Hotel Modelo, Xela Guatemala

We arrived at Xela by shuttle bus and we were excited that we had the whole bus to ourselves. We couldn’t believe our luck! It took a mere 3 hours from Antigua and we arrived pretty refreshed after stretching our legs out along 3 seats for the 3 hour journey.

Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala and is a historic town with a population of 150,000 plus people and is at an elevation of 2333 metres. We intended on doing a trek with our good friend Megan from On My Way RTW.

We were dropped at Hotel Modelo which is a modest homely style hotel located only a short walk from the main city square. After checking into the hotel and being greeted with the friendly staff we were amazed at the large spacious rooms equip with one double and single bed.

Rooms at Hotel Modelo

After speaking with the owners of the hotel, we soon found out that the business has been passed down from generation to generation since 1892, and the owners are very proud of continuing the tradition for many years to come.

After leaving our bags in our room we wanted to go explore the garden centre of town as we always enjoy wandering the streets and getting lost in a new city. We sat in the main square and watched all the locals going on with their daily routines, such as the local shoe shiners and old men selling ice creams to tourist passing by. We grabbed a bite to eat and slurped down the most indulgent hot chocolate I have ever had at a local restaurant nearby.

We returned back to our hotel room which was rustic in character and had an old charm about it, that felt like you were staying at a friends place. The bathroom was small but had the usual additions, however when it came to have a steaming hot shower later that night we waited almost 20 minutes until the water finally turned only warm, I guess it took some time for the water to reach our room from the hot water system.

The Bathroom

The beds were firm but comfortable and we didn’t realise that the temperature was going to be a little cooler than Antigua, but we had been provided with more that enough cosy covers and blankets to keep us warm throughout the night.

During our stay there was a huge tour group staying in the hotel that took up the entire restaurant so we were relocated in the bar area to eat the breakfast that was included with our stay. The breakfast was substantial and included the usual fare of eggs, fruit, juice and coffee. More than enough food to start a day of sight-seeing.

The Bar

After breakfast we wandered around the grounds and we were told by the owners that the Hotel was originally two separate houses and they joined them to create the hotel that we were looking at today. There are some small outdoor areas within the hotel with perfectly manicured gardens and places to sit, drink a tea and relax in the sun.

Our stay at Hotel Model was pleasant and the all the staff were very attentive with all our needs. We were meant to be staying for an additional night however the Hotel was booked out. We later found out that many of the other Hotels and Guest houses were full as well. So we spent the best part of the morning looking for a place to stay. Shame we were asked to leave in such a rush due to the large group checking in.

The only complaint would be the hot water took some time to reach us and the rooms were a tad cold at night but there was more that enough quilts and covers to keep you warm and cosy.

We would recommend staying at Hotel Modelo.

While we did receive a discounted rate when staying at Hotel Modelo, thoughts and opinions are our own. For the most up to date pricing and reservation information head to their website.

Quetzaltenango Hotels