Rio Dulce and Flores

Want to spend one night in Rio Dulce so we can go to Finca Paraiso for the hot spring... but I can't find anywhere to stay in Rio Dulce for a private place with bathroom for around $20 to $40 US or there about. Any help would be appreciated.

We will then take the bus on up to Flores and would like to find similar accommodations on Flores outside of Tikal.
We plan for Nov 7 - 10th. Anyone found anything nice near the water? Your help would be so appreciated.

Finally... does anyone know how to get to Finca Paraiso once we land by boat in Rio Dolce... and prices too?

Muchos, muchos gracias...
Mark and Lilly (we are seniors).

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...

Hmm i guess we were just lucky to be in low low season. There were only two more people staying there at that time. We booked through booking.com and now prices are already up to 50 euros.

In Flores we stayed at casa azul. At that time prices were 300Q, which is about 35 euros. You have to ask for a room at the back of the hotel. In front of your room there is a big terrace with a beautiful view over the lake. Great spot for a morning coffee.

Hello, I am in Rio Dulce now. I have been traveling for several weeks through Belize and now Guatemala. The heat was getting to me so I got a room with private bath and AC for $26US a night. I am at the hotel posada del rio. It is across the street from the river, but very clean and good value. I am heading north from here to Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Flores. Cheap hotels seem to be easy to find in Guatemala. Enjoy your trip!

philybern - Just so you don't miss out - Antigua and Lake Atitlán are SW of Rio Dulce. ;-)

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