Hotel Isla Verde

A lot of stairs to the rooms. No A/C, no screens on the doors so you have to close the doors and gets a little hot. Beautiful scenery of the lake from the rooms. Birds singing in the morning. Cafeteria is facing the lake. Beautiful

We loved our peaceful stay here. It’s clear that the volunteers really care about guest experience - especially Nicole. Christian was also very helpful and kind throughout our stay - an invaluable asset to the hotel. Be warned that if mobility is an issue, you should not stay here as the cabins are hundreds of stairs from the restaurant. But you are rewarded with beautiful views of the lake - which, in our view, was worth it. Dinner was 150q per night, but it was an amazing three course meal - very worth it! There is free coffee and tea and the coffee was the best we have had on our trip so far in Guatemala. I would definitely stay here again!

We had a wonderful stay here. The property is great and the restaurant has great food and drinks and an excellent vibe. Everyone working there was extremely friendly. We really enjoyed our tome here. If you want a friendly stay at a boutique spot, highly recommend.

Fue increíble la gente es súper amable

Nice views of a gorgeous lake. People over 60 should consider physical limitations when going. No handrails on stairs ond all rooms are up "stairs' or paths. Our room did not have a chair, either inside or out on the porch, even though the room slept many people! Very nice staff, no amenities in rooms.

Beautiful property, great location and friendly staff. Definitely a great recommendation for a unique stay for those looking for "adventure travel" to Lake Atitlán that want peace and quiet. If you are more accustomed to bougie traveling you might want to consider more traditional hotel as you do need to prepare for a little walking up the stairs to your room and no heat when it can get cold in November.

Very picturesque and highly recommended.

Muy bonito lugar

Perfect little hotel a short walk from the main part of Santa Cruz! Food was amazing, staff attentive, and we loved the hot tub and sauna (temsecal). Also very convenient right next to a tour company that took us on a kayak tour to cliff jumping!

I want am Ecological Experience and I got It!!

Well this a really eco friendly hotel... The view was great but there were 239 steps to our room, no wifi during our whole stay and one night without power. The hotel is actually better that the photos and food is quite nice. I wouldnt stay here again but it is a good option if this is your type of hotel.

This property is beautiful but be prepared to climb a lot of stairs. My room was #6 and it takes about 10 minutes of climbing. Also, the property has no backup generator. There was no power during my 1st and 6th day. The showers were great though even if they are just solar powered. I stayed during the rainy season and the water still gets very hot. The dining options are limited so be prepared for that. The views from Santa Cruz are beautiful though that's why I prefer to stay in this town.

The lady in reception was so arrogant and disrespectful that it was offensive.
After communicating we had no hot water in the shower, she said they’ll fix it but they did not. And when we asked about it again, her response was that they’re an “eco lodge “ and even she herself take cold showers!!
It was a rip off, súper expensive and did not really worth what we paid.
We certainly Did not feel welcome, won’t recommend or be back to that place ever again.

We had a fantastic stay for 3 nights. A lovely welcome by all the staff. Great food. We'd love to return

What a magical place, a little cabin nestled on the hillside overlooking beautiful Lake Atitlan. From my bed I could see Volcano Fuego erupting far away. Be forewarned, it really is up a LOT of stairs, and the water is solar heated so on a cloudy day it’s a bit chilly. Staff incredible. Good delicious. Magic.

The staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They go above and beyond to make you feel at home. The food is so good and the drinks don’t disappoint either. The huts are charming, comfortable, and perfect for a quiet retreat. I love that they have a small gift shop. The pizza night we had was beyond my dreams! Thank you for a wonderful stay Sofia and Riley!!!

If you know what you're getting into and you decide it's what you want, it can be a good experience. If not, it will be a bad experience. And it's hard to know what you're getting into because the website doesn't contain a lot of information, and, as others have said, if you email the staff ahead of time, they won't tell you much. Here's my attempt to tell you what you need to know, both pro and con.

Pros:
- It's in a beautiful location and has great views.
- The staff is very friendly and welcoming and tries to be as accommodating as they can, including with dietary restrictions and any other request the guests have.
- They make three fresh meals a day and have some snacks and drinks available, and everything seems to be well-made and tasty.
- The rooms are clean and the beds were pretty decent.
- They offer yoga, massages, etc. (for a price), which can be relaxing.

Cons

- It's pretty isolated. You have to take a boat to get most places (i.e., other towns on the lake that you may need to get to or may want to visit for fun), or you can walk 15 minutes down a janky path to the nearest bar/restaurant and from there also take a tuk-tuk up a hill to a mini-town. (And because it's so isolated, you can't buy your own bottled water, food, snacks, toiletries, etc. easily because nothing is really nearby.) If you like to have convenience/accessibility, this is not the place for you.

- It's very easy to get sick. They bring in filtered water everyday (in giant water cooler bottles delivered by boat) and they both serve that in the common areas and provide that to everyone for their own use. And they seem to keep things clean in their kitchen and bar (as noted, they cook all day, every day). But in a country where the tap water is not potable, water and food-borne illness is prevalent. Several people in our group had some diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, etc. -- even those who were being very careful, i.e., brushing teeth only with filtered water, only eating cooked food (rather than salads), etc. So if you don't have a strong stomach and a strong constitution, I would not recommend going.

- The whole eco lodge (and note that it is an eco lodge, not a hotel or resort, by any stretch) is built into a hillside, and you have to climb lots of uneven stone steps (many without hand railings) to get to your room. We were only halfway up the hill, and we had to climb 60+ steps to get to our room; people at the top of the hill had to climb way more. (We didn't have to carry our luggage up and down though, as the staff does that for you.) Also, there is not enough lighting on the steps, especially at night, so we often used our cell phone flashlights to try to see where we were going. And keep in mind that you're at elevation, so if you normally live closer to sea level, you'll feel less in shape up there. If you're not physically fit and prepared to do lots of stairs, this is not the place for you.

- There's no true indoor area and there are a lot of bugs. One person in our group got a scorpion sting when she was running her hand along the stone wall next to steps for balance (as noted, there are no hand railings in some places). The common areas are all open air, and the rooms and other buildings are not built to be airtight. I heard that some of the rooms don't even have glass/plastic on the windows; ours did, but there were countless cracks and openings above and around the doors, walls, etc. So lots of insects come inside the rooms and bathrooms. We found two scorpions in our room (and several spiders and ants). I brought a pop-up netted tent for my bed and slept inside that, which was helpful. But if you're bothered by the elements or by bugs, I would not recommend going.

- The showers generally had low water pressure and lukewarm water. I was told the pressure was worse at the top of the hill, but it was bad even halfway down, where we were. If good water pressure and temperature are important to you, I would not recommend going.

Conclusion: The folks who run this place seem like good people and I really appreciate what they're trying to do. But there are some serious limitations to be aware of. I think that there are certain people for whom this can be a great getaway. But if you're not one of those people, it won't be a good experience. It wasn't for me.

maybe this is nice for lake atilan standards, but i really find it hard to believe how many good reviews it has received. much more like a hostel than a hotel. the landscaping is beautiful, and the staff seem to genuinely care, and the food is better than decent, but everything else is awful. the hike to the cabins is significant. and there are no hand rails or lighting, so it is dangerous at night, and not for anyone who isn't accustomed to hiking high elevations. the beds are ancient- the coils of the springs were literally poking out through the sheets. the sheets- i have never seen anything so cheap, and same for the towels. scorpions and spiders everywhere. there was no hot water. wild pack of dogs that barked all day and all night. the staff is very present, but has no evident experience of service. for example, we were there for a week, 3 meals a day, and EVERY time we had to ask for hot sauce. so easy to put on the table when setting, but they didn't have that foresight. our group would fill up water before yoga, emptying the container, and after yoga, we ALWAYS had to ask to replenish, same with coffee. it seemed like they used "eco" as an excuse for cheap. the hot tub looked dirty and didn;t work consistently. the lighting in the room was terrible- you couldn't see at night to read or write, it was so dark. not much to do outside of the location. i can see that this has opportunity, but it fell very short of meeting my low expectations. i feel like lake atilan as a whole can be done in a day trip.

I was never able to make it to the hotel. I tried to cancel, even though I knew the reservation was non refundable. There were unexpected issues in the country, which made it impossible to travel (roads blocked) due to protests in the county.

We stayed at Isla Verde for three nights with our 6-years old daughter at the Garden Suit. We truly enjoyed every aspect of this charming hotel. Beautiful gardens, spacious room, incredibly comfortable beds, excellent location, which is quiet and close to the water, amazing service, and delicious food. Truly everything was outstanding. A special bonus were the Temeskal and hot tub which are located just above the lake, and are such a phenomenal way to wrap up a day filled with activities! Try out yoga on the deck overlooking the lake and mountains, follow that by Temeskal and dinner at their romantic, candle lit, restaurant and you’ll feel what vacation is supposed to feel. We highly recommend this hotel and would love to come back!

El hotel es lindo, se respira mucha paz, los cuartos son muy amplios y cómodos, en medio de la naturaleza. Hay muchas áreas para descansar y compartir en familia. El personal es muy amable. La comida podría mejorar, te sirven muy poco para lo que pagas.