The Round House Hotel

I'm so glad we stayed here, it was a highlight of our month in Guatemala. The hotel itself is great - really nice communal areas to hang out in, including hammocks right on the river. The cabins are spacious and clean. Love the shower set ups! There is no fan in the rooms but we were cool at night in December. Luis and Victor were so kind and friendly and they created a really chilled and happy vibe. Luis was super helpful with all of our needs and questions, including helping us to arrange a kayak trip to mangroves and hot springs (highly recommended) and onward travel to Rio dulce. Lastly the food is absolutely amazing, you can tell that it is prepared with so much thought and care and we loved every meal we had here. Cocktails are also cheap and delicious. I can't recommend this place more highly, do not miss it!

We had a wonderful time in Palmeras del Rio (or the Round House), especially because of the incredible hospitality of Victor and Luis. Victor is an aspiring chef who puts all his passion into making the best family dinner every night (shrimp pasta, pad thai etc.) for everybody, while Luis holds the place together and is caring about the experience of everybody, if it is a tour or just chilling at the Rio, doing absolutely nothing. But best thing for me was that Luis and Victor had a humor and fun every day which really matched with my energy as well - just basically talking nonsense in the best way possible all day long! :) The place itself is very beautiful as well, so you can either use it as a base for exploring the area or as a base to just enjoy every day at the river - swimming, drinking cocktails and just letting time pass by.

The other hosts were also very friendy, like Balu the sheriff of the river (he is a dog actually), mona and her mother (two sweet cats) and of course Craig the scorpion and thomas the crab.

Thanks for such a good time Luis and good luck in your culinary school Victor!

All the best
Nathalie & Simon (the vegetarians).

PS: we are not really vegetarians

I've been in many hotels in my life but this one was the best. Cozy houses in the jungle, next to Rio Dulce river. Special thanks to Louis who took care for all activites and Victor who is a real cook master. All the best for you guys!

The most beautiful place at Rio Dulce. You have to come there and to enjoy the beauty and peace. Especially thanks to Luis and Viktor. They made our stay special. The food from Viktor was very, very good and the lovely nature of Luis is a blessing. They organized everything for use. Also our trip to Belize. Thank you guys ♥

Luis and Victor are two amazing guys working here! So funny and friendly. Victor makes incredible cocktails. We had a great time renting a kayak to paddle around the Biotopo Chocon Machacas and then back to the hotel. The food is absolutely delicious. We loved the bathrooms built into the hillside!

(Ps - I'd recommend booking direct by contacting the owner via Whatsapp - the number is on their website - much better price than Booking)

Incredibl place, quiet and beautiful with a lovely staff. Great food for an affordable price and awesome sunsets. Would definitely recommend!

The best place to unwind and relax. Quiet expensive due to the remoteness, although I found it well worth the money! The crew is friendly and helpful, they make amazing cocktails and food. The bathroom in some of the rooms are the best! In the night it gets loud with chirping noise as it’s in the jungle.

Tip: to reach to the property it is ~1h boat ride from Rio Dulce, the hostel provides only 1 or 2 pick ups day, make sure your arrival is aligned with pick up times!

Round house offer a great experience of the river, sunrise and sunset.
It has many place to chill and enjoy the view and the wildlife.

They have a humming bird as a pet (incredible), and of course balu, a dog that will swim with you in the river.

Victor is an outstanding chef, food was delicious, and at a very fair price.
The staff was super helpful and nice and help us to have a great experience.

The cabin are rustic, they have an open bathroom (only cold water) in the rock, it’s quiet an experience. And during the morning you listen to the boat, so if you have a light sleep I recommend earplugs.
During night is super calm and a great place to see the star reflecting in the wide river.

Really recommend this place.

Great place with great people working there. Best bread in Guatemala, in a scenic spot. Fantastic all around

HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! This was by far the nicest hostel I’ve been to on our tour. The vibe is just so warm, relaxing and also fun! Luis and his girls are wonderful people and take very good care of their guests and the hostel. The hostel itself is beautiful and feels like paradise. We stayed for 4 nights and wished we had more time here. You can easily spend one week or more in this beautiful place doing different tours, swim in the rio or just relax. I really hope that one day I’ll get the chance to come back. Thank to the team for that perfect experience! Nika, Manu and Jana

What a place! Very friendly staff, lovely food, great pets and nice location!

Fair to say this has been one of our best spots in our trip around Guatemala and Belize, would definitely recommend staying here a couple of nights.

Absolutely loved my stay at the Round House Hotel. Super relaxing place and a great location on the river. Luis and staff made my friends and I feel like family during our two night-stay. Definitely try Victor's cocktails!

Paradise On The River - this is a gem of a place. Friendly, relaxed, clean, well-equipped, and oh so beautiful. This is the place to come if you hope to truly enjoy nature and get off the tourist trail. The staff could not have been more accommodating or welcoming. Meals were varied and prepared fresh. They offer shared, semi-private, and private cabins. This year they have built a couple of bungalows (see photos) that are right out of an architectural dream. The staff can give many recommendations for places to go and things to do (hiking, canoeing, trips to Livingstone, etc.) If "exclusive" and "undiscovered" match your personality, then The Round House is your place.

Loved my stay on the river! Luis and Victor made the experience fabulous. Luis set us up with all the water activities and Victors cocktails are the absolute best.

Very clean and quiet place. Visually pleasing for relaxing, especially the hammocks. Although a little on the higher price, the food was delicious, flavorful, original and came in generous portions. The staff is very friendly. The activities around the hostel are some of the most beautiful hidden natural gems. Only downside is the fact that the hostel is quite isolated, hence prepared to pay for all extras.

Lovely place, great location, with a soul but without WiFi. Round House Hotel really has a soul (Víctor is half the soul of the place), and a great location for activities as well as for relaxing. The cabanas are great! especially ours with river view (spectacular shower). I also loved Balu and the new table arrangement :-) However: They has no WiFi when we visited and did not take Credit Cards (although they have a second, larger property) AND they make you pay THEIR PayPal fees - these aspects must urgently be ironed out by management.

The Roundehouse is perfectly located between Rio Dulce (the town) and Livingston, right on the river. You can jump into the river at any time from its two platforms with comfy hammocks and beach chairs. Everything is clean and designed to function. It does get hot and humid -after all this is the jungle- but at the river there is always some wind (which also keeps most mosquitos away). The breakfast is not included but not at all pricy and excellent. Dinners are family style -- all guests at a big table with some of the staff. Speaking of staff, Hayme who is there at all times is a lovely and fun guy who is always up for jokes. Thanks to him, it feels a bit like home there. Definitely recommend staying there!

Been awhile since I stayed here, but it was a memorable stay. Immediately found peace of mind on the quiet river. the food was tremendous everyday and there were plenty of interesting travelers to share stories with and play board games. The owners are nice and intriguing folks.

One of the best places I have stayed at in Guatemala, both for the hostel and the magical surrounding. Think about a lost paradise on the river (yes it is far from everything else and a not-so-little boat ride from Rio Dulce, but totally worth), with amazing staff (thanks Jaime for the most amazing and oh-so-cheap margaritas and Pati who was volunteering when I was there, you guys made my stay unforgettable), cutest puppy, very relaxing, calm and yet and amazing place to meet other travellers and new friends. No wifi, food at more than decent price considering the place is in the middle of no-where. Ask Jaime about the possibility ofr hikes, kayaking, etc. (I personnaly recommend the "cliff" jumping at the Cueva del Tigre). Only downer is the price of the public boat from Rio Dulce, but you can contact them before arrival for a pick-up, they have a slightly cheaper boat that can pick you up at certain times in Rio Dulce or Livingston. Do stay in Linvingston, stay at Round House!!

Incredible location right on the river. The guy that works in the reception was an absolute legend and really helped us with our onward travels. The family dinner was always filling and delicious. Just wish the transfer wasn't so expensive!