Overall Ratings & Reviews Hostal Portal de Champey - Hostel

If you want to have a local experience and get to know the local indigenous people, I highly recommend El Portal. It is owned and run by people from the local community. It is right next to the river, the caves and the pools of Semuc Champey. So from your room you can just walk down the river and have a swim, while chatting with locals. All the staff are very friendly and are happy to help you with anything. Make sure to not confuse their silly humor with anything negative ;) We absolutely loved our experience here, after having seen other hostels in the area. Few things to take into consideration: 1. The restaurant is very nice. The food is not of the highest quality, but it is delicious and gets you through the day. 2. You are INSIDE the jungle. Don't be afraid of crawling things, you are in their territory. They dont hurt you. 3. The rooms can get quite hot. And there are no fans as the electricity is very limited (only available in the evenings). All in all, the price/ quality is just perfect. And I would love to come back! Go experience the local community, not the hippie backpacker hostels.

N

It is close to Semuc rivers and caves … wonderful

Amazing place in Guatemala.

Uno de los mejores lugares donde me he hospedado.todo es hermoso 💜 la atención es incredible por parte de el equipo de el Hotel Portal. Muchas gracias por todo 💜

I loved the property and the staff, I did not like the fact that there’s no AC and the power is on from 6-10 pm we were in the dark in the morning and the bathroom was super dark and cold water only.

I was looking for a hotel in Lanquin and the title of this hotel gave the impression that it would be I. Lanquin … our tour started in Lanquin. This is in the dead of the park with no reception or places around to offer eating options etc . We would disconnect with our group and would have to take some thing like a Tuk Tuk for 20 minutes!! I tried calling or canceling right away when I saw the actual address on the booking ! But they have I reception and couldn’t connect!! So spooky! I don’t trust this place and didn’t go ! It’s deceptive a bit

.

It was convinient close to main attraction.

Muy cerca del parque de Semuc y las cuevas de K’anba

Nice

Beautiful place on the side of the river,no electricity but x the price can ask for more,plesant and enjoyable...thanks everyone ...

The river view and excess was great. The pool was clean and amazing view. Things I didn’t love the food prices and choices. The shared shower we got was poorly taken care of with some strange smell. The staff were not helpful during check in and throughout the trip. One night our bartender took 6 shots within 20 or 30 minutes. He messed up our order and was forgetful. One thing I noticed was they would clean the floors often in the common area but not the dining tables after every guest was done eating. The bungalow was really nice I just wish they had mosquito nets since the bungalow was an open front. If you like to eat more traditional or local food for a normal price I suggest skipping their restaurant and walking up a small hill to eat at the entrance of champey. They have delicious hand made fresh tortillas and home made salsa.

Beautiful location, staff could be nicer.

The location is excellent - less than a five minute walk to the entrance to Semuc Champey and less than a 10 minute walk to the cave. And the staff was outstanding - very friendly and helpful. And the pool was great. BUT you should know that there is no hot water and only 4 hours of electricity each day - from 6-10 pm. These things are mentioned in reviews but are not readily apparent from the listing. But we think the convenience of being so close to Semuc Champey was worth the inconveniences.

The location of the hotel is perfect than is a super nice view and the staff is very nice.

The place has an amazing location. I don’t understand why they can’t provide electricity and wifi. You’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and are forced to go to sleep at 10pm. The staff were nice, however, and the location made the stay worthwhile.

The room was ok. Basic, but that’s what we signed up for. However, there is no shared kitchen but a pricy restaurant. Also pool was not clean at all. It’s an ok stay but only for max 2 nights

It was an okay stay. The staff were very helpful and nice. However, make sure you know that this stay does NOT have wifi, and the cell service is almost non-existent. This is great for unplugging, but we didn't know this ahead of time. Also, the electricity is only on for a couple hours a day. My husband sleeps with a CPAP machine, and we did not know this ahead of time.

Very honest and friendly staff… lost our wallet, they found it… all money in it… they even shipped it to us… Checha, Sergio and Carlos were great… unforgettable experience… highly recommended… beautiful place