Flowas Bungalows

Flowas is a little beachfront hotel in Livingston, Guatemala, with four traditional wooden bungalows with thatched roofs, private bathrooms, and a terrace with a sea view. Our total capacity is 15 guests, so we can ensure you an exclusive and personalized attention. There is a restaurant specializing in traditional Garifuna and Mediterranean cuisines. It is the perfect place to relax, read, swim, dream, walk, kayak, sail, paint, write, take photographs, create, love, observe (birds, iguanas, and other fauna, sunsets, sea waves, stars…with a bit of luck, even dolphins and manatees) and interact culturally.

Our weird name has a very simple explanation. Formerly, the land belonged to a family of Jamaican origin by the name of Flores. The locals slowly transformed the name Flores into Flowers, due the Jamaican link, and by effect of the Garifuna phonetics, it ended up sounding more like Flowas. Until about twenty years ago, there was no running water in Livingston’s households, and many women from the community used to wash their laundry in the  river (which today is only a stream) that borders one side of the property. The children came along with their mothers and played and swam while their mothers did their laundry. “Going to Flowas” used to be a happy and special event for many, and thus the owners kept its original name: Flowas.

Overview 

Getting here:  We are located at about 1 km from downtown Livingston. It adds to our beauty and tranquility. It is a nice 20 minutes walk along the beach….but for your first arrival carrying luggage, we suggest the taxi ride!

Once you are in the pier in Livingston, get a taxi (for 10Q) to take you to “Callejón de Flowas”, in Barrio Campo Amor. You walk down the alley towards the beach some 100 meters, and then another 100 meters down the beach until you reach us. It is easy and well indicated. Once you are here, it is worth the trouble!!

Average price: $13-17 per person, cash only

Languages spoken: Spanish, French, English

Number of rooms:  Four independent bungalows 

Check-in time:  No set time

Check-out time: 12:00 pm  (Guests must vacate the bungalows, but are free to enjoy the amenities after check-out time)

Contact

Owner:  Sara Martínez Juan

Phone: 502-5860-1040 

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Website:  www.flowascafe.com

Amenities

• Internet access
• Library
• Restaurant
• Laundry facilities
• Gift shop
• Free kayak rentals

Rooms and rates

Bungalow 1:  Two double bed, and one single bed. Private bathroom. Fan. Terrace with hammock and an spectacular sea view. Price: Q. 400

Bungalow 2: One double bed, and one single bed. Private bathroom. Terrace with sea view. Price: Q. 250

Bungalow 3: One double bed. Private bathroom. Fan. Terrace with sea view. Price Q. 200 (Only one guest: Q. 150).  

Bungalow 4: Tour single beds. Private bathroom. Terrace with garden view. Operates as private bungalow or dormitory. Private bungalow: Q. 350. Dormitory: Q. 70/person.

Activities 

• Bicycle rentals
• Bird watching and nature walks
• Boat tours
• Horseback riding
• Snorkeling
• Cultural tours
  

We can arrange and organize workshops in: percussion, Garifuna dance, Garifuna cooking classes, sailing classes and Garifuna and Spanish classes.  With early notice we can also arrange lectures about the ethnology and history of the Garifuna culture (in French, English, or Spanish).

Sustainability 

• Well water and rain water are used for cleaning the hotel.  For cooking purified water is used, but the hotel does NOT use plastic water bottles.  The drinking water comes from large barrels which are recycled and you can use them to refill your glass or bottle.

• All of the organic waste matter from the kitchen is used to make compost or to feed the chickens which provide the hotel with fresh eggs.

• To cook, they combine the use of a conventional gas stove with the use of a solar-powered stove.

• The beach is cleaned daily for trash.  Organic waste from the ocean is used to refill and reinforce the land (which protects the beach from erosion).  Some of the found objects have become incorporated into the interior decorations of the hotel, and in some cases plastic bottles and other waste has been used for the construction of furniture which is also incorporated into the décor of the hotel.

Encouraging cultural sustainability

• The owner supports the work of the Children’s Library, the Biblioteca Ludoteca Infantil Comunitaria Beluba Luba Furendei and also the Asociación Marcos Sánchez Diaz.  Both foundations work with children and community youth, the latter providing student scholarships and will soon be opening a social center for these students where they will hold discussions about foreign movies and other activities.    
• The hotel only contracts local employees. They do not involve themselves in volunteer programs precisely because, as a private business, they believe in their ability to create local jobs.  They pay salaries to their employees which are considerably higher than required by law. 
  
• They encourage local culture through the organization of workshops about diverse local arts and traditions.  They provide all kinds of information about local arts and crafts and the local community. 
  
• They would like to see local fish culture projects such as shrimp farms, and believe the region is an excellent place for such projects.  They would like to see better protection of traditional fishing techniques since this practice is being hurt by the semi-industrial shrimp fishing operations. 
• The staff of Flowas is stricty Garifuna, the original inhabitants of these coastal areas.  They maintain their history and traditions in their village.  The Garifuna culture is a living culture, through daily rituals, festivals, and customs.  Flowas supports the preservation of these ancestral customs such as the Garinagu through activities such as workshops and lectures on ethnology and history.