Comfort and Tradition....The Westin Camino Real, Guatemala City
Written: Aug 18 '08 (Updated Aug 18 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Comfortable rooms, sharp service, good dining room, capacious swimming pool, large health club
Cons: Not the newest in town, but still excellent
The Bottom Line: The Westin Camino Real holds its own as one of your best choices in Guatemala City. Good rooms, great athletic offerings and good dining.
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| tombarnes's Full Review: The Westin Camino Real |
The Hotel Camino Real is still going strong as one of Guatemala City's better hotels. While there's stiff competition from the nearby Inter-Continental and the Marriott, the Camino Real holds its own in the firmament of Guatemala City hotels. Having catered to travelers for over 50 years, the staff here knows how to take care of its guests.
A Curiosity Explained
The casual observer might notice a couple of odd things about the complex. The dining room is actually in the older 5 story building. The rooms above aren't even in the same hotel! In truth, the hotel was opened in the 1950s as the Guatemala Biltmore. The more modern, 10 story, crescent shaped tower was designed by the architect Raul Minondo Herrera in 1963. The older wing was then spun off into a separate hotel called the Biltmore Express, still in operation today. There is no connection whatsoever between the two buildings in the sense that one can get from one into the other. The size of the complex suggests something more than the 271 rooms within the hotel.
Lobby
The lobby one enters from the street is little more than a marble passageway to the real lobby in the back of the building facing the garden and pool. This rear lobby, a semicircle of gilded pilasters, faux-marble and a richly painted domed ceiling, almost suggests something out of Moon Over Parador in its rococo excess. It still works as a lobby, however. The desk staffers were efficient and I was able to negotiate an upgrade to a junior suite on the 9th floor.
Room
There was nothing "junior" about the corner suite with a bedroom, living room and two full baths. The appointments continued in the overstuffed rococo style of the lobby with mirrors and pictures almost drooping from the walls in their gilded frames.
The bed was the usual Westin Heavenly Bed which brooks no complaint. A separate bed had been set up for me in the living room. Even though it was a rollaway, it was still extremely comfortable. Though most of the rooms are large, those facing west are just slightly larger, due to the curve of the building.
Baths
Russet colored marble and gold fixtures? Possibly a bit much, but it added to the sense of over-the-top fun of the place. "Westin Heavenly Bath" or no, my Dad had a few issues with hot water, but this isn't a new building and one can expect a short wait for hot water on the upper floors. The usual Westin panoply of towels and amenities prevailed.
Dining
As we had the use of the Executive Lounge on the 9th floor, we didn't have many opportunities to use the main dining room, El Cafetal, with one important exception. Oftentimes, Sunday brunch is a minefield featuring the tailings from the walk-in refrigerator. Not so here. We were singularly impressed with the quality, breadth and presentation of the Sunday brunch. It was enormously popular too, with local families and guests alike. Lomo de Cerdo, salmon, beef Stroganoff, veal, etc. accompanied the usual complement of egg dishes. Oysters, salmon and fish were offered at a separate station. The ceviche was one of the best I have had recently. It cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $35.00 per person- fiendishly expensive for Guatemala, but not expensive by US standards.
There was an expensive looking Italian restaurant, Giuseppe Verdi, but we did not dine there.
Bars
The somewhat gloomy Biltmore Bar drew us in one night for games of cards. We were, inexplicably, the only patrons in the room. After a drink or two, we fled. The touted piano bar turned out to be a piano with no pianist and the opportunity to order overpriced drinks in the lobby.
Executive Lounge
A well run little room, this was more of a private dining room than a lounge in the normal sense. Breakfast, snacks and hors d'oeuvres were set out at regular intervals, but one was always waited on by polite, even deferential, servers. Breakfast was especially good with eggs, lots of fruit, pastry and good bread. Only the loamy swirls of whipped black beans didn't appeal. Do not be under the impression that drinks in this lounge are free. Au contraire, a local beer averages out at about $7.00 US up here in the clouds. Harder stuff turned out to be closer to $10.00- extremely expensive for Guatemala. In spite of the mild extortion, it was still an inviting perch from which to survey the city.
Pool and Fitness
The enormous pool must surely be one of the largest in town, its vast expanse of water invites lolling around, if not exactly lap swimming. The pool and its attendant health club are part of the Cabana Club which has many local members. Fortunately for the guests here, most of them come here early, swim or exercise, and are gone before breakfast time. There were a number of families with children swimming in the afternoon. The fitness facilities are extensive and the hotel seemed to offer most sorts of exercise equipment. There is no additional cost for guests to use these facilities. I'm not sure whether or not there was a charge for the tennis courts just behind the pool.
Shops Etc.
There is a travel and tour agency on the main floor. A hair salon, cigar shop and several (hideously overpriced) souvenir shops are located on the main floor as well. If you want to do more serious shopping, the best stores in town are generally located within a few miles of the hotel. There is a large shopping mall, Los Proceres, only two blocks away.
Around Town
Raul, the doorman, was helpful in arranging a driver to take us downtown (and also to Antigua) for a reasonable price (About $20 or so US for two hours). Beyond the cathedral and the presidential palace, there was relatively little to excite interest in downtown Guatemala City. There's a curious park with a topographical map of the country fashioned from concrete! It's more interesting than it sounds... There are a couple of small museums downtown as well. In general, though, the downtown hasn't got much of interest for the casual tourist.
The hotel is in Zone 10, known as the Zona Viva, the area of town abounding with gringo restaurants and hotels. We found one place, Tamarindos, nearby (ahem, it's still a 15 minute walk) and had a good, if expensive, lunch there one day.
As for getting to and from the airport, their free shuttle is available during the day with trips every half hour.
Cost
We paid something like $159.00 US for our room. The suite would have cost about $250.00 or so if we had paid for it. By American standards, these prices are more than fair. Rooms were available for as little as $129.00 during our visit.
Overall
The Westin Camino Real has a thoroughly trained staff and service that will please with its smooth execution. There's more warmth too, than one might expect from a busy chain hotel.
Several reviews on other sites have noted the special floor for families adopting children and the overwhelming presence of children in and around the property. As Guatemala has changed its rules regarding the adoption of children, the preponderance of adopting families does not appear to be significant.
Westin Camino Real
Ave. La Reforma y 14 Calle
Guatemala, Guatemala 01010
Tel. 502-2333-3000
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tombarnes
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Thomas Barnes
Location: Fort Lauderdale & Washington, DC
Reviews written: 688
Trusted by: 443 members
About Me:
With Barbara in Miami, 2004
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