Honest Review of La Casa Del Mundo in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Instagram looking for travel inspiration, you might have come across a viral hotel on the side of a hotel in Guatemala. If this colorful hotel seems familiar to you, you’ve likely seen clips of the gorgeous La Casa Del Mundo hotel in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. But is this stay worth it?

We recently stayed in this hotel on our trip to Guatemala, intrigued by the stunning videos and viral clips we saw. We are in no way affiliated with this hotel, and this is our 100% honest review of La Casa Del Mundo in Guatemala so that you can decide whether or not to book this hotel for your Guatemala getaway.

Disclaimer: This blog post includes affiliate links, which means we receive a tiny commission – at no extra cost to you. Don’t worry; this doesn’t affect our recommendations whatsoever. It just helps us keep the lights on.

Staying in the Viral Hotel La Casa Del Mundo in Guatemala

La Casa Del Mundo is an absolutely beautiful hotel in Guatemala, located right by the stunning Lake Atitlan. Accessible by only boat or on foot, this hotel is perfectly secluded in the tiny town of Jaibalito while still being close enough to all the main towns you’ll want to visit on the lakeside during your stay. The iconic look of the hotel is thanks to the fact that La Casa Del Mundo is located on a cliff, which means A LOT of stairs, depending on which room you have. This 3-star hotel has an on-site restaurant and offers tours, kayak rentals, massages, and more.

We stayed 3 nights in La Casa Del Mundo, taking advantage of basically everything they offer, during our trip to Guatemala in 2024, and this is our complete review of our stay.

Pros and Cons of Staying in La Casa Del Mundo

Here’s a snapshot of what we consider the pros and cons of staying in La Casa Del Mundo—perfect for if you don’t have the time or patience to read our full and detailed review. No hard feelings here!

Pros

• The rooms are adorable, and the scenery is incredible.
• You get unobstructed views of the volcanoes and Lake Atitlan.
• The hotel has everything you need for your stay, making it hard to leave.
• The friendly staff here keep the hotel clean and sparkling.

Cons

• You have to pay extra for the hot tub, activities, and rentals.
• The on-site restaurant is pricey.
• The wi-fi doesn’t reach the rooms.

Our Honest Review of La Casa Del Mundo

We’ll break down our review of La Casa Del Mundo into several categories to give you a more well-rounded view of our stay in the hopes that it will help you make a more informed decision of whether or not this viral hotel is worth it. We’ve divided our review into the following categories:

• Rooms
• Amenities
• Activities
• Staff
• On-Site Restaurant
• Location
• Wi-Fi
• Cleanliness
• The Views

Rooms

Rating: 4.5/5

You can’t expect the Ritz here. The rooms and ensuites are small. But seeing as this hotel is perched on the side of a cliff, the room size did not bother us at all. There was enough space to move around, even with our luggage strewn everywhere. Besides the size, however, the room was beautifully decorated with local artwork. Every room has a patio where you can sit to enjoy the gorgeous views outside.

Amenities

Rating: 3/5

We really struggled to rate the amenities at La Casa Del Mundo. On paper, they have almost everything you need. A hot tub, a restaurant, massages, kayaks, a sauna… they’ve got it. But here’s the catch: you have to pay extra for these amenities. There’s no free breakfast included, and the hot tub requires booking and payment, as do all rentals and other services.

This left a bit of a sour taste in our mouths when we paid our bill at the end of our stay as they also raised the prices halfway through our stay even though we booked them at the previous rate!

Activities

Rating: 4.5/5

There’s no shortage of things to do at La Casa Del Mundo, from kayaking on the lake to hiking the nearby trails or simply relaxing in the hot tub (for an extra fee). The hotel offers guided tours, boat trips, and water sports rentals, making it easy to explore Lake Atitlan and everything it offers.

The only reason we docked off half a point is that the prices for these activities when booked through La Casa Del Mundo are definitely higher than booking through basically anything else. But that is to be expected from a hotel.

Staff

Rating: 5/5

Not much to say here other than the fact that the staff would always serve us with a smile, even when we would take up an entire table in the restaurant to work for hours. The staff is incredibly helpful and friendly and makes you feel immediately at home.

On-Site Restaurant

Rating: 4/5

The on-site restaurant at La Casa Del Mundo has great food, but it’s nothing to write home about. We thoroughly enjoyed the breakfasts, especially since we could get our food delivered to our private balcony. And it was handy to have the restaurant on-site whenever we were enjoying the hotel too much to leave to find food. However, the restaurant is not cheap, and you can find better food elsewhere at a better price point.

If you’re looking for another restaurant in walking distance to La Casa Del Mundo, head toward Jaibalilto town on the right and go to El Indigo, which offers high-quality food with amazing views.

Location

Rating: 5/5

La Casa Del Mundo is located in the lakeside town of Jaibalito. While this is not a popular town to visit, the location is ideal for visiting the other towns dotted around Lake Atitlan. This hotel feels completely secluded and isolated, which gives it that serene feel you want from staying here while still being close enough to the action. From the dock at the bottom of the hotel, you can take a private or public boat wherever you want.

Wi-Fi

Rating: 3.5/5

First, let us preface by saying you’re not likely to find good wi-fi anywhere on Lake Atitlan. If you come to La Casa Del Mundo expecting high-speed wi-fi, forget about it. Chances are, whichever room you book, you’re not going to have wi-fi. Or, at the most, you’ll have a faint signal that’s not reliable. However, this does not mean there is no wi-fi at all at La Casa Del Mundo. The hotel technically has wi-fi, but you’ll find the signal is strongest in the common areas, such as the on-site restaurant.

If you’ll be staying in La Casa Del Mundo or any other hotel in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, it’s worth getting an eSIM before your trip (we recommend Holafly – NOMADALMANAC for 5% off!) so that you can stay connected as best as you can, even in your hotel room.

That said, we did have a day of work while we were staying in this hotel, and the wi-fi was strong enough in the restaurant area (both in the restaurant and on the terrace) to get our work done.

Cleanliness

Rating: 5/5

Mia is a clean freak, so she takes cleanliness very seriously at hotels. Thankfully, we were very pleased by the level of cleanliness at La Casa Del Mundo. The hotel also offers daily housekeeping services to ensure your room is as fresh as you want it. All common areas are meticulously kept as well.

It’s worth noting that the hotel does have more budget-friendly rooms that have shared bathrooms that we did not stay in, so we cannot personally attest to the level of cleanliness there. However, our research shows that those facilities are also kept very clean for all guests.

The Views

Rating: 5/5

We can’t give enough points for the stunning views you’ll be offered at La Casa Del Mundo. The sunsets here are unmatched, thanks to the unobstructed views you’ll get of the lake and surrounding volcanoes. Prepare to take a million photos every time you look out your balcony from your room.

Overall

Rating: 4.4/5

Our stay at La Casa Del Mundo was nothing short of unforgettable. It still remains one of our favorite stays in the past couple of years. Waking up to the sunrise over Lake Atitlan, enjoying breakfast on our private balcony, and ending the day watching the sunset from a hammock… what else could you want? Despite the smaller rooms, spotty wi-fi, and the frustration with the amenities charges, we would still HIGHLY recommend staying at La Casa Del Mundo. At the very least, it’s definitely worth a visit with a handy day pass.

How to Get to La Casa Del Mundo

Depending on your Guatemala itinerary, you will likely be arriving in Lake Atitlan from either the airport or Antigua. Either way, there are three main options to get to the lake:

• Tourist shuttle: This is by far the most popular way to get to Lake Atitlan.
• Private car: This is the most comfortable way to get to Lake Atitlan but will cost WAY more than the tourist shuttle.
• Chicken bus: This is the most local and cheapest way to get to Lake Atitlan. Chicken buses are old, retired American school buses that are generally painted in very colorful colors.

Any of the three options will drop you off at Panajachel, the biggest town in Lake Atitlan. From there, you will head to the dock to take a boat to La Casa Del Mundo. The ride won’t take more than 10 minutes and should be one of the first stops from the main town. Make sure to take a public boat as opposed to a private one. 

Alternatives to La Casa Del Mundo in Lake Atitlan

La Casa Del Mundo is considered one of the best hotels in Lake Atitlan, but if you would like to explore your options, check out these alternatives.

• Eco Hotel Uxlabil Atitlan: A more budget-friendly version of La Casa Del Mundo, located in San Juan.
• Laguna Lodge Eco-Resort and Nature Reserve: A lodge with a private dock with a more rustic feel.
• Casa Prana: A 5-star alternative to La Casa Del Mundo, secluded and located on a cliff.

Is La Casa Del Mundo Worth It?

This depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a gorgeous hotel in Lake Atitlan and don’t mind the price point, we’d say you should absolutely go for it! While you can’t expect five-star, or even four-star, service here, the views make it worth it. Just imagine waking up with the best view of the lake every morning, surrounded by stunning greenery. However, on the flip side, the reality is that if you only want to stay here for the photos, you could save some money by simply booking a day pass.

With that said, in our opinion, we think La Casa Del Mundo is definitely worth a stay for a night or two, solely for the fact that you get to experience being in a very secluded area in a gorgeous hotel that will have your friends and family drooling in jealousy when you post on your story.

But we wouldn’t go out of our way to stay here if you would be stretching your budget, as you can purchase a day pass, during which you can chill at the hotel and take as many photos as you need before you head back to your accommodation at the end of the day.

In the end, it’s totally up to you!

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