El Carmen Hotel

Beautiful colonial hotel in a fantastic location in Antigua, it has a beautiful rooftop with a great view of the city with the added feature of the “I love Antigua” sign. In the rooftop you can go for drinks, a romantic date or simply grab a bite. The room was big, comfortable and kudos to the renovated bathrooms with a great shower. Everyone was very nice, overall great experience

Great place to stay in Antigua, close to everything but plenty quiet. (Thank you Columbus Guatemala Travel for selecting it for us!) Super comfy bedding; lovely bathroom; beautiful inner courtyard; considerate and helpful staff. Delicious complementary breakfast with volcano views!

We had a good experience—the hotel is picturesque, showcasing Antigua’s charm and Spanish influences. Our room had purified water and was exceptionally clean. The location was excellent, and the included breakfast was plentiful and delicious. While our room had two queen beds, which was convenient, but it made it tight. If we return, we may explore other options.

It was a bad experience for us. First of all, our room 202, was right under the rooftop restaurant. At 6 30 in the morning, they would be moving chairs and tables, which we can totally hear. People started going to the restaurant at 7, and they have to pass right by some of the rooms, one of which is ours. They would make all kinds of noise and we were not able to go back to sleep after the furniture move. The hotel said their quiet hours are 10 pm till 6 am so if you want to stay there, don't expect to sleep in. There is a big step between the flooring in our room and the vanity and door to the bathroom. There are also gaps in the wooden planks, so in the middle of the night, we had to be very careful to not trip and fall. Very dangerous. It is a safety hazard. The walls were thin so you are hearing all the hotel noise. We did not get any rest there. The "vanity" was so small that if one of us is in front of it, you cannot open the bathroom door. My husband even purchased a massage session and they wanted to use our room to perform the service. Unheard of. They found a room to give the massage and it was mediocre at best. I have to give it 1 star because of 3 great staff members who were kind, friendly, professional, very helpful, and made us feel very welcomed. They are Guisela and Daniel from the restaurant, and Arnaldo the bell hop attendant who greeted us everyday and was very helpful with our luggage. Overall, a terrible stay. There are plenty of other hotels to stay so look at other options before choosing this one. We would not recommend it.

My husband and I really wanted to love El Carmen after seeing such great reviews. Unfortunately, Gerson at the front desk made us take responsibility for the 200Q cost of a worn out towel that ripped before allowing us to leave. We will not be back and recommend anyone to spend your hard earned money on a place that doesn’t make the customer pay the cost for their failure to maintain housekeeping. Why should El Carmen new towels come from our pocket instead of replacing them when worn? Mi esposo y yo realmente queríamos amar a El Carmen después de ver críticas tan buenas. Desafortunadamente, Gerson en la recepción nos hizo asumir la responsabilidad del costo de 200 Q de una toalla gastada que se rasgó antes de permitirnos irnos. No volveremos y recomendaremos a nadie que gaste el dinero que tanto le costó ganar en un lugar que no haga que el cliente pague el costo por no mantener el servicio de limpieza. ¿Por qué las toallas nuevas de El Carmen deberían salir de nuestro bolsillo en lugar de reponerlas cuando se usan?

We wanted to love El Carmen, especially after seeing such great reviews. Unfortunately, Gerson at the front desk made us responsible for the 200Q cost of a worn out towel that ripped due prior to wear and tear before allowing us to leave. We will not be back and prefer to spend our hard earned money on a place that doesn’t make the customer pay the cost for their housekeeping maintenance. Queríamos que nos encantara El Carmen, especialmente después de ver tan buenas críticas. Desafortunadamente, Gerson en la recepción nos hizo responsables del costo de 200 Q de una toalla gastada que se rasgó antes del uso y desgaste antes de permitirnos irnos. No volveremos y preferimos gastar el dinero que tanto nos costó ganar en un lugar que no haga que el cliente pague el costo del mantenimiento de la limpieza.