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Tegucigalpa has only a moderate selection of decent hotels; variety and availability are not as large as you'd expect in a capital city of one million people. That said, you can still manage to choose between elegant high-rises, older favorites that are full of personality, or intimate hostels with personalized service. Business travelers frequent Tegucigalpa on weekdays, and many of the mission groups who often stay in the city through the weekend use smaller places as their base. Reservations are a good idea any day of the week, any time of the year. The good news is that prices are very reasonable here for what you get, even at high-end lodgings, and hotels that cater to business travelers discount their rates on weekends.
Many hostelries in Barrio El Centro, the old downtown, have seen better days. We suggest only a couple of hotels there, but they are solid recommendations and would be worth reviewing regardless of their location. Colonia Palmira, east of downtown, contains the biggest variety of lodgings and is a convenient place to base yourself. The Honduras Maya, Tegucigalpa's original business-class hotel, holds court here as well as a trio of similarly styled medium-size lodgings. Palmira is also home to a few small inns, impressive for their family-style surroundings and service. The big international chains, with all the amenities a business traveler could desire, have set up shop in the southern reaches of the city along with one smaller hotel with more personality. If you arrive in the capital on an intercity bus, your first encounter will be with the Comayagüela district southwest of downtown where all the terminals are. The neighborhood is sketchy, and you should cab it elsewhere rather than trying to stay there.
No matter which neighborhood you use as your base, always come and go by taxi after dark; it's the safest mode of transport at night. Have the front desk call a cab for you rather than you trying to flag one down in the street.
Signs for the Hotel Santa Lucía Resort appear the moment you leave Tegucigalpa, and by the time you arrive, you'll feel you already know the place. Once you see all the pine trees and feel the brisk air, you'll know you've left the tropics behind. Rooms in the main lodge are bigger than those in the cabins scattered around the property. A few come with a small kitchen.
