Laguna Lodge Eco-Resort & Nature Reserve

We had a wonderful family holiday on the lake. Laguna Lodge felt like a Mayan experience. The decor suited the environment with the staff dressed in traditional clothes. I was impressed with learning that the staff came from the local villages. The views of the volcanoes were spectacular. The water in the lake inviting and refreshing. We are not vegetarian but enjoyed the meat free meals. The room was clean and comfortable.

This hotel has the potential to be great. Layout is good, location is fantastic and it sits on a huge piece of land. However it’s chronically under-maintained and undermanned. ||There are some big pluses. The location on the lake is fantastic, facing west for great sunsets, the hot pool (which you pay extra for) and cold pool combo was a great evening energiser. the bar staff, were always kind and attentive (if over worked!), and the walks behind the hotel were lovely ||We stayed in the big suite upstairs which felt like it didn’t get much use, small give-always like smelled musty, no batteries in the safe, and the wi-fi doesn’t reach there.||The gym was out of service (that’s a while now going by other reviews) and we had a booked pedicure session cancelled - but only found out when we went to do it. ||It could really do with a strong front of house person who sets the standard. ||It feels like a place where the owners have lost interest somewhat - I don’t know if that’s the case.

We really loved our stay at Laguna Lodge. The scenery is spectacular, the accommodations very comfortable, and the vegan food delicious. We enjoyed hiking in the private nature reserve and are grateful that the lodge is preserving the ecosystem. The staff arranged transport for us. The drivers were on time and very helpful. Laguna Lodge, the staff, and stunning surroundings made for a fabulous trip. We hope to return soon.

Absolutely fantastic hotel! Our group of 22 had the pleasure of enjoying the entire property, and the experience was exceptional. The staff went above and beyond, graciously accommodating every need of our guests. Lydia, the head stewardess, stood out with her supreme kindness and professionalism. We will definitely return and highly recommend this hotel to our friends.

I would avoid this place. We had reserved three specific rooms. We arrived and got an "upgrade" to a "villa" (note this is common in other reviews) which was actually a downgrade because it couldn't accommodate what we needed. The villa was up two extra flights of steep, tall stone stairs and then had a narrow winding staircase inside. The opposite of what you want when traveling in a multigenerational group with two senior citizens. When asked what happened we were told that they had overbooked so moved us without letting us know in advance. ||The rooms are dark and dingy. My mom used a flashlight to make sure the sheet were clean but even then we weren't sure. I wouldn't expect ac in an eco hotel but they didn't even have table top fans we could borrow. They said they only have "natural ventilation" meaning that we had to keep the windows open for air and swarms of bugs were flying in all night. I woke up three times because of large bugs flying into my hair. ||The food is average at best. We had spent three days beforehand eating our way through Guatemala and we don't mind vegetarian food. Everyone in our group just picked through their dinner. Breakfast was ok. ||The talk of two groups we didn't know at breakfast was how bad the showers were. It's either steaming hot or freezing cold water. We had the same experience. ||If you stay here come with the right expectations. We cut our trip short and left. early

I recently stayed at Laguna Eco Lodge and thoroughly enjoyed it. The views were amazing, and the room was comfortable, especially the bed! The staff were very gracious and helpful, particulaly in the restaurant. Imelda at reception and Cruz in the restaurant were standouts. I would definitely stay here again, but read on for some helpful caveats and pointers. If you have mobility issues, this is not the place for you. Built on a hillside, there are stone steps/stairs everywhere. The lodge advertises a nature preserve, but it involves climbing super steep hills, often without a way to hold on, so there's more sliding down than walking. You'll read in lots of online posts that you shouldn't walk anywhere without a guide, but after asking about a place to walk that isn't steep, we learned about the shore path (~20 minutes) to Santa Cruz. This is not a level path, but my group found it very doable, and it meant we could explore a bit without hiring a boat. Highly recommend! The restaurant is pretty good and the service delightful. The coffee was fantastic, as was fresh-squeezed OJ. However, we found that the food was often bland, and much of it was a nod to other cultures (Kung Pao chicken, pizza, pasta....). We were eager to try some authentic local food and had to go to other towns for that experience. The water for showers was often scalding, but on two mornings, it never got warm, let alone hot. An evening shower is probably most reliable. There is no ATM at Laguna Lodge and the one in San Marcos was out of money when we tried to use it. That is apparently often the case. The CECAP shop in Santa Cruz, at the top of the hill, has a reliable ATM as well as a delightful cafe and beautiful handicrafts for sale. They support the local community. You will need Quetzales for the public boats and tuk tuks in the local towns, so be sure to bring cash with you. Always pay at the end of the trip - never before. I ended up paying twice for our group to take a public boat from Santa Cruz to San Marcos, because I handed the fare to a guy on the dock helping me on the boat, as he had his hand out for payment. Turns out that's a common scam, and I had to pay the captain when we got off the boat. I read a few reviews of Laguna Lodge that were quite negative. I'm puzzled by those reviews, as the rooms we stayed in (suites with stunning views) and our overall experience was just lovely. P.s., make sure to go to Antigua. We booked what they called a "tour" on our way back to Guatemala City. It did not involve an actual tour. Our driver simply dropped us off and told us where to meet him in 2 hours. That was fine for us, but be aware that there is no "tour" involved.

This hotel is a complete disaster. The property is in utter disrepair, everything is old and worn out, and the pictures online are blatant false advertising from over a decade ago. This is, at best, a 2-star hotel, a borderline luxury hostel. Key Issues: 1. **Rodent Problem in the Room**: We arrived to find rat droppings on the bed, which I had to clean and throw away. That same night, a mouse ran through my luggage. Management’s resolution was to move us to another room for two days and then back to the old room, causing extra inconvenience. Instead of offering a refund or something meaningful, they offered us a dinner, as if that would fix the issue. 2. **Terrible Wi-Fi**: The Wi-Fi was almost unusable. It only worked in one tiny corner of the room. If you want to watch something on Netflix, you’d better have strong legs to stand there long enough to finish an episode. For a hotel charging premium rates, this was unacceptable. 3. **Dated and Falling Apart**: Everything in the rooms and common areas—furniture, rugs, cushions, and bed comforters—felt like it was at least 15 years old. The power went out **five times**, and the lights constantly flickered, making the experience even worse. It’s clear this place hasn’t seen a renovation since its last good review in 2013. 4. **Unreliable Showers**: For two days, there was no hot water at all. On other days, the water was either scalding hot or freezing cold, making showering a miserable experience. 5. **Overpriced Pool Access**: The “pool” looks more like a decorative fountain. To use it, you must notify the staff 4 hours in advance, pay $26, and can only enjoy it for a maximum of 1 hour. Come on—I paid $250 per night, and you’re charging me to heat the pool for 1 hour? Are you that desperate to pinch every penny? How about offering at least some mediocre luxury service! 6. **Mediocre Dining Options**: The restaurant offers only a vegetarian menu, which we don’t mind, but the food was mediocre at best. Adding small meat options would provide much-needed variety, especially since you cannot walk anywhere for alternative dining. 7. **Understaffed Service**: At the old wooden "antique" restaurant, there was only one employee juggling roles as a busboy, waiter, and bartender. He was very accommodating considering he had to play so many roles. 8. **Nonexistent Amenities**: The hotel advertised a gym, but it was closed and empty, which was not disclosed during booking. 9. **Unreasonable Refund Policy**: Due to an emergency, I had to leave a day earlier and requested a refund or partial credit toward my bill. I was being reasonable—even a partial refund would have sufficed. Unsurprisingly, the owners refused and instead offered a credit for a future stay. Honestly, I’d rather sleep in a canoe in the middle of the freezing lake than step foot in this place again! This property needs a total overhaul to live up to even basic standards. If you’re considering staying here, don’t. Look into alternatives like **Casa Palopó** or **Casa Prana**, even if it means changing your plans. I regret not staying elsewhere. Avoid this place at all costs.

After reading some middling reviews before we went to this lodge, I was nervous this resort would not be as good as we hoped. But I was luckily so wrong! Yes, it's expensive for what you can find in Guatemala, but it's worth the cost. There are only 6 or 7 suites, so it's incredibly private and relaxing. The rooms are GORGEOUS. They graciously gave us an upgrade and we loved every part of our room. Yes, you do have to pay extra to use the hot tub, but you've got the pool and the lake included to swim in, and that was more than enough for us! Kayaks are included as well, and the nature reserve is fantastic, so there was plenty to do. The restaurant offers both a prix-fixe and a la carte menu for dinner. Breakfast is included. Unfortunately never got to try the prix fixe (which is around 320 quetzals per person when we were there), but we really enjoyed the a la carte menu (entrees were around 100 quetzals). It was so nice to be at a resort with good values- vegetarian for the environment, eco-friendly using solar panels, hiring locals and encouraging them to use their native dress and language. The service was fantastic; each employee was so kind and friendly. The resort is walkable to town, about a (mostly flat) 15 minute walk to the base of Santa Cruz, and then you can either walk up the mountain or take a tuk tuk for 10 quetzals per person. There is an ATM in town but it is only open during business hours as it's located inside a business. If you want to visit other towns, you can wave down boats from the dock (it took us less than 1 minute to get one).