Swell Surf & Lifestyle Hotel

Swell used to have a good reputation among the international community in Guatemala, but lately people been avoiding the place due to an American man working there. And it was so true, he was horrible and so mean to costumers. There are so many better places to go than Swell.

This is an outstanding destination. Best of all is the pool, excellent for swimming laps or lounging - clean, perfect temperature. And, although I like children, the hotel's policy of age 15 and over means there are no four-year-olds leaping on you or peeing in the pool. Friendly staff. Mostly good record-keeping. They tallied our meals and beers perfectly. However, we had requested a specific room and they had confirmed that it was reserved for us. But when we arrived they said it was not available, and the people staying there arrived later that day. OK, maybe they made the decision on who had made the reservation first, or who was staying the longest. But their record-keeping should be better. Also, they used to have a spectacular chef - Tara. The food now is good and healthy, but nothing special. So, a 4, but not far from a 5.

Great location, very friendly staff, excellent food, nice rooms (cool bathrooms!), chill music and a good vibe. We stayed in a familly room for 3 nights. The hotel provided surf instructors and had surf boards for rent. We would definitely love to come back

Stayed in one of the rooms that walks out onto the pool and had the best time! Lights stay on by the pool until after ten and no one kicks you out. Fantastic bar - including an honours system beer fridge that includes amazing craft beer from both Guatemala and the southern US (Abiata, etc). The kitchen here serves up fantastic food too. The room had a huge comfortable bed, air conditioning (a must in this heat), a couch seating area and big bay windows looking onto the pool. The hotel is a four minute walk from the beach, though the beach here is pretty basic. The town is TINY with very little to do (we did it all in a day) so really just spending your time at the Swell is the best way to spend your vacation here. Loved it.

I traveled by myself here and felt like I was at home the entire stay. Absolutely charming and low key and the perfect place to relax. The food is excellent, the staff is friendly and the pool area... well you won't want to leave. Trust me, for a small, boutique hotel with a surf a block away, this is the place!

The staff was extremely helpful and friendly. The vibe at this place is low key and we found other guests to be friendly as well. The food is excellent particularly the salads and crudities plate for dinner. If they happen to be serving the Singapore Noodles special during your stay you should definitely order it. It was delicious. I had one of the swim up rooms which open up onto a very nice pool. One minor inconvenience is that the sliding glass doors provide the only natural light and you have the choice of having this light and being exposed to everyone in the pool or having privacy and no natural light. The internet is slow and unreliable but internet access is not the reason most people come to El Paredon. That would be surfing, the beach and watching the turtles that come year almost year round. Swell arranged private beginners surf lessons for me which I enjoyed. Because the waves were so big we surfed in the white wash which still had plenty of power but it meant that the rides are short. There are no rocks or coral reefs below the surface which makes surfing here a treat.The one change I suggested to the friendly management was that they should put safes in the rooms. This by no means implies that the area is dangerous. However if you are coming to surf you will be leaving your passport, your wallet and your computers in your room for the taking. I hope to return in the future.