We stayed two nights at Casa Azul after spending two nights at the beginning of our vacation at a different hotel . The main reason we chose Casa Azul was because they had a pool and also a hot tub. We were hoping to enjoy both but Antigua had a cold period while we were there so the pool was out. Hoping to enjoy the hottub we asked as the previous reviewer had for them to have it ready. It must just not work as we had the same problem. It just didn't get warm enough to use. They also charge a few for using it although they didn't charge us as it's a new policy and we had booked before the policy had changed.
It is in a great location right off the main square. They were also able to give us a room with three beds and had a fan that came in handy to block out the night noises. The courtyard is very nice.
I would probably stay elsewhere if I returned to Antigua

ok, this review is going to be different from most of my other reviews....this place is not what it seems at all. Usually, I write many positive things, but this place.........lacks a lot.

I admit that I used Elizabeth Bell's Travel Agency to book this hotel, so I was taking a chance without doing additional research of my own, but.....there are more positive reviews out there than there are negative reviews.

Food: The breakfast is good and nicely served in the patio dining room. I think you can also arrange to have it on your balcony, if you have one, but it's not clear how to find this option. (And, I do speak enough Spanish, well enough to get by.) I also can't tell how you know how much is included and how much is extra. I had a menu in my room that made it seem that I would have to pay Q.50 for eggs and beans, but when I sat down to eat, I was told (on both mornings) that I had a choice of beans + eggs, pancakes or yogurt and granola. Confusing, but tasty beans and eggs!

Cleanliness/Decor: I had room 9. The carpet was faded and stained with chewing gum stuff in a few obvious places. A carpet shampoo or replacement carpet would have helped a lot! The furnishings were cute, but not the cleanest, but I guess that's due in part to the antique appearance of things. The sheets and linens were clean, but the towels were thin and rough. The towels did dry quickly though. The toilet had a quiet flush and an extra long seat, which was more comfy than the usual. The TV was awkwardly located and the remote was difficult to use due to the TV's location. The housekeeping staff made the beds with decorative towel patterns on toop and left 2 bottles of water daily for free (unbeknownst to me).

Room temp: moderate, but no control. I did have to ask for extra blankets as it was too cold for me at night, but for warmer weather there is only a box fan to plug in somewhere.

Front Desk Staff & Jacuzzi: sort of nice, but not really helpful. I was most put off when I inquired upon checkin about the jacuzzi and was told that it was $25 extra. I informed her that it was not stated in the website so she waved it for me, but then she neglected to tell me that it required a minimum of 4-6 hours advance notice to use as the water was not kept heated! I eventually figured this out and made my reservation that 1st night for the next afternoon, but noone gave my message to the bellman/groundskeeper. So, when I saw the afternoon bellman around 2:45pm and asked if he had gotten the message for me to use the jacuzzi at 4pm, he said "NO". So, I rearranged my plans and asked if he could have it ready by 6pm or so and he tried. He then eventually began to turn on the hot water and get the jacuzzi ready, and he tried hard. After over 3 hours, it was only lukewarm and it was time to find some dinner. The jacuzzi is closed after 9pm, so by the time I got back from dinner around 10:30pm, it was off. I checked the water temp for curiousity and it was only warm! The whole jacuzzi thing was hopeless and the front desk staff's response was pathetic....the night shift told me with a shrug of his shoulders that no one had used it inawhile....as if to explain why it never warmed up adequately.

Hmm, what else? The grounds are lovely with lots of flowering plants and it is nicely kept. And, although the pool is cold, it is quite pretty. Room 9 does not have a view of the volcanoes, but it has sunny windows that overlook the pool. I'm not sure if the curtains give enough privacy after dark though, as the room faces other rooms across on the 2nd floor clearly.

I guess the bottom line is you get what you pay for. This was a $110/night room versus the $200/night that I had once had at Casa Santo Domingo. Yes, they are at American prices, not the cheap Central American prices that folks think they are going to get!

Would I stay here again? Probably not! I wanted to feel pampered for just 2 nights after doing some strenuous activities and dealing with achey muscles (that's why the jacuzzi was important) and felt like I had to work at it! The front desk staff didn't really care about my experience, although the ads that this hotel runs, claim to give personalized attention to make for a perfect experience. Not true at all!

We stayed at this hotel in February, 2008 for 3 nights. I had stayed here before back in 1999, also. The location is great, just a block off the main park. There is also a very nice pool area and a lovely breakfast served in the courtyard. The first night, we were in a first-floor room, just behind the check-in desk. The room was fine, but a little noisy in the mornings and late at night as you could hear everyone coming and going. Then we moved to an upstairs room, and it was fantastic. The views were wonderful. We could see the volcano from bed. It's definitely worth the small additional cost to get an upstairs room

I have read some mixed reviews about this hotel and after just staying here I think your experience will vary depending on the room that you get. This place has 14 rooms, and they all are very unique. When we made our reservation, we wanted to be on the 2nd floor with the volcanoe views which we had read so much about. When we checked in the front desk had us on the bottom floor when they found out we were traveling with a baby. They said they had a policy where they don't put babies on the 2nd floor. I walked around the top floor and the rooms did have awesome views of Volcan de Agua.
I liked our bottom floor room, most of the time I thought it was rustic and cool but a few times I caught my self thinking it was more run down than rustic. I would not recommend #15 because it feel like a cave when you walk in, there is only 1 small window by the door, and the room extends out to a sitting area and the actual bed room extends out into the corner with no windows whatsoever, just a lot of concrete and the lighting was poor which made it real dark even if you turned on every light.
The front staff was very friendly, and we thought the breakfast was very good for a free breakfast. The best part about this place is the excellent location, right next to the central park. With this great location you have to keep in mind you might here some noise considering the busy street and Ricki's bar next door. The noise didn't bug is.
There was a pool and a hot tub but we never went in because we were too busy out and about enjoying Antigua.

Pros:
Location
Friendly staff
Good cleaning staff

Cons:
Don't get a bottom floor room!
Wireless internet didn't work, so had to find hotspot elsewhere
Steet noise from people and cars (Friday/Saturday night)