The Best Hotels Near La Lancha, by the Record
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Francis Ford Coppola's third Central American eco-lodge sits on the edge of Lake Peten Itzá, a short drive from the Tikal ruins. Ten rooms with shared terraces keep things deliberately rustic, the kind of place where the rainforest and the lake do the heavy lifting so the lodging doesn't have to. The restaurant mixes Guatemalan cooking with wood-fired pizza and Coppola wines, which is a sentence that exists. A Michelin Key.
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A boutique hotel on Lake Petén Itzá with a private Temazcal sweat lodge, which sets the tone for everything else on offer. Contemporary rooms and suites have terraces and Jacuzzis facing the lake, rainforest, or garden, and the activity list runs from kayaking and paddleboarding to cooking classes and lakeside spa treatments. The Mayan ruins and villages nearby give you plenty of reasons to leave, but the hotel makes it easy to stay put.
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Seventeen rooms tucked into the Belizean rainforest outside San Ignacio, where the casitas have private gardens and the spa employs what is said to be the last practicing Mayan shaman in the Cayo district. This small boutique resort runs its own organic garden, feeds much of the kitchen from it, and organizes archaeological expeditions to nearby ruins when the pool loses its appeal. The jungle provides the atmosphere; the staff handles the rest with an unhurried warmth that feels nothing like a hotel script.
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Seventeen acres of working rainforest inside city limits, including an on-site iguana conservation project, set this family-owned resort apart from every other in-town option in San Ignacio. Rooms range from cozy to spacious, with the better ones overlooking jungle canopy or the Macal River. The on-site steakhouse pulls meat from the family ranch, and the Lobby Bar draws locals on weekend nights with live music. The Michelin Guide has selected it among its hotels.