La Lancha, Guatemala - A Francis Ford Coppola Hideaway — Hotel in Petén

This place is magical—but don’t come here. Management is racist and, unless you’re white, they will treat you like a second class citizen.

First, let’s start with the positives. The location is wonderful. You’re in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by wildlife. The food was decent. There is also a lot to do, you can take out the canoes and the paddle boards, which is a lot of fun. You can also go on organized tours which were quite good.

Now, let’s move on to the biggest negative: if you’re not white, you will get treated like a second class citizen.

The examples are endless but I’ll just give a couple.

We were kicked out of our table because a white family wanted it.

Here’s the backstory: There is one table in the restaurant with unobstructed view of the lake. When we arrived, we were told that its first come first serve. On our first night, we sat there for dinner. We were asked to move tables. When we inquired as to why, management told us that a different family had requested this table to be reserved for them for the rest of their stay at the resort. We didn’t argue and complied respectfully. Then we asked to reserve the table for after the family’s departure. When we arrived to dinner, we were asked to move, again. When we asked what happened.

They told us that the family had decided to extend their stay by one night, and they wanted that table. We reasoned that we had already booked it, and, even though we didn’t care about the view per se , the principle mattered. Management didn’t care. The white family wanted it, and they were going to have it. There was no apology. No acknowledgment. Just the bitter taste of being discriminated against.

As another example: we went on a tour and the tour included a lunch at the hotel. The server didn’t believe that we went on the tour and asked for proof, implying that we were trying to lie our way into getting a free lunch. In fact, he asked us to go to the front desk to get proof. Of course, none of the white guests were asked to verify.

In short, it’s a lovely place, and I would highly recommend it. However, after paying more than one-thousand five hundred US dollars for a three night stay, we expected to be treated more fairly, despite our race. Sadly, our trip was ruined because of this discrimination and we were very disappointed.

Only come here if you’re white. Otherwise, stay away at all costs. The last thing you want is for good old racism to ruin your trip. It...

I stayed hhere a couple years ago, but I've procrastinated leaving a review.

Pros:

The location is good; it's built onto a sort of jungle valley overlooking a lake. It is also close to the ruins of Tikal, and it's a great relaxing spot after spending a day trudging through the jungle and climbing pyramids.

The service was excellent; there were very few employees, but they did they jobs efficiently. As they say, the best kind of service is the one you don't notice too much.

The food was great too; we had a typical guatemalan "plato chapín", which is like a tutorial to Guatemalan cooking and something you really should eat at least once if you visit this country, and fresh fish for dinner; it was all excellent.

The lake is not really part of the hotel, but it is magnificent; unlike most lakes in Guatemala, this one is clean. I wouldn't drink out of it, of course, but we took a few of the hotel's rafts (which were FREE, by the way), and we had a wonderful time rowing around.

Cons:

The WIFI in the rooms was a bit spotty; I found it worked normally in the bar, though.

The main buildings (a bar-restaurant, a few cabins that functioned as rooms, and a pier by the lake) are connected by a wood path with lots of stairs. If you or any of your loved ones require a wheelchair, you may not want to come here.

The hotel itself is located in the butt end of Guatemala, so arriving here is quite an adventure. The shortest route, starting from Guatemala city, is to take a flight to the Petén airport, then take a several-hour car ride through what feels less like a road and more like a pile of pebbles during a permanent earthquake. It's ridiculously bumpy.

The hotel can also be very pricey, as expected.

TL;DR If you want to see Tikal, this is the hotel for you. If you don't, but want to visit Guatemala anyways, this is one of two hotels where I haven't suffered from food poisoning or been chased by feral dogs, so I honestly can't...

Staying at La Lancha was a once in a lifetime experience. We went for our 10th anniversary, and everything from the room, to the food, to the experiences, and especially the attentiveness and kindness of the staff was incredible. Carlos, Luis, Marni, Jaime, Tony, Eduardo, David, Michelle, Berta, Lucio, and all of the staff we interacted with went above and beyond to make our stay so personable and special. ||All of the experiences we booked (Temazcal, tortilla making demonstration, Mystic Tikal tour, and sunset river cruise) were unforgettable. But our two favorites were definitely Mystic Tikal and the sunset river cruise. Our ceremony with the Mayan priest Julio was so special and personal. We all got emotional by the end. And our tour guide Luis was so knowledgeable about Tikal and the many animals we encountered. Make sure to ask him about his bird call app! ||The sunset cruise with Carlos, David, and Marni was an incredible way to end our trip. Cruising through a tranquil river, looking at the birds and lily pads, all while drinking an incredible bottle of wine and beautiful charcuterie board was so relaxing. Everyone was so kind and we had so many pleasant conversations. ||If you are thinking about staying here, don’t hesitate! This stay is one we will remember for the rest of our lives. ||Muchísimas gracias a todos nuestros amigos nuevos en La Lancha que conocimos. Jamás olvidaremos a ustedes, esta experiencia se puede cambiar la vida...