The Best Hotels in Flores, Guatemala, for Every Traveler

The rooms to book at this lakeshore hotel, a 15-minute boat transfer from Flores, are the Mirador or Riviera suites. Sleeping four, they have sweeping views of the lake from the foot of the bed and the large hardwood balconies. The lovely lakeside location is also matched by a wealth of wildlife in the hotel’s private reserve, where walking trails and birdwatching tours await.

Sitting on the lakeshore in just over 300 acres (121ha) of private rainforest reserve, Las Lagunas is in-the-jungle chic. Rainforest hikes and wild kayaking by day are offset by spoiling spa-side massages and romantic lakeside dining by night. Rooms are opulently outfitted in rich woods and wall-high windows open to reveal balconies, private jacuzzis and lake views. Tours take you to Tikal and other nearby sites, such as Yaxha and Topoxté, in style.

It’s nature that gets star-billing at director Francis Ford Coppola’s lakeshore retreat – which, despite its silver-screen pedigree, is more understated than many of the plush lodges that dot the Flores lakeshore. Rooms with whitewashed walls and palm-thatched roofs are modestly furnished and decorated with Guatemalan textiles and locally made crafts. But they open on to rainforest trees, flitting with birds and framing the lake itself. The hotel’s activity menu immerses guests in the wild as well – on jungle trails, horseback rides and in kayaks.

You can imagine Zorro swinging off the chandeliers or sword-fighting on the cloistered balconies in this Spanish colonial-style ranch, set in tropical gardens south of Flores town. Or perhaps Zorro in middle age, mask off, happily married and shooting down the water slide into the family-sized swimming pool. There’s a good restaurant (serving Guatemalan comfort cooking), whirlpool tubs in the rooms, breakfast is included and it’s a snip of the price of luxury hotels on the lakeshore.

Rooms at the Hotel Maya are sparsely furnished and come in plain whites and beiges, but there’s a lake view from the bed – and from the pool… and the shoreside restaurant… The hotel looks especially pretty at night – lit up with hanging lights that glimmer in the water and illuminate trails running through the lush tropical garden. The hotel can organise tours to the Mayan sites and lake excursions, too.

Rooms are backpacker-basic at Zapote Tree Inn, with colorful fabrics draped over beds and adorning windows. But the Zapote sits in lush surrounds, with a little pool, big rooftop sundeck and a waterside bar. Views, over the water to the island of old Flores, are beautiful, especially in the evening when the city lights reflect off the lake’s surface.

Accommodation in this small, family-run guesthouse is simple – in whitewashed rooms, accented with art. But the best have lake views, which you also get over a generous breakfast that’s served on the terrace, overlooking the water. The hotel can organise a wealth of local tours, too – to Mayan sites, caves and the rainforest.

Smaller and more intimate than Hotel Casona del Lago, its big, blue sibling across the water, the Casona de la Isla sits in old Flores village with balconies and the al fresco restaurant and bar, perched over a pool and the lake. Rooms are well-kept, come with a big breakfast and good views. Its huge wealth of tours means guests head out to get active during the day, then return in time for sunset drinks on the deck.