I've visited Casa Santo Domingo a few times for events, but this was my first time staying. It's a lovely, dramatic hotel. Fixtures and decore of the rooms is a bit dated, but the hotel is built around a historic experience. Morning and afternoon coffee and morning sweetbread was excellent. Pool is lovely and there is a really nice green space for kids to run around. Returned in the evening to light jazz playing on the TV and the room straightened, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately did not have the chance to visit the restaurant, but the Guatemalan food buffet has a great reputation. The underground parking (free) is a great benefit.
Aside from all the great things they offer and fulfill, the gardens, the peaceful atmosphere and the cozy facilities, this time I have a happy anecdote to share. My daughter (3) left a very special doll in the room. After getting back home and searching everywhere we realized the doll had stayed in the hotel. I called a week after and they offered to keep her safe indeterminately as long as I called every couple of months to express I still needed her. After 2 months I asked if they could have shipped to me (of course, me paying for the expenses), and they coordinated the shipment, followed up and long story short, the doll is safe at home, intact and very relaxed after staying 2 months in the hotel.
If you are looking for a traditional hotel in Antigua that is centrally located, this may be your place. What you need to know is that it shares similar characteristics to many of the hotels in the area. This type of hotel was once a traditional home with rooms centered around courtyards (I can't provide a reference here, this is just anecdotal information from 17 years of traveling to Antigua and staying in many different hotels. Although, ChatGPT did a great job describing what I believe is a traditional or antique home in Antigua). I stayed in room #4, not because I needed four beds, but it was the only room available. This is a great room in every sense of the word. It was most likely the living room as it is in the center of the hotel off the main courtyard/garden. That said, while it provides for an abundance of fresh air, which is often lacking in some of these types of hotel rooms, it is not insulated from the daily activities of the hotel, including guests coming and going, guests eating outside the room, or the chorus of birds that welcome the day for you precisely at the same time every day - no need for an alarm clock! This room has a high ceiling of traditional timber frames and dark wood, with a huge, ornate chandelier hanging in the center. It's beautiful! While the bathroom is simple, it's more than sufficient - the ample shower has hot water delivered to you using updated plumbing (no need to worry about getting electrocuted by a ”widow maker” showerhead with exposed wires). I'm a pretty low-maintenance kind of guy when it comes to where we stay (although, my partner may disagree with me). If you are an independent, self-reliant traveler, that will spend most of your time outside of the hotel than inside, this hotel will meet your needs.
I really enjoyed my stay at Las Camelias. The front desk was very helpful and friendly and they offered complimentary coffee and filtered water in the hotel lobby. This is great because you should not drink the tap water in Guatemala. The hotel was also well located and walking distance from everything. Antigua as a whole os very walkable. The hotel has an open elevated patio with views of the volcanos and the room I stayed in was very clean with a lovely large shower. The front desk helped me book a vehicle to get to Lake Atitlan and even helped a colleague of mine who was not a resident of the hotel. I also liked the amount of greenery in the hotel. It added a quaint charm. Only small downside was some spotty wifi in the room and the walls are a bit thin so you can here some external sounds. I would recommend this hotel to individuals traveling on budget looking for a clean, comfortable and well appointed apace.