We stayed here on an overnighter from Belize. Our package included dinner and breakfast.

Our room was bright, cheery and spacious. We had a few visitors though which made the stay a little more exciting! The first was a scorpion, then we had a tarantula! The howler monkeys were loud to say the least, but its all part of the package!

I think some people tend to forget where they are when they stay in a hotel and expect the world. This is a small place in the middle of a national park in Guatamala. Not some resort in Cancun.

I thought this place was charming, and would definitely go back if i were to go to Guatamala again.

We stayed at the Jungle Lodge, Tikal at the end of March for 2 nights, having booked the full package with Belize.explorer.com. We were staying for 2 weeks in Mexico and wanted to visit tikal as we have previously visited Chichen Itza and Coba. We loved the location of the Lodge and found Tikal to be amazing, the Mayan site as well as the wildlife. Our room was large, ensuite (huge bathroom) and very clean and the ceiling fan was great when the electricity was on. We knew the electricity would be off at times and this was not a problem- we have stayed in costa Rica with no electicity or hot water, so it was fine.

We only had a few minor issues with the hotel. One was that they provided no shampoo, but sold it in the gift shop which was a bit annoying for what is a relatively expensive hotel. Another thing was the food in the restaurant which was not great and the portions fairly meager. As we were booked on the full package which included most meals (although strangely not dinner on the second night) we were stuck with this restaurant. Finally, we wanted to check in for our return flights online and print our boarding cards and this became a very long winded business and I realised why I had not been able to book directly with the hotel online, as their internet access is not great. Their bookings seemed to be written in a log book and not computerised, which was surprising.

Overall though we felt our trip was very worthwhile and we really enjoyed it. Not sure I would book again with this hotel - would probably try the Jaguar Inn next door, although it doesn't have a pool but seemed to be much cheaper.

We did use the pool and loved it

I have just spent one night at the Jungle Lodge as part of a Tikal /Livingstone package and found it to be ok. The double room was basic but clean. It was not ensuite but there were good clean shower and wc blocks nearby, and towels provided. The electricity goes off overnight but oil lamps are provided (might be an idea to pack a torch!) The staff were ok, there is a small pool to cool down in and you are right next to the Jungle. I had no complaints.

Jungle Lodge was fun! One morning we greeted our neighbour who turned out to be a DJ from Michigan and we all went into this familiar riff and rant about the world economy and how the American sub-prime market had sent houses prices spiralling downwards, we talked about the war, and leaving the US and the UK for good. And all the while howler monkeys and parrots in the trees above maintained their own cacophonous conversations about how mass tourism is wrecking the Peten . . .

Our tour operator - Journey Latin America - had booked us into Jungle Lodge with a warning about the food and the service. In fact, the food was OK, given that you don’t expect or indeed want foie gras or lobster. They did a chewy but tasty steak, with decent fries, washed down with Chilean pinot noir. They could even fry an egg for breakfast. And service was with a smile, though they did not like you signing for your dinner and paying on check-out. Maybe they have had some walk-outs in the past.

The jungle setting is delightfully natural and the terracotta-colored chalets scattered about makes for a pleasant little community. It really doesn’t matter which room you are given. The rooms themselves lack adequate soundproofing and could do with some cosmetic improvements, like replacing the vaguely English country chintz fabric and dreary curtains with some authentic, vibrant Guatemalan fabrics. The hotel is also a bit mean-spirited or thoughtless about providing basic jungle amenities like mozzie spray, umbrellas and torches - the lights go out at 10pm-ish. The bathroom and shower actually worked. At $150 a night, though, it’s not good value, but I guess you are paying for the setting and location. Certainly this place looks a lot better than the two other lodges here - Jaguar Inn and Tikal Inn - which looked totally cheerless.

The grand plaza of Tikal is a 20-30-minute walk away. Of course, the site is fairly awesome and the jungle contains some marvelous birds and beasts, but as someone who has previously been to places like Delphi, Petra, Leptis Magna, Angkor and Karnak, Tikal is a bit limited and one-dimensional. It’s not a memory I will cherish for long, I think. Our guide, by the way, was Eric and he was outstanding, especially once he saw that we were carrying binoculars - the carparks and reservoir near the entrance to Jungle Lodge has the best birdwatching we thought.