"For 20 years this was Antigua's premier restaurant, with just 4 guest rooms, until owners Bruce McCowan and Laurel Jacobson extended Meson Panza Verde into the next-door property, creating 12 imaginative suites and rooms. They incorporated hand-crafted furnishings, private patios floating with water lilies, a domed roof in the bathroom, and a fountain-fed lap pool at its centre. This is a world of sumptuous colonial elegance shot through with contemporary verve. Expect Cuban antiques, panoramic terraces, bougainvillea-draped verandas, twisting staircases, turn-of-the-century chandeliers, Laurel-designed resin patterns, vintage porcelain and tiles. There are fresh flowers and Guatemalan textiles in your room; regular yoga and classes upstairs in the Panza Verde art gallery. Live music plays 6 nights a week, and the fine restaurant and music salon host everybody who's anybody. It's the heart of Antigua's vibrant social and cultural scene. Highs Uniquely styled colonial Spanish and Cuban interior with wonderful furnishings and architectural featuresOpulent, individual and well-appointed suitesDestination restaurant and 2 cosy barsNarrow lap pool, lush inner courtyard and charming roof terracesReception desk with bilingual staff, and a small office where guests can access free internetIt's close to the main plaza and Antigua's rich heritage Lows The restaurant can be the all-consuming focus on busy evenings - to the detriment of hotel guestsThe plunge pool is narrow and more of a decorative feature than anything elseThe bustling vibe may not suit everybody - and the smaller rooms just off the restaurant can be noisy at night (live music Wed-Fri)" - Nadine Mellor
