Casa Palopó - Relais & Chateaux — Hotel in Sololá

We had an incredible time at Casa Palopo! The room was beautiful, views at the dinner area were incredible, the staff was very friendly, and the food was top class.

Our highlights:

1. The views are something we will never forget and we will come back for.

2. The cleaning staff literally waits to see you in the lobby and they sprint to your room to clean in the morning, turn the bed when you leave throughout the day, and everything else. Each day they do something a little different which made it feel even more special.

3. All the bathroom products are Makenna. If you don’t know this brand, you will want to buy the whole store after your stay.

4. The staff themselves get to know your orders and likes/dislikes after the first day. Advantages of a smaller hotel with fewer rooms.

A few disclaimers for people looking to book here:

1. This hotel is special because it is a small boutique and provides a one of a kind luxury experience. It is far from Pana and not conveniently located. The hotel can call a Tuc Tuc (75 quetzales) for you and coordinate tours with guides, but you won’t be easily walking to town or other restaurants nearby.

2. Can’t speak for all rooms, but there was no TV or air conditioning in the room. This wasn’t a big deal for us.

3. They market as having 2 pools and a hot tub, but the nicest pool with the spa is only for the villa. So you will only have access to 1 pool if you don’t book the Villa. This was disappointment as we looked forward to the beautiful infinity pool and brought bathing suits for the spa specifically.

4. Our room claimed to have a pool view, but unless you can see through a whole building, you will not see the pool. There were 2 rooms that can see the pool, but most of them don’t. This was a little disappointing, but okay.

5. Our room was full of beautiful windows, but had a staircase where other guests could look in, which happened on a few occasions. Unfortunately we had to keep the blinds mostly closed.

6. The menu is unique, delicious, and expensive. We loved it all and it was nice to switch it up from the food we’ve been eating in the rest of our trip around Guatemala. However, we noticed some guests around us were surprised and if they had kids, nothing on the menu was for them.

7. Don’t bring kids here…there are mostly couples and older families here. The kids may not like the food and for the price, I wouldn’t bring kids here either.

8. lots of stairs, not very accessible if that is a concern for anyone booking, I wouldn’t.

4/5 stars due to disappointment about second pool, no pool view when the room marketed it, and guests being able to see...

I am so torn on how to review Casa Palopo. The location is lovely -- convenient enough to Santa Catarina de Palopo and Panajachel to access 'civilization' but also far enough away to be able to truly disconnect.

The rooms? Mine was small but lovely. I felt like I was in a luxurious treehouse with a gorgeous balcony, birds chirping, plenty of natural light, and views down to the lake. The bathroom was enormous with high quality full-sized products, modern fixtures, and good water temperature and pressure (for Guatemala, anyway).

Cleanliness -- insanely good. Thanks to the included turndown service, you basically get housekeeping twice a day. The rooms smell lovely and fresh and the floors are so clean you could eat off of them. Common areas are sparkling and beautifully decorated too.

Restaurants: Delicious and clean, although not well suited to solo travelers (I felt so awkward) and the included continental breakfast is one of the stingiest I've ever been served. Let's just say... pack some protein bars. Which brings me to...

Value: This property nickels-and-dimes you like a budget airline. I think a Hampton Inn offers more included amenities. I've heard this is typical in Guatemala -- standard amenities in North American and European hotels come at a cost here -- but this did not meet my expectations of a luxury property and I felt misled.

Upon check-in, I was offered special morning and evening drinks... and didn't know they came at a fee until I was presented with a bill alongside my nighttime tea. My room had a lovely gooseneck kettle, French press, sugar cubes, espresso cups, and teaspoons with instructions for use... but staff seemed confused when I asked for, um, some coffee to brew? A credit to the front desk -- they dashed to the kitchen and fetched me a Ziploc bag of ground coffee, but then informed me tea bags would come with an added expense. In-room meditation kit? Pay to use. In-room art supplies? Pay to use. The widely advertised private dock and boat service? $130 to a single destination (vs. 25Q or less than $4 for a public lancha). After getting hit with multiple surprise bills, I ultimately did not feel like I could unwind, opted to spend more time outside of the property, and left feeling resentful rather than rejuvenated.

If Casa Palopo intends to court international guests, I highly recommend they revisit their amenities and pricing. Or at least become more transparent. After this experience, personally, I'm...

Here is your $1600 review. My wife and I were looking forward to staying at Casa Polopo. We have stayed at Relais and Chateaux properties around the world and have grown always expect a level of luxury and service. Actually the main reason to visit Guatemala was the property and views it provides. Keep in mind the price for 3 nights with taxes was $1600 USD

The property did inform us a few days after booking (and also after booking the flight) that there is some construction going on. There is not a lot of other luxury hotels in the area, so after discussing with the hotel we decided to stay there anyway. I was told that it was not in the lobby or by the rooms.

Upon arrival the actual road to the property was closed, my wife and I had to walk 10 minutes to the gate and the taxi waited 45 minutes for the road Blockage to clear in order to bring our bags. The front gate had about 20 workers and I thought we were at the wrong hotel.

There were workers within 10 feet of our room using hammers and chisels all day long. There is no air conditioning at the property. It was impossible for us to stay in the room and relax due to the noise, which is a main reason to visit the property. To pay over $500 USD per night is insane for this experience. I left feeling like I was scammed to pay full price for this experience. I asked them for a discount for the inconvenience. Not once did they get the manager for me to talk to. They did offer a complimentary dinner for the inconvenience which is not nearly enough. It is the best hotel in the area but is extremely overpriced for the experience you should expect. Not once did the manager apologize or ask how our visit was. Even after I complained to the reception and asked for the manager to call me.

When leaving we had to ask for staff to help us with luggage, and walk 10 minutes through the road construction because our driver was not able to drive to the hotel due to the road construction.

On a positive note, the views from the property are incredible. The food is outstanding and the restaurant and housekeeping staff were superb. The lake is one of the most beautiful you could imagine. There are beautiful flowers and hummingbirds on the property. There is not a lot to do nearby the property other than doing boat tours and visiting local villages (which is nice)

Overall What a disappointment in the upper level management and customer service :( would...