Hotel Panajachel Los Angeles

The price is good, the check-in staff were pretty nice, and there are nice views and art. It's affordable and within walking distance of small shops for necessities, as well as restaurants and other shops. But my room's kitchenette had a portable cooktop and no dishes, which made no sense, and there wasn't a mini fridge. That was really disappointing. The WiFi wasn't good either. Starting at 7:30 in the morning, large groups of very loud women were right outside my room. I don't know whether they were staff or other guests, but it felt inconsiderate of people trying to recover from long, stressful travel days. I couldn't rest, so I thought about just getting up and heading out for the day.

I usually stay in hostel dorms, but this time I got a private room, and it was great. I booked only a couple of days ahead, and at the time it was TripAdvisor's least expensive option, at $17 a night with breakfast included.

The customer service was very good, though the location isn't very accessible to points of interest and the rooms could use a lot of improvement. We weren't given the room we'd booked. Instead, we got an old first-floor room with four beds. After a few hours without being able to charge our phone, my girlfriend had had enough and asked for a different room. The guy at the desk did his best, and we got a better one. It was okay, but not great value for money.

The room was clean and stayed cool even on a hot day, with comfortable beds. While I waited for it, the front desk employee showed me a few rooms so I could choose the one I liked best, and gave me recommendations. She was great.