Rio Dulce and Flores

We stayed at a random place in Rio Dulce, cheap, but not on the river. There are many of those. If you would like to be on the river maybe look at River Lodge Tortugal.

I have not been to Finca Paraiso but this link might help:
http://guatemalahostels.org/blog/finca-paraiso-rio-dulce-izabal

But it would be a shame to be in Rio Dulce and not make the scenic boat trip to Livingston. There are hot springs on the river as well. You can stay overnight in Livingston or you can do it as a day trip. There are also jungle hostels on the river like El Hotelito Perdido where we stayed.

You can take a Fuente del Norte bus from Rio Dulce to Santa Elena/Flores. I highly recommend you stay overnight at Tikal so you can hear the jungle wake up in the morning. The cheapest hotel in Tikal is the Jungle Lodge. Rooms start at $40 for a double but the bathroom is shared (but large and very clean).

In Rio Dulce town we stayed at Bruno's, right under the bridge on the water. At the time (2007) it was in your price range, likely more now but you could check. Lots of options in Flores here: http://www.corpetur.com or google "Mesa de los Mayas" - a good budget place. I agree about staying the park at Tikal, though - it's worth the splurge to me. Happy trails!

There are tons of places to stay in that price range in both Rio Dulce and Flores. It makes me wonder what tour book you are referencing? A simple google search will answer all of your questions.

I stayed at Tortugal many years ago. It was a 'yachty' place but kind of cool anyway. Takes a boat to get to/from town. Free scheduled rides, otherwise a few bucks.

Stayed at Hotel Rio Dulce (the one in Rio Dulce not LIvingston) some years ago. It's just off the bridge approach about halfway to the bridge proper. Clean modern and cheap.

We stashed our packs in a friends room at Bruno's. It was happenin' there, lots of social activity at the bar/marina. That would be my choice on return (they had no room for us there at the time).

In Flores I am partial to Hotel Mirador del Lago. I once stayed at Hotel Hermanopedro in El Remate. I estimate either of these places would fit your specifications

I stayed at Tortugal a couple years ago and quite liked it. It's in (or was in) your price range and there's a really good restaurant on-site.

I agree with Soniaberode that you would be remiss not to travel down to Livingston through the Rio Dulce Gorge while you're in the area--you could even do a quick out-and-back via water taxi in a few hours.

In Flores, Mirador del Lago is nice and not expensive. But there are a dozen places on the island that would easily fit your budget--take a peek on TripAdvisor or peruse Lonely Planet's listings and surely you'll turn up plenty of options.

There's Finca Tatin too, on the rio dulce between Rio and Livingston. I liked it 3 nights worth.

We stayed at a random place in Rio Dulce, cheap, but not on the river. There are many of those. If you would like to be on the river maybe look at River Lodge Tortugal.

I have not been to Finca Paraiso but this link might help:
http://guatemalahostels.org/blog/finca-paraiso-rio-dulce-izabal

But it would be a shame to be in Rio Dulce and not make the scenic boat trip to Livingston. There are hot springs on the river as well. You can stay overnight in Livingston or you can do it as a day trip. There are also jungle hostels on the river like El Hotelito Perdido where we stayed.

You can take a Fuente del Norte bus from Rio Dulce to Santa Elena/Flores. I highly recommend you stay overnight at Tikal so you can hear the jungle wake up in the morning. The cheapest hotel in Tikal is the Jungle Lodge. Rooms start at $40 for a double but the bathroom is shared (but large and very clean).

We stayed at the Jaguar Inn in Tikal for 30 euros ($35) for a private cabana with of course private bathroom. Very clean and nice room and accommodation. Especially for that kind of money.

In Flores you can stay almost everywhere for less then $40.

Wow, that is an amazing deal! The Jaguar Inn website quotes their prices as $75 for a single (our friend paid $60 last year) and $90 for a double.
http://www.jaguartikal.com/rates/rates.htm

Yeah, that's less than we paid per room at the Jaguar Inn 12 years ago...