Casa Santo Domingo

This is likely the best Antigua has to offer. While it's listed as a 5-star hotel, don't expect the same level of luxury or service you’d find in a 5-star property in a first-world country. That said, the space itself is beautiful. Water pressure is excellent, also a solid 5 stars. However, as with many hotels in developing regions, service can fall short of the mark. The softer touches and attentiveness you'd expect at this level aren’t quite there. Management appears limited, and it shows in the day-to-day operations with poor communication and ridiculous climed policies. Overall, it's a top-tier choice within the local context, but come with adjusted expectations.

My husband and me stayed here for six nights on our two-week vacation to Miami- El Salvador and Guatemala. This hotel is quite different from all the other hotels we have visited around the world. This hotel has a soul. You live in the ruins of an old convent from the 18th century, which today also is a museum. Something really special ! We loved it! The pre-booked airport transportation worked very well. It took 1,5 hour due to heavy traffic in the evening. There were guards all over the hotel so we felt safe. The employees were polite and service minded. Most of them spoke very well English. The restaurant was excellent and the price level reasonable compared to Norway where we come from. The quality of the food was exquisite. Like in the a la Carte restaurant of a cruise. The pool area was nice and well maintained. It was in the middle of the ruins and gave a special atmosphere. Some workers were working with one of the pools and that made a noise two of the days. The breakfast was delicious and had many healthy options. The bed madrass and the clean sunbed madrasses were perfect for our taste. I used the gym several times but it was very small. There was no bike and the mats were too small to do my excercises. But the gum itself was partly in the ruins so that was special. We did not use the spa. The pool area was good enough for us. Thank you for some wonderful and relaxing days. We really can recommend the hotel.

I had heard this hotel was amazing, and the grounds are stunning…but the service? Non existent. We paid $120 for airport transportation. The van was filthy and smelly, and the driver not only could not drive (he seemed unable to understand the difference between right and left, but he had never driven from the airport to Antigua. He had no idea where to go. He GPS was broken, his phone died and he drove us in circles for 30 minutes. We asked what was happening and he just kept saying “si” though we both speak Spanish. My friend thankfully had an extra battery (wed just flown 5 hours and put phones were dying) so she ended up guiding him on Waze. When we called the hotel, the drive threatened to leave us in Guatemala City in a park with our luggage. The hotel staff were useless. Oskar the alleged front desk manager was useless and wouldn’t get in the phone or call us back for an hour. When he did he kept telling us not to worry. He said he’d be there when we arrived. Nope, we still waited another 15 minutes for him. It took 4 hours to get to the hotel from the airport (the drive should take an hour). Thank goodness we spoke Spanish. Every time we’ve asked someone a question, we get a different answer. Breakfast finishes at 10, or 11. We don’t know. The pool closes at 8, 9 or 10, oh by the way, there’s no water in the pool. It comes to your calf. Why? No answer. We wanted a vacation that we could relax and chill by the pool and swim, but there’s no water in it. The whole things has been a huge disappointment. This place r has plummeted from what it once was. There’s a new luxury hotel in Antigua. We are going to try and move there tomorrow. We came for my friend’s 50th. What a bummer.

The hotel was rebuilt on the ruins of the Santo Domingo church and convent and it’s lovely discovering all the nooks and corners as a hotel guest late in the evening and early in the morning without many day tourists around. Having a gym is not a common treat in the more boutique style Antigua hotels so this is a great addition at Santo Domingo. This is a huge property with many guests year round and it is ran with the efficency of a proper business but as a result it felt like lacking on the personal touches of hospitality. It is also significantly pricier than most other hotels around but it is a treat to be able to experience it for at least one night.

We booked tow “spa rooms” for our friends and us to visit, what an amazing experience. The patio areas lead to a private access to the wonderful private spa with pools, an incredible hot tub room and relaxation areas all included. This is an amazing experience for adults, unique in every way. The rest of the grounds are equally impressive with a great pool for families, a historic museum and very nice unique rooms. The food in the restaurant is worth a stop regardless if you’re staying at the hotel or not.