Hotel Villa Santa Catarina

Santa Catarina Palopo is a bit off the main circle around lake Atitlan and cannot even be accessed by public boats, only more expensive private lanchas. The other option is a tuk-tuk to reach it from Panajachel in around 15-20 minutes. The hotel is very close to the waterfront and the first level rooms offer great lakeviews. |This tiny village is home to some of the best weaving in Guatemala and such artisanal work is the main decoration around the hotel giving it a real authentic feel. Staff spoke some minimal English but knowing Spanish is definitely a huge plus here. This would be a great place for guests who don’t want to wonder around much, just enjoy lovely hospitality surrounded by lakeviews and mountains for a few days.

The accommodation looks just like the pictures – the room was clean, and there were some nice shared spaces with options to play ping pong and billiards. However, there were a few downsides. The room didn’t have blackout curtains, so it got very bright as early as 5 AM. The front door was quite thin, and there was constant noise coming from a generator house next to the room. The staff were professional, but we didn’t feel the genuine friendliness we’ve experienced in other places. Breakfast was decent, though it felt a bit soulless and was relatively expensive for what it offered.

A lovely setting on the shores of the lake. The hotel is also located in pretty grounds with a big outdoor swimming pool surrounded by trees, cactus and lawns. It’s also a short walk to the main square of the town and to the lake.||All the guest rooms overlook the pool and have an outdoor covered balcony with outdoor furniture.||The rooms are rustic in design but quite comfortable. There are two single beds & a desk & chair. The bathroom has a large walk in shower. There are minimal amenities. But the room is very clean. There is a Tv but only has a few local channels. There is wifi around the property stronger near reception but not great in the guest rooms ||Breakfast is a set menu and changes a bit each day. It’s all tasty. Staff do their best & are friendly.

This is a beautiful location and the hotel is picturesque. The pool was the highlight for my two children, especially the thermal pool. While we had a nice stay, I think it is important for other families to know that the rooms are small and the "semi-matrimonial" beds are even smaller. They are not meant for two adults, at least not comfortably. What was most upsetting was that once we saw the size of the beds, we requested a separate roll-away to be brought in and they said it would be a charge of $20/night. This was never disclosed to us, even though when we made the reservations we specified that we were 4 people (2 adults and 2 children). I asked why the posted sign in the lobby stated the charge was $15, but they still insisted on charging $20 per night for the one bed. Management did not seem to hear my suggestion. While we enjoyed our stay and the restaurant staff was wonderful, we were disappointed in the extra charge and lack of response from management.

This hotel exceeded my expectations, offering exceptional value for the price. The rooms are clean, well-decorated, and comfortable. The view is stunning, and the staff is incredibly friendly and accommodating. The breakfast is tasty, and the garden, with its beautiful flowers, trees, cacti, and natural hot springs, is a peaceful and relaxing spot to enjoy. Highly recommend!

Nice Hotel, I wouldn’t call it luxurious but it was ok. The town is really small and not much to do, if you are looking for a more vibrant town, you will have to go to any of the other towns. Let me tell you a couple of Cons: Tips: there are not too many restaurants in Sta. Catarina so must of our meals were in the hotel and the servers will cross the Tips section of the check so you are forced to tip cash. I didn’t like to feel forced to tip cash because I was saving cash for souvenirs in local markets. The small pool is a bit deteriorated, needs maintenance. There is no A/C nor fans in the rooms. The pictures in the website make you think that the hotel is right next to the water, but there is multi-purpose court between the hotel and the lake. Not a dealbreaker but I thought it was right by the lake. Something that surprised us was the constant smoke smell, that is mostly because people still use wood-burning stoves and burn solid waste in surrounding areas… this is in all atitlan lake towns. Lastly, we arranged a private boat tour to 3 towns: San Juan, San Pedro and San Marcos, ~$200 for 6h… tour was ok. Pros: the Volcano Views, quiet Hotel, public pier at walking distance, breakfast is included.

Cons- The room i got is apparently for 4 people, 2 people in each bed but the beds are so small two people DONT fit in the bed, the tv in the room is extra small? DEF not like the pictures. Restroom needs some remodeling the flooring is the same in the room as the bathroom which gives an allusion that it’s the same floor but isn’t and made me fall badly! The warm pool is really small everyone goes to it it’s 3 inches deep and that’s all! The Wifi is really bad i had to go twice to the front to ask for them to come look at the service in our room, apparently it was solved but the wifi keeps going out! the food at the restaurant isn’t all that! the service at the restaurant isn’t good as we’ll. there is NO safe box in the room, phone in the room, or ac! Pro- the view is gorgeous update: the breakfast is good

This place was the perfect stay I needed. I was looking for a lowkey place where I could relax, read, and have delicious food - this place did not disappoint. The thermal pool was such a treat and the lounging chases gave me a variety of options for reading and relaxing. If you are looking for a similar experience, I highly recommend it. I enjoyed walking around the village where everyone felt welcoming. You can easily get to Panajachel with a tuk tuk, but if you want to have a local experience you can take a pickup for only Q.5 The staff was very attentive, and willing to offer cultural experiences only locals to the area can offer. Both Manases and Jesus were great hosts, and Jesus helped me find a local ceremony I was looking to experience. If you’re looking for something similar, I highly recommend Villa Santa Catarina.