Stayed here for one night upon arriving around 9 PM in Guatemala City. Very short trip from airport and not expensive to get to.

I stayed in a private room with private bathroom. The room was fairly clean and basic. There was a locker for which you might want to bring a basic lock. Security didn't seem to be an issue but one never knows.

I paid $35 which was a decent value. It's one block from the Intercontinental where I stayed at the end of my trip, but is a only slightly more than 1/3 the price. Zona 1 where the majority of discount accomodations are found can feel quite dodgy in part so staying here in the Zona Viva has a lot of pluses. There are many cheap restaurants nearby including 'Ta Contento which was excellent.

Reception didn't appear to speak much English and when making a reservation via email I was glad that I could write in Spanish.

I had a terrible time here, but I can see the advantages for others.

First, the location is great. It's safe to walk at night, and there are a lot of restaurants and bars to frequent in the Zona Viva. It's relatively clean, there's one computer with internet access, and a living room with t.v. If you're young, traveling with a group of friends, and don't care that the tv's on full blast from 7AM to midnight, this is the place to stay in Guate.

I travel solo, and I have work to get done, so this place was awful for me. The sound traveled directly into my room. There's no wifi, and the only place to use the internet is directly next to the tv. Although breakfast is supposed to be included, it's really just bread and bad coffee. The hot water in the shower was, well, not hot.

When I showed up I made the mistake of paying for the room before looking at the place. I know, rookie mistake. After spending 30 seconds listening to a group of 10 guys yell at each other over the Chuck Norris movie, I realized that this place was far from tranquil. I immediately told the receptionist that I would not be staying the following night, but since I had already paid I could only get 50% of the 90% for the night I had just paid for. Fine, my mistake. Also, I had to endure 20 minutes of bullying by the manager who insisted that I wanted to stay, I just didn't know it. (She offered me my own room at $50; I explained that for that much money, I might as well stay at the Best Western.) They didn't have any change, so they told me they'd pay me the next morning. I didn't pressure them. Again, my mistake. It turns out that there's no receptionist for two hours each morning. As I write this, I'm waiting for the 10AM person to show up so I can leave this place. I'm aware that I had an unusually poor experience, but it's still not particularly endearing.

I stayed at Xamanek Hostel on arrival in Guatemala City and spent my last three nights there. I liked the website I saw and when I got there, it was as nice as I expected. The Hostel is quite friendly, multi-lingual, inexpensive, and it has free airport shuttle if there are three people in your group or you are staying three days.

Best of all it is in the Zona Viva, where I was reasonably able to go out at night. There is a kitchen for guest use and a good supermarket 3 1/2 blocks away. Although it in an area of expensive restaurants, there is an inexpensive one on the next block over, and if one is really desperate, McDonald's is a block away.

Following some excellent directions, I was able to walk to the Ixchel and Popul Vuh museums and to take a bus to the Mercado Central on another day. There is DSL Internet access included and you can make online phone calls anywhere for $.30 US a minute.

People must make a reservation, but you can do this via e-mail. There are five dorm rooms, but they add newcomers to empty rooms first, so unless it is crowded, you and your party will have a room to yourselves.

This place is great. I highly recommend it.