Which hotel in Chichicastenango, Guatemala? This review covers the Villa Grande Hotel, Chichicastenango, part of the Villas de Guatemala.

The Villa Grande Hotel in Chichicastenango is part of the same chain as the Hotel Villa Maya (Peten, near Tikal), the Hotel Maya International (Santa Elena-Flores, Peten, near the airport which serves Tikal), Villa Colonia in Antigua, and the Hotel Villa Santa Catarina, on lovely Lake Atitlan. These hotels are affiliated with STP, one of the larger and better known travel agencies, owned by the Sagastume family.

The Villa Grande Hotel is on the outskirts of Chichicastenango (on the left) as you drive towards the town. The setting is rural, a pleasant change from an urban situation. Banana plants and a milpa are on one side of the hotel, showing you how the local Quiche Maya still live.

I timed the walk in to town, about 15 minutes at a fast clip, or 20 minutes to half an hour if you are a slow walker. Taxis do not exist and parking is almost unobtainable inside the town. The Villa Grande Hotel itself has ample parking. If you come by public bus be sure to alight at the entrance to the hotel to spare yourself having to carry your luggage back to the hotel.

The hotel grounds are carefully maintained. Hibuscus bloom everywhere. I saw quite a variety of beautiful flowering plants including several I had never previously seen.

Trees, shrubs, and lawn are everywhere, so again you are spared the painful reality of being in a concrete or asphalt urban area.

From the hotel you can see the market area (to the right of the colorful cemetary) and one of the churches which mark the edge of the market square.

Chichicastenango is not a rock-and-roll town and the Villa Grande Hotel is not the place find a lively bar to pick up a date for the evening. But if you prefer a secluded location and enjoy the healthy walk back and forth to town, then you ought to consider the Villa Grande. Of the three best hotels (this one, the Mayan Inn, and the Hotel Santo Tomas) I would estimate that the Villa Grande is the most economical in room price. I especially like the suites with their terrace surrounded with a nicely clipped hedge.

I found the rooms clean and the entire staff friendly and helpful.

Reservations: in Guatemala (502) 334-8136 to -9, fax (502) 334-8134, e-mail: stpvillas@pronet.net.gt