Good Hotel Antigua

That’s Antigua, Guatemala, not the Caribbean island — located inside a restored mansion in the heart of the UNESCO-protected historic center, Good Hotel Antigua is a stylish and thoughtful twenty-room hotel that’s deeply connected to its neighborhood. Everything is local: the staff, the coffee, the artisan-crafted tile in the bathrooms, the all-natural bath products, the chocolates on your pillow. (Such delicious details weren’t just provided by some generic “local” source, either: those tropical soaps were made by Lucy, the tiles on a wooden loom by Juan José, and so on. The hotel is happy to tell you all about it.)

It will come as no surprise that Good Hotel Antigua features a range of light-filled communal spaces ideal for relaxing and socializing, or for getting some work done. The wi-fi signal is strong throughout the gardens, living rooms, and open kitchen, and so is the coffee, brewed by an expert team: they were trained by the Guatemalan barista who was officially named the best in the country.

Guest rooms are airy and minimalist, outfitted in a clean white and gray color palette. A few well-chosen details, from geometric lighting fixtures to vintage-inspired desk chairs, add visual interest. And those sliding blonde wood doors, opening into bathrooms with rain showers and traditional sinks made by local craftsmen? They aren’t just pretty to look at: they were built with repurposed materials.

Good Hotel Antigua has practicality in mind: the kitchen is open late, and the bar even later. You’ll be glad, perhaps, to learn that it’s not a standalone, but the latest iteration in the Good Hotel mini-empire that started in Amsterdam, has spread to London, and with any luck, will continue to expand.