25th - 26th December

A really nice hotel complex, which is situated ideally for your tour of the ruins. The hotel is surprisingly luxurious for the location and conditions (use of generators).

The only negative side, is the receptionist seem to run the hotel like a military camp!!

The rooms are very nice, with comfortable beds and reassuring mosquito nets. The fans were a bit point less due to the lack of electricity during the hours of 10am - 5pm, and 11pm - 5am.

Food was fine, really nice pool.

If you have not experienced Howler monkeys before, it can be quite an experience when you hear them.

We experienced this for the first time, when the electricity went off and it was complete darkness inside and out - it reminded us of a few horror films we had seen and was very shocked and relieved to see how small the monkeys were in the morning.

An Incredible Experience!

What an amazing place to stay. Surrounded by the jungle, with spider monkeys, wild macaws, wild tucans, and howler monkeys all spotted when I was there. The cabins are apparently the original housing for the archeologists who first explored Tikal.

The rooms were surprisingly comfortable - and sleeping under a mosquito net is actually kinda romantic.

Note that there is only power from 5AM to 10AM, and from 5PM to 10PM, because of their generators. This is not meant to be a luxury hotel, this is meant to be for those who want to experience the jungle, to be amidst true nature! Although accommodations are surprisingly classy, if you are looking for the lap of luxury, rather than a true jungle experience, head elsewhere.

Otherwise - book now - this is the experience of a lifetime! I woke up at 5AM to the haunting sound of the Howler Monkey's call - and will never forget that moment...

Luxury in the jungle

Staying in Tikal is a great experience! I visited the park on a day trip a few years ago, and much preferred staying overnight to aoid the crowds. Jungle Lodge is made up of pretty duplex bungalows, each with a porch and couple of chairs outside. The room was very nice and clean, and we had hot water for showers even during hours when the power was off. The only meals we ate at Jungle Lodge were those included in our package; they were fine, though nothing too special. The rooms here (and grounds) looked nicer than those at Jaguar next door, but we found the food and dining ambience to be better at the Jaguar.

Had a great time!

We spent 3 nights at the Jungle Lodge and the location can't be beat. Only minutes away from the various temples, so you can easily catch them at sunrise or sunset. (This is highly desirable given the crowds of tourists that descend on the ruins at mid-day!)

We had a room with 2 double beds and private bath. Everything was very clean and perfectly adequate. However, keep in mind that you are in the middle of the jungle, so as long as you are not shocked to see ants or mosquitos in your room you will be fine. Note that all of the bungalow windows have screens, and each bed has a mosquito net for an additional layer of protection just in case.

Staff was friendly enough and smiled in answer to our hello's. No problems with our reservations that we made through (---).

Alas, the pool is still out of service consistent with earlier reviews. There are printed signs at the check-in desk and in the dining room to advise guests, and the signs look like they have been there for a while.

Food in the restaurant was adequate but not memorable. There is a menu, but generally you are advised what is available that night. Plenty of cold beer. The Jaguar Inn next door had better food at better prices and was well worth the short walk.

The electricity was a bit spotty during the day, but overall was better than I expected. They tell you upon check-in that the power goes off at 11 pm and back on at 5 am. From our observations that was pretty accurate. A nice touch was that they go around at night and put small lanterns on each patio to help fight the darkness if you are going out for an early morning walk.

Bottom line, we had a great time and would happily stay there again.

It's a jungle! What do you expect?

I knew I was someplace special when I was awakened at 3:00 a.m. by the roaring of the howler monkeys all around the outside of our thatched bungalow. What a magnificent sound! Like 50 MACK trucks swarming in the air.

Clearly the best thing about this place is its proximity to the ruins. We caught sunset from atop one of the temples, and sunrise from another. The room was spartan but clean. The electricity was occasional. The bathroom was entirely adequate. And the food was satisfying. The rocking chairs on the restaurant porch were also a plus.

Fix the pool

First of all, it's hot and humid here in April - nothing the hotel can do about that, EXCEPT have a pool that is functional! We were looking forward to a cool dip after a hot sweaty day in the ruins and instead found a pool filled with milky colored water. No explanations, no apologies, not discounts offered.

Our room was nice enough except that the mosquito netting was not as generous (large) as we had at other jungle hotels. It made sleeping a little more difficult. Bathroom was beautiful. Grounds were beautiful - we saw many howler and spider monkeys on the property.

We elected to have dinner at the nearby Jaguar Inn, but our breakfast at the Jungle Lodge was terrific.

Fix the pool, or at least apologize, and this is a 3-star.

We keep going back

We are budget travellers who have returned to the Jungle Lodge several times over the last 15 years. There are two rows of simple, clean double rooms with two brand new SHARED bathrooms that don't appear to be booked by tours because they have always been available These are not separate cabins but are in the back against the jungle. Last year a double was about $27US a night. You need to ask for them specifically. The electricity goes out during the day, the food is a better deal at the Jaguar and the last two times the pool was murky and not very inviting. But you can't beat the price when you can wake up at dawn and be in the ruins in ten minutes.

Cool place to stay...

The location of the Jungle Lodge can't be beat...right next to the ruins entrance & close enough to the jungle to see some monkeys and agoudis running around the hotel grounds.

Our cabin was great. It was bugfree which was amazing considering how many insects were outside.

As for meals...head over to Jaguar Inn...they have a great atmosphere over there and great cold beer and mixed drinks. Much cheaper than Jungle Lodge...

I had a lot of trouble booking with them online...they never answered their emails...so I ended up booking with enjoyguatemala.

The Jungle Lodge front desk is a bit disorganized and they are infamous with losing reservations...even mine!

All said & done...I really did enjoy my stay at Jungle Lodge. It is a nice piece of rustic luxury set deep in the Guatemalan Jungle. However, if I ever return to Tikal area I'd stay next door at the Jaguar Inn...

Be Aware of Unknowns

Really enjoyed our recent trip to Guatemala and especially Tikal... BUT, as for the Jungle Lodge, there are some things you should know! While the room was nice...

1 - meals are by buffet and the dinner one cost 90Q per person. It was 'OK' but for that price it was not worth it. Got more for less at the Hotel Atatlan, Casa Los Thomas in Chichi and Casa San Carlos in G City

2 - the power is off from about 10 PM to somewhere around 2-3 AM so bring a flashlight

3 - the beer might be warm

W

USA