Reviews of El Retiro Lanquin

The setting is stunning, right by the Rio Lanquin. Staff collected us and dropped us to the bus station.

The noise in the evenings was ridiculous - music pumping until 1am for a group of backpackers completely negated the tranquil location. This was similar during the day and really took the shine off of what should be a peaceful stay - it is advertised as a hotel but don't be fooled: the hostel vibe is strong.

Beautiful place! It's right on the river, surrounded by nature, and has a pool as well. There are tons of hammocks and birds (which are noisy in the mornings), and the restaurant has a lot of options and overlooks the river. This is one of the few hostels I came across that has female-only dorms, which is why I chose it. The room was large, there was air conditioning and warm water, and the beds are comfortable. El Retiro offers fantastic tours to Semuc Champey (it included a lot of activities as well as lunch if you want, I had a great guide who made sure we were comfortable, and luckily my group was small that day) and you can book shuttles with them as well. I did the cocoa tour through them too, which was interesting, but the Semuc Champey tour and hanging out at this beautiful vacation hostel were the highlights of my stay.

The water flow and pressure of the sink were low, which made it a bit difficult to use.

Restaurant and chill area are very nice! View at the river, a pool table, swimming pool and many options for drinks and food.

Vibe was very relaxed, sometimes a bit too relaxed because we had to wait quite long for transportation to the nature reserve and shuttle buses.

Beautiful property in a good location Booked our shuttle from Flores through them and received a free shuttle from the busy station to the hostel Friendly staff Booked semuc chamber tour with them and had Otto as a guide which was great! And had a very small group which meant we could go as fast or slow as we wanted. Private rooms were spacious and toilets were close. Hot showers were lovely and the food in the restaurant was reallly tasty Hostel was quiet in evenings which was nice as we heard other son area were loud all night

We were told the shuttle to bus station was free and that reception should respond all the time however after 9 reception shuts and didn’t reply to texts. We only got told on the day we left that the shuttle back to bus station isn’t available even if we offered to pay but was available if we booked our bus through the hostel so we had to wave down a TukTuk with all of our bags last minute which was a bit frustrating when the shuttle was already going there anyway with our friends and had room for us. Every other hostel in area seemed to have free shuttles both ways too.

This place is great. The staff are friendly and accommodating when requiring assistance. The food is fresh and tasty, and the drinks are reasonably priced. The Wifi can only be obtained from the restaurant bar area. This area is a fabulous and functional communal area. There is a pool table, a table tennis table and games available as well. You can swim in either the pool or the wonderful river. If you want to have some fun try the tubing down the river rapids; great fun. There are plenty of hammocks in the garden area if you just want to read a book.

beautiful resort on the river bank with in about 20 min drive from Semuc Champey. The communal area / restaurant in near the pool and great for chill and dine. the staff is super helpful and nice.

none really, but be advised that heat level might be high, so we took a room with a/c.

Great location and very clean hotel. Nice place to relax.

Nothing

Such a cool accommodation. We wanted to stay longer. Food was good, the day tour to Semuc was one of my favourite day tours I’ve done. Loved swimming in the river and pool at the accommodation.

Stayed her for four nights at the dorm. Spacious rooms, with good beds and lockers (bring your own padlock) underneath. Lanquin is hot, and the dorm had only fans. Good and clean bathrooms, apparently only some with hot water, which most of the time is not needed. There is a pool to relax and also you can have a swim in the river to cool you down. Vary friendly and helpful staff, I booked my Semuc Champey tour, they also do shuttle which picks you up at hostel rather than having to go all the way to bus station on the outskirts of town. Pickups on arrival were nice. Restaurant had good food and happy hours for most of the evening. I enjoyed my stay here

Party hostel by proxy is the most accurate description, more or less silent from our own bar from 10/11 PM. However, noise from nearby hostels, which isn't quiet at this hour, can be heard. Don't think it is much that can be done, but be aware of late night karaoke. It's not really a problem for me, but something to be aware of

-Lots of space in the 4-bed girls dorm so we all had enough space. We also had a terrace with chairs and hammocks, and an amazing sunset view from our dorm - Nice restaurant, it could be improved but it’s good enough for a few days - Beautiful and quiet location. The restaurant plays music, but it’s not that loud, it doesn’t give backpacker party hostel vibes -Good WiFi at the restaurant -If you don’t want to pay for a tour to Semuc Champey, you can still arrange transportation to Semuc with them (though they don’t advertise this service) -The shuttle service they sell starts at the hotel, so you get to choose your preferred seat before everyone else. Shuttle was on time

-You can pay by card (with a 5% fee) at the restaurant, but not for your room, tours or shuttle services (only cash) -The swimming pool was dirty, so no one swam in it -The tubing activity was canceled with no prior notice and no explanation, even though other hostels organised tubing on that day

Great view of the river, staff are really nice and helpful, nice breakfast

The location was great. The food was not great.

Very tranquil & relaxing settings, right by the river. All the staff were very sweet and nice. Cute, breezy, airy restaurant hangout area. Food was decent quality.

Stayed in the 4-bed women’s dorm - because of the mirrored windows they will start pecking the roof & windows around 6am! Shower water was tepid, but survivable given the warmer outside temps. Food was abit pricier. Music choice was EDM at the bar 1 night, there was potential to play better music & perhaps at a little lower volume.

Excellent stay. Spent 4 nights here and could have spent longer. Everything I ate was good. Social atmosphere and the shuttle they booked me to Antigua was great. Free drinking water and a great swimming hole. If you don't have a room with AC, don't plan on being inside between 11 and 5! Plenty of places to hang outside though. My only complaint is that for the communal showers, the water was hot enough to nearly burn me. I'm not sure if it was solar heated or what, but of all the times I'd have welcomed a cold shower and it was too hot to stand under! If ever I'm in the area I'd definitely stay here again.

Retiro is a little slice of heaven. The location is amazing, next to the river. The rooms are big, although could use an upgrade - the beds are old and the shower could use an fix. Rest of the amenities were fine. Good choices of food and drinks. Very friendly staff and activities!

Lovely pool, lake, food, views and social. We also loved the waterfall tour they organise

Nothing!

The grounds are beautiful, well kept, the riverside location is absolutely amazing! Super place to chill down, with gorgeous nature around you. Great food and drinks at the restaurant! Staff was sooo nice and cute all the time 🥰

Nope.

Everything. Right on the river. Exceptional staff! Clean enough even in shared bathroom. Pool was clean. Restaurant staff was great. Tour guides amazing!

Love this place