Hotel San Buenaventura de Atitlán — Hotel in Sololá

Where do I start? I've been a loyal customer of this hotel for what feels like a million years. The reviews that mention this place like it's a secret are right- the gardens are well tended and it used to feel like an oasis. I've noticed the prices have surged over time which is expected I'm not holding them to that however... ||||My most recent stay gave me the ick and here's why. We originally planned the trip for two people (my friend and I) but last minute my mom tagged along with us, we thought it was no big deal since the room we had were 2 double beds & the third guest was a senior citizen- let's be real it's not like we were sneaking in a whole family into our room. They called our room and made it a point to ask my mom to leave and say she couldn't stay and offered no exceptions. We obviously tried to book a room for her there but the manager told us that the hotel was full that night and had no vacancies. It just rubbed me the wrong way that they could not make an exception for something so trivial. Adding in that the beds are TERRIBLE- they are old and not comfortable, the extra bedding and pillows in the closet are old and come with no pillowcases. ||||The next thing was that the room itself was bare bones- no wifi service in the rooms, which OK- you want people to disconnect but they clearly have strong internet signals for their surveillance cameras everywhere and front desk so why not invest in good internet for the guests? The bathrooms only offer a less than half filled hand soap dispenser by the sink and there is one soap dispenser in the shower that is filled with hand soap which guests are suppose to use as body wash and shampoo and conditioner. If this was a value motel 8 kind of hotel I would not say anything but this is $200/night premium hotel and this is what they have for the guests. ||||They have signage everywhere that talks about saving water and trying to be eco friendly but it comes off as an excuse as to why they don't fill their soap dispensers or why fresh towels aren't delivered to your room. It feels like they want to disguise their cheapness instead of being environmentally conscious. ||||We booked a private boat for a tour during our stay however it was with an outside company instead of one that they recommend so they did not allow the boat to dock (although they don't even have a dock tbh). We had to reroute ourselves to go into Pana and catch the boat. Again, for a premium hotel with water access shouldn't this be an easy access for guests? The hotel requires the boat tours to coordinate with the hotel days in advance. Seems pretty unfair if they let their own tour company have access with little advance notice. ||||I have used their jacuzzi and sauna many times (although admittedly, many years ago too) and this time around they tried to charge me $150Q per person for the sauna and another $150Q per person for the jacuzzi. WHAT? Their sauna is wood burning so it kind of has to be on for a long time before you get a good steam going but they were adamant about me booking a 1-hour block time (because they only wanted to have it on for that period of time) so obviously the sauna wasn't ready when I had scheduled it for so it didn't work out and I wasn't billed for it. I'm particularly angry that they charge people for this at all. It's in a public setting for hotel guests so I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they saw the sauna on and tried to use it- seems like they are just being greedy with money. ||||I don't like how strict they are so I'm taking my business else where. The hotel is beautiful outside but they offer no valuable amenities and they are not even stocked with essentials like toothpaste or a toothbrush in case someone forgets to pack theirs. The hotel is no where near a convenience store so not having the basics already available for guests is just ridiculous. For the price you pay, this hotel UNDER delivers. Go...

Quite easily and without hesitation; the best place to stay in all of Atitlan.

And it’s simple: far enough away from Panajachel to feel like you are anywhere else along the lake yet you are just a 5minute ride on a Tuktuk from a harbor, restaurants, supermarkets etc.

The hotel is absolutely beautiful with luscious grounds thought out architecture (very unique) a nice beach overlooking two of the Atitlan volcanoes, a heated pool (it isn’t warm but is definitely not cold), we were very pleasantly pleased with the choice.

Things to note: the single rooms (the ones with just two beds) are small and plain though they all hace a shared terrace.

The next step up are rooms with two floors; If you can, you should. These rooms have a balcony terrace, fireplace, BBQ grill, living room high rounded ceilings, the whole bit. And in rooms 3 and 5 you can overlook the lake through the reception building.

If you can avoid even numbered rooms as they face towards the gardens.

The larger family apartments look amazing.

Things to note: This place serves breakfast but unless you book lunch in advance that’s it. The bar closes at 3 and there is no dinner services. They advice you to go to next door hotels, order uber eats or cook 😅

And about Panajachel and Atitlan in general: from our experience this lake is about finding a nice place to stay and staying there for most of your visit. There is very little to see and do even in Panajachel the biggest town.

Finally a thing to say about Don Armando, at the front desk. Absolutely great individual who will help you with everything you need and offer hospitality at a level like we haven’t seen anywhere else...

We booked an apartment with living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a kitchen. This is particularly useful if you want to stay a couple of days but don’t want to eat out every day. We were amazed by the amount of living space. It was huge.|But what was even better was the view!|The apartment is situated in a well maintained garden with a perfect view of lake Atitlan and the volcanos. You can literally walk 20 yards to a secluded and private beach (only accessible by other hotel guests). ||We went swimming and did some snorkeling. We rented a private boat that took us across the lake to Santiago Atitlan (we paid 400 quetzal but maybe you can bargain a bit more and get a better price). We went to the Reserva Natural Atitlan, which is just across the road. There is a huge supermarket on the way into Panajachel (just 5 minutes away).||You can get breakfast in the little restaurant on the premises but they do not serve dinner. However, the neighbors (Hotel Atitlan) have posh but not overly expensive restaurant where we had dinner with the children.||Because the area is so beautiful many boats cruise by, including party boats with loud music. The rooms do not have air conditioning but fans keep you cool at night. But these might be the only negative points for this place.||All in all a beautiful place to stay...