Our Night of Relaxation at Hotel San Buenaventura, Panajachel, Guatemala

Guatemala is full of surprises, especially accommodation wise. We were blessed during our month in the country and ended up staying in a few cool places so hopefully for those of you reading, you will simply LOVE these photos and this review of what was one incredible night of pure relaxation in Panajachel, which is a town that sits on Lago Atitlan in Guatemala.

After our days hiking the Indian’s Nose and kayaking, pure bliss ensued as we landed in Panajachel after a short speedboat ride across the lake from San Pedro La Laguna. While we spent our first night in a cosy “Writer’s Lair” at Posada Los Encuentros, we opted for a night on pure luxury, peace and relaxation with Hotel San Buenaventura, and this paradise ticked all the boxes and we loved it. Here are the ten (eleven actually) reasons that this is a perfect place to relax.

1. Private Beach! Yes, we had a private beach. The Hotel San Buenaventura is on the lake and has a stretch of beach, so I was in for a swim, relaxing on the beach and there’s also a mini pier to sit on and admire the view. Stunning.

2. Private Swimming Pool! The fresh clear waters of the swimming pool are for guests and lodgers of the hotel only but we found that it was often empty and we were able to have a swim in pure peace without any screaming kids or boisterous teenagers.

3. Wifi in the Garden The Wifi works in the garden at Hotel San Buenaventura. In fact they have two wifis – one for the bar/restaurant area and one for the garden. Pull up a chair in the garden, do some online blogging and relax.

4. Lake View The view of the lake is just stunning. That’s all that needs to be said.

5. Peace and Tranquility There is basically zero noise here as we are on the edge of the town of Panajachel. You can truly relax in peace and safety and without a care in the world.

6. Sauna There is a special sauna here and again, due to the nature of this relaxing hotel you will have it all to yourself most of the time.

7. Free Kayaks I wrote a few weeks ago about how we each paid 15 Quetzals for kayaking (not that bad anyway) but here there are kayaks for guests use only and they are free!

8. Charming Brick House Rooms I loved the brick work of the actual rooms here at Hotel San Buenaventura. Check out our “apartment” for the night, both interior and the stunning exterior!

9. Coffee Plantations The Hotel San Buenaventura is built on an area that was once a massive coffee plantation. The good news is, it is still used as a coffee plantation in parts and you can do a free tour yourself and see the coffee growing! That’s a bit of a bonus so you dont have to pay a company for a tour!

10. Onward Connections The staff here can help arrange your onward connections and we decided on a few nights in Antigua next before heading onto Guatemala City. We used a minibus company from Panajachel to Antigua after the mega bus bugs we got on the previous 5-6 chicken buses we took.

11. Desayuno Tipico OK so I’ll cheat and add in a number 11 – I can’t forget the excellent breakfast we had outside in the sun shine relaxing. We went for the Desayuno Tipico which is 80 Quetzals and comes with coffee and juice. Check out the photo!

We loved Hotel San Buenaventura so much and would have loved to have stayed longer but alas, it was only one night and just over one day. Here are the details for booking it: http://sanbuenaventuradeatitlan.com/lodging.html Prices start at $54 US for a single room for one person or $88 US for a double ($44 US each), which for the luxury and pure beauty of it all will be completely worth it! Go on treat yourself, Hotel San Buenaventura awaits…

Here are my videos from our relaxing time at Hotel San Buenaventura: