Hotel Santo Tomas, Chichicastenango — Hotel in Quiché

If you love a street market, then this one beats all the ones we’ve yet visited. That’s why it’s famous. That’s why travellers put up with the journey to get there and back. And in our case the privations of a hotel (St. Thomas) where the hot water is only one for a couple of hours morning and evening unless you order and pay extra. And beware the big tour groups that stay there and get in the shower 8am sharp! On our guided tour we were taken into the Maya Palace Hotel and suffered buyers regret. It’s not quite as central as St. Thomas but certainly quieter and with much more up-to-date decor. My partner had nearly chosen it and I could see why. Even if you don’t stay there, pop in and through to the little garden to the left facing the hill beyond. There’s a great view of the colourful cemetery. But though our choice was one of the most basic hotels I’ve ever stayed in and gives the xxx on North Island a close run in the Spartan Stakes, I kind of loved it. The place used to be a monastery and the rooms were occupied by monks. There’s still no heating apart from a fireplace in the corner which you can order to be set and lit. But given what we now know about the carcinogenic nature of wood fires that’s not an option for us. Instead we slept in the four layers we’d brought with us expecting only to have need in Patagonia on the way to the Antarctic, not in near equatorial Guatemala! The stone cloisters on ground and first floors have religious statuary ranged along their lengths. And collections of masks and mediaeval iron work. All this adds to the puritan ethos of the place. Then there’s the trucks… Our pro-am travel agent had requested a quiet room having read reviews about traffic noise. And we were in 50 and 49. But we were there for one of the biggest street markets of all and the stock needs trucking in the night before…all night. I’m lucky and can sleep through nearly anything, but partner wore ear plugs and only slept fitfully. My guess is she was also kept awake by the anticipation of getting in amongst it in the morning. It was terrific. Fortunately for us Guatemalans are shorter than we so you don’t get buried in the crowds and can see over their heads to keep in touch with each other. We had a wonderful time and filled the hold-all we’d packed for the purpose. We’d also been tipped off by Bindy our tour manager and sometime driver to arrive early at the Catholic Church to see the Mayan procession and ritual in front of it while the Christian service was held inside. This we did, twice, because Thomas our local guide took us to a second Church were the Mayans went too. This was near the Maya Palace Hotel and less crowded so we had an excellent view of this ancient and paradoxical event. It was at this end of the market just below the Church that we found the highest quality fabric items. Generally speaking the food isn’t great and I had a dose of D&V despite being very cautious. I’ll never know what caused it and thankfully it passed overnight. But the incident (which was repeated a few days later) put me off my food. So I tended to order Guacamole and tacos, and grilled fish...

Warm water available at variably set intervals only (for example in my case 3 to 6pm and 6 to 9am only).|Stable internet connection available at the reception and around the pool. No internet in the room at all.|Classic bed cover, no duvet, not ideal for the allergic. I used 5, 2 of which double folded (total of 7 layers!): you will sleep like a mummy, a cold is almost guaranteed and having a shower will be a challenge, as you will have to decide between heating the room or the bathroom.|Bring warm pijamas/clothes/socks as only a small heater is available in the room (see photo), a long charger cable and, if you are allergic, antihistaminicum.|Apart from the points above, which require preparation, this is a wonderful small hotel located in the city centre, by the famous market. An ex monastery, it offers basic rooms and gorgeous common areas with antique items and a stunning garden with 2 fountains and a well, both very well taken care of.|The staff is very kind.|2 Medium room and bathroom size.|Clean.|Fixed showerhead, rainfall.|NOT available in the room: heating/air conditioning, internet, fridge/minibar, TV, water kettle, coffee maschine, hairdryer, iron/iron board, bathrobe, slippers, safe.|Pool, bar, restaurant (open until 8:30pm).|To reach the power supply socket on the side of the bed you will need to move the bed table. Advisable to bring a long cell phone charger cable.|Power supply adapter needed for EU travellers.|Amenities: shampoo and soap bar.|Fresh and vegetarian friendly à la...

My stay at Hotel Santo Tomas was unusual because the hotel was actually closed when I arrived but I pleaded to stay even though they didn't have hot water at the time because of some issue with the solar panels. My persistence paid off because I loved everything about the building and I had it all to myself. The hotel was built in the 1980's but it looks hundreds of years old, in a good way. Lots of religious statuary, indigenous items and antiques on display throughout the establishment. It has a beautiful inner courtyard with lots of blooming plants. Hummingbirds were so much fun to watch going from one flower to another.

If possible request a room not on a street. Exhaust fumes and noise from vehicles is an issue, but I'm not reducing a star in the rating because the hotel cannot control air pollution in the city nor the traffic. Use ear plugs if in a street room. To have a fire started in your room is an additional cost of 20 GTQ ($2.57 USD). I loved having a fire. Laundry service available, around the clock security and attentive housekeepers. Location is great, just an easy walk to the mercado on Thursdays and Sundays and the church.

The restaurant serves a limited variety of food. The food was fine. I would recommend trying some of the highly rated...