Hotel Arca de Noe

The ant problem was hard to miss: when I poured water from the provided jug, it was full of ants, hundreds of them, and they were across the table where the glasses were. Maybe the room had been unused for a while, but I'm not sure. I also didn't feel welcome when I went to the restaurant or reception after check-in, although the woman at the front desk during check-in was wonderful. The casitas have a great location right where you get off the boat in Santa Cruz. Some have amazing views; one without a view seemed to make up for it with a fireplace. It's a nice waterfront property, with a dock for swimming (though I didn't see anyone swim), a lovely garden, a restaurant I didn't try, and wifi. Getting to some rooms means a short uphill walk and stairs, which was fine for me but may not suit everyone. It can be noisy at night from dogs, tuktuks, motos, and music from nearby places. It wasn't the worst I've experienced, and earplugs solved it completely. Despite the issues, it's hard to rate it below 4. Good value if you want an affordable private room.

The grounds are beautiful, and the lakeside view is wonderful. There were thoughtful touches in our room, including a candle and matches, plus fresh flowers on both the table and in the bathroom. But the toilet seat looked painted and was starting to peel, which made it unattractive. A few small details like that could make this hotel great. I had mixed feelings about the people we met. The older man who showed us to our room was smiling and pleasant, while the woman at the front desk looked stern and annoyed by our presence the whole time. There was a power outage around the entire lake all day, so we ate up in Santa Cruz. I can't comment on the restaurant at the hotel.

We were upgraded for free to a cabin right by the water, with the best lake views. The dog that keeps watch over the property at night was very sweet and made us feel more at ease. Meals were generous and really good. The food is made from scratch, so it took a while, but we thought it was worth waiting for. Restaurant orders include a mandatory 10% service fee. A few practical details caught us by surprise. The card on file isn't charged, so you pay at check-in and need the physical card or cash. There didn't seem to be any verification at check-in, and the people there didn't always know what was going on. The manager handles things behind the scenes, but was kind enough to upgrade us after a mixup. It's about a 15-20mn walk to town, where there are a couple of food options, and boats stop at the dock pretty regularly if you want to visit other islands.

I loved staying in a private casita. I could watch the sunrise each morning, and it was an easy walk to free cerveza for some time outside. The casita was right next to the lancha, too. The food was great, and I also went to the iguana hostel with friends for meals.