However, be aware that there are some bugs (mosquitos, millipedes). Room was also offered to be cleaned daily.

The room was basic but clean and equipped with a fan, TV, AC, and a private bathroom. There was also an outdoor line to hang clothes to dry. The owner was very responsive and had excellent communication. Everyone at the property was super friendly, which made our stay even more enjoyable.

The on-site restaurant is good for snacks, with affordable drink options. If you’re looking to splurge, they offer some pricier items like shrimp and fish. Most dishes are priced between 50 to 150 quetzales. The restaurant has plenty of seating areas, which makes the atmosphere peaceful, and we never felt crowded, and as a guest at the hotel you could peacefully sit anywhere. There’s also a playground and toys for the kids, which was a nice touch. The prices for beer and coffee are reasonable, similar to elsewhere in the area.

One of our kids favorite features was the bridge over the water. At the end, there’s a spot where you can jump in and a nice sitting area! The beach was perfect. It would have been ideal if there were some chairs on the beach.

We saw iguanas and howler monkeys, which added to the charm of the location. The resident cat and two dogs were peaceful, and thankfully, the dogs didn’t bark. The biggest downside was the roosters—they started crowing as early as 3 a.m., which was a little annoying.

There’s a restaurant a block away called Secretos del Jardín, which I highly recommend. It’s convenient if you don’t want to walk all the way to town. The road along the water felt safe, even at night, though there is a small unlit section that might feel less secure.

Our room cost 350 quetzales, which felt like a fair price. Overall, it was a lovely stay and we extended our stay twice. I’d happily recommend it, especially for...

I simply loved staying at the Hotel Ecologico Cabanas del Lago. I've been traveling around Guatemala for research purposes on my own and it's extremely pleasant to spend few days in a quite and welcoming hotel. Hugo and Sergia are wonderful hosts, always checking you have everything you need. We also had nice chats over a cup a tea.||The hotel is located right on the lake, at the border of El Estor where you don't hear the noise of the city, which you can reach with a pleasant 15-20 minutes walk along the lake. You can see monkeys and iguanas and they have friendly pet dogs and a cat. My room was a hut with 4 double beds, which means that it could be the perfect solutions also if you travel in groups (I paid 160Q a night). The food is great (Sergia is a wonderful cook! plus you can eat virtually at any time), they have laundry service (ready from morning to evening) and the room is always clean, with regular change od towels and bedding (you have to consider that the hotel is in the middle of a small forest, therefore there are insects and leaves, etc. - but otherwise the hotel is very clean). They have fast wifi internet (only in the restaurant area), tv in the room and AC/fan. ||I felt like home for few days - and it was truly great. ||(P.S. Also, El Estor is WAY nicer than Rio Dulce, which is only...