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Central America Hotels

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Central America Travel: Variety is the Spice

Your Central America travel should be as eclectic as the cultures and landscapes freckling the region. To put it all together, get some help from the Web. You'll find sites dedicated to each of the region's seven countries, as well as advice and shared experiences from other travelers. Whether you prefer to keep your itinerary open-ended or you want to book everything in advance, the Web can enhance your experience of Central American tourism. We've selected some sites to help you get started.

Central America Travel Basics

In a word: vibrancy. Perhaps more well-known for its brutally war-torn past, Central America has ... read more »

Central America Travel Requirements

Political unrest and violence have largely subsided in Central America, but traveling the region ... read more »

Getting to Central America

You can fly in from the United States relatively easily and inexpensively. All seven countries have ... read more »

Central America Hotels

You don't have to rough it-but you can. Tourism is strong and growing across the region, which makes it easy to find accommodation to suit your needs. Whether you long to doze in a hammock slung between two trees on a beach or in a plush bed in a luxury suite, you won't be disappointed.

Dulcinea's Insight

  • In most areas in Central America, even hotels and resorts that are considered high-end can be affordable, which means you can travel luxuriously without shelling out too much money.
  • It isn't easy to find organized campsites in Central America, but many beaches allow you to pitch a tent or sleep in hammocks in designated areas. Safety may be an issue, however. This thread from a BootsnAll travel forum discusses the issue.
  • If you are trying to conserve cash, camping is not your only option. You can stay in guesthouses or hostels, often for less than $20 per night, or arrange a home-stay with a local family, usually for under $100 per week. Home stays are more common in language-school areas; GoAbroad provides a language school search engine for all countries.

Dulcinea's Picks

For general accommodation information ...
TripAdvisor provides listings and traveler reviews of hotels, B&Bs, inns, and hostels. Often reviewers post photos and write candidly about their experience with each place. You'll find a good mix of luxury and inexpensive lodgings, but you'll also find a busy site with many ads.
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Hotels2Stay is an efficient hotel search engine. Locate accommodation in the country and city of your choice, then search by date of travel, and book online after viewing photos and learning about area attractions, driving directions, and property information. Discounted rates are often available.
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For budget accommodations ...
Hostelz.com provides listings and reviews of hostels around the world. You can search by country and by the type of room you want, and link to hostel Web sites. Reviews are candid, give a good sense of each hostel's atmosphere, and provide practical information about reservations, Internet access, curfew, and more.
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BootsnAll allows you to search for hostels, budget hotels, guest houses, campsites, and apartments in Central America. Search by date and location for best results.
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For luxury accommodations ...
Luxury Latin America reveals the latest in luxury hotels and tours in Central America. Reviews are detailed and thorough, and are written by experienced travel writers. You can browse listings and reviews by country, and link to hotel/tour Web sites.
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Drake and Cavendish is a luxury-hotel directory with a section devoted to Central America. You can search by country, view photos, read reviews, and link to hotel Web sites.
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Journey Latin America has a hotel finder for luxury accommodation in Central America. There are not many listings, but each has stand-out features, and has been visited by Journey Latin America staff- people who've lived and traveled extensively in the region.
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For Spas...
forbes.com offers an inside look at Spa Tranquilo at the Rancho Pacifico Hotel, surrounded by rainforest on the southwest coast of Costa Rica. In this article, you'll learn about a few of the spa's treatments, chocolate wrap included, and follow the author's transformation from spa skeptic to pampered pedicure devotee. To locate spas throughout Central America, try Resorts Online, which organizes listings by country and links you to resort and spa Web sites.
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Getting Around in Central America

You can travel around the region cheaply, and there is a good chance that your ride will be ... read more »

Central America Blogs and Forums

The Web can give you a taste of a destination before you go, and one of the best ways to prepare ... read more »

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