I researched many B n B's before heading to Panajachel and decided on the Utz Jay
based on the write ups here in the advisor. I was not disappointed. Their location is excelent, just off the main road, minutes to anywhere you need to get to. The staff was friendly enough but not as engaging as you might expect. The rooms were very clean and spacious, always plenty of hot water and the pressure was amazingly strong, big surprize to find this here. I even had the staff do my laundry twice in the 7 days i spent there. Very cheap only 6 USD each time... I had room #4, which, if u get noisy people above you could be a slight nuisance. The breakfast was above average... i chose to order off the included in my room rate and was not disappointed.. great french toast and pancakes. The grounds were well maintained. I paid 25USD per night which included continental breakfast... I believe this was a pretty good deal.. While there i visited my number two choice... Posada de los volcanes... this one is right on Santander... the rooms were not as big and the hotel had little character; it was the same price, but after looking at it i was glad to have chosen the Utz Jay.

The hotel is great -- clean, comfortable rooms for a reasonable price, arranged around a nicely landscaped garden an easy walk from the main street. But Sergio Garcia, the owner, is the real find. He volunteers as a music teacher for local schoolchildren who would otherwise have no exposure to music, and his office is full of musical instruments; my son had a great time jamming with him on a guitarron. He is a former tour guide from Tikal, and has connections to many other travel agencies and loads of advice. When we wanted to head to Coban, riding with him turned out to be the best deal, not just financially but also educationally. For 8 hours, he regaled us with stories of the Maya (history, rituals, religion, current environmental issues, etc.), the history of Guatemala through his own experiences, and thoughts on religion and politics. We learned a tremendous amount. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and French, and is learning one of the Maya languages as well. The next day he went out of his way to drive us another hour to our destination and link us with another tour company for the next leg of our trip.

Breakfast in the garden was also wonderful and delicious -- they had a great selection, and I hope Sergio proceeds with his idea of opening for dinner with a menu that specializes in Guatemalan dishes so curious epicures can explore.

I stayed at Hotel Utz Jay for 1 night in July 2009. The price was great ($25) and the rooms were really nice. The grounds were beautiful with lots of trees and places to sit outside, and the location (2 blocks away from the main street in town) was perfect. The office closed early (8pm), so if you plan to arrive after that, you should definitely call ahead of time to make other arrangements to check in. The sauna and jacuzzi also closed at 8:30, so I was not able to use them during my stay.

When I checked in, the credit card machine was broken and the manager was very unfriendly about the situation, even though this obviously wasn't my fault. I was lucky to have had cash on me, because if I hadn't, she was going to make me walk 6 blocks to an ATM right then and there.

My friend and I sat in the restaurant area after returning from town around 11:30pm. We weren't talking loudly at all, but apparently the sitting areas aren't the best places to have a conversation at night; one of the guests came out of his room and yelled at us and told us to take our conversation inside. So, if you want to have a conversation at night in one of the public areas, keep in mind that your voices might carry and possibly keep others awake.

Breakfast at the restaurant was great and very affordable. The hotel has lockers to store your bags if you choose to take a boat tour after you check out. However, when we returned from our trip to retrieve our bags, the office staff told us that we would have to pay 5Q to use the bathroom even though we had stayed there the night before. This charge seemed unnecessary, so we used the bathroom at the hotel next door for free.

My friend and I opted for the boat tour arranged through the office. We bought tickets for the early morning trip and had no problems finding the dock or using our tickets. The tour was great and I'd definitely recommend visiting some of the villages around the lake. One of the villages that we stopped at (San Antonio) was extremely small with nothing there except women aggressively trying to sell their woven goods. It seemed like a strange stop compared to the other villages we visited, especially since we didn't go to San Marcos. But overall, the trip was great.

Despite the minor inconveniences, my stay at Utz Jay was great, especially for the price! I'd definitely stay there again.

Cute and quiet little bungalows with a great breakfast menu. Located down a side street which made it very quiet a night. It was just a couple of minutes walk from all the restaurants and shops. It has a great traditional sauna and laundry service.
We stayed in Room #7. Our bathroom was a little small but there was plenty of hot water. I tried using their internet service but for some reason it would not allow me to check my hotmail account.