This is a great place to stay. The best features include the lodge itself (grounds, gardens, rooms), and the host, Terje. We stayed in the fabulous suite which has a lake and volcano views and we also stayed in one of the larger rooms that has a view of the volcanoes. Both rooms were excellent. I think some of the smaller rooms might not have views. The gardens are beautiful and the lodge itself is a beautiful haven. Terje, the host, is Norwegian and he will give you anything you want (cold cervezas in a frosty glass, sandwiches to go, frothy limonada, tour guides, etc). The food and wine is also very good. It is not Guatemalan food but it is very good and one night we asked for Guatemalan food and we got it! Terje is an excellent host - you could not ask for a better one. If he does not have what you desire he will get it for you! And he is committed to helping the indigenous people of the area. There is also a great dog that lives at the lodge but she will not intrude or bother you.

A couple of things to be aware of: dinners are family style and require a reservation; the lodge is only accessible by boat and there is very little else in Jaibalito; the lake towns are all a bit noisy (the guatemalans love music and fire crackers; you can hear wild dogs howling), the indigenous people that live at the lake are very poor. But if you do decide to visit Atitlan, you cannot go wrong with the Vulcano Lodge. And the price is great!

I have recently returned from Guatemala in early December 2011 and I also returned to my favorite hotel in this country. Vulcano Lodge is a beautifully secluded hotel with quaint, clean rooms and incredible gardens throughout the entire property. Situated on Lake Atitlan near Panajachel, this hotel overlooks the lake and the three (3) dormant volcanoes across the lake. Boat access only in a small village with no cars, peaceful and relaxing.
But the food at this hotel is also exceptional. The Norwegian owner, Terje, is a wonderful chef and every meal I had there was delicious. The service was excellent and I managed to get by with linited spanish in my vocabulary.
I highly recommend anyone visiting Guatemala to consider this excellent lodge. Don't forget to bring your camera for majestic views, wonderful hikes around the lake, or hike to top of a volcano. Thank you Terje for your hospitality. I will likely be back again for a 3rd stay in 2012.

After reading the glowing reviews of Vulcano Lodge on TripAdvisor we were quite frankly disappointed with our visit. The accommodations are clean, large, and situated on a nicely laid-out grounds but otherwise unremarkable. As the lodge is a bit further in-land, the views of the lake and volcano were obscured. There are other lodges (Casa del Mundo and Lomas de Tzununa) that are right on the water and have better views; we met other travelers staying at those lodges and it seemed like a better deal. We thought the meals at Vulcano were expensive by local standards, and would highly recommend going to Ven Aca down the road. The view from Ven Aca's pool are fabulous and Carmen is a great hostess, not to mention the food and drinks, which are delicately and expertly prepared. The host at Vulcano actually didn't seem to have many recommendations on things to do and in general seemed somewhat unenthusiastic about the area. He mentioned that the lodge had been full the past few weeks and he was tired, so maybe that's why. We loved our visit at Lake Atitlan; it's beautiful and unspoiled with an other-wordly quality. We've recommended the Lake to many of our friends, but would suggest staying elsewhere.

We spent the night of Christmas Eve here. The room was well apportioned with very comfortable beds and despite the celebratory fireworks all around, we slept very soundly, mainly due to the excellent dinner that Terje, our jovial Norwegian host provided that evening - a culinary bonanza combining the best of fresh Guatemalan seafood and tender succulent meats - and WE are both foodies ! Good one Terje, we will be back soon !