Buenos Dias from Guatemala!
*booked a round trip flight on Spirit airlines for $331 Boston - Guatemala City with a stopover each way in Fort Lauderdale ; ended up staying an extra week but was able to switch my return flight for only $5 extra as I had booked with Go Savvy
*from the airport on Bookaway and operated by GuateGo I paid $52 with fees for a bus to Panajachel on Lake Atotlan with a stopover to switch buses in Antigua - the whole process took around 5 hours and then another 30-45 minutes by boat to get to San Pedro
*from Panajachel lanchas (lake boats) cost 25Q/$3.25 per ride regardless of which stop, and leave each stop when they are full
SAN PEDRO LA LAGUNA:
Hotel:
Paraíso Hotel: $9/per night for two nights including breakfast, quiet and cute family run place only five minute walk from the dock
Activities:
-massage: $26 for one hour at San Pedro Massage and it was excellent, very kind staff and Glenda was very kind and experienced. Other spas are around the town for slightly less, I just happened to come across this one near my hotel first!
-kayak to playa cristalinas: 60Q/$7.81 for three hours to use the kayak (25 first hour, 20 second, 15 third) it took me about 30 minutes each way to get to and from the beach, one of the safe places to swim in the lake, pebbly beach so not the most comfortable but pretty and relaxing, not very crowded - you can also take a lancha there, or just use the kayak to go wherever around the lake. Other water sports are offered like SUP and jetskis, and you can pay in cash at the Public Beach stand!
-jewelry making: many shops to make beaded bracelets, anklets, necklaces, etc. around the center, I chose a smaller shop run by Freddie near my hotel, and for two hours I chose a larger jade crystal and he taught me how to make my own ring with wire and design (200Q/$26 for the class and materials and to keep the ring in the end) and I was able to chat with him in spanish the whole time! his WhatsApp is +502 4788 2576 )
-coffee painting: another shop near my hotel has classes for 80 minutes and cost around $32 to create a medium painting with coffee! they also sell their work in the shop - I didn’t end up trying this class but I wish I did! I think the shop was called Kamui or is near there on google maps, but I believe you can find other similar shops around the lake also!
-Artesian Crafts: there are many stands along the streets with homemade crafts and goods, and the Mercado de Artesanía Tz’unun Ya’ in this village as well! All are so beautiful, and you will see many paintings, jewelry, window hanging art, and more!
Other Activities Around the Lake:
-La Casa del Mundo (day pass): 50Q/$6.51 to stay at this gorgeous house with a restaurant and bar, beautiful hammocks and seating areas to enjoy the views, and another area to safely swim, you can also stay overnight but I believe it typically books out a few weeks in advance
-you can also take the lanchas again 25Q/$3.25 per ride regardless of which stop to explore any of the other towns for the day, with the last boats leaving the docks around 5-5:30pm
SAN MARCOS LA LAGUNA:
Hotel:
-Escape Cabin 5: $27 for two nights, private cabin uphill near Eagles Nest, with bathroom, comfortable but slightly open walls so there are bugs, very cute but kind of hard to find especially in the dark and very steeply uphill- small outdoor wood platform where I was able to do yoga, but other cabins are also in the area so less private than I was expecting, still comfortable for two nights although I definitely got more but bites than I was hoping.
-Eagles Nest Atitlan: $171 for two nights, all inclusive resort: I chose the two bed option, which although there are private rooms this was a bit cheaper (I believe there were also dorms but they weren’t available when I booked), so I had another person in the room but there was a bit of an un stairs and downstairs bed areas so it still felt pretty private. This included three meals a day, prepared by the kitchen on site, and access to any of the classes, workshops, ceremonies, events and daily sauna/pool. The website https://eaglesnestatitlan.com has a schedule of all the daily activities so you can look ahead and see which you would most be interested in if you are only staying q few nights like I did. I think $85/night was a great price for the amount I received, as I definitely took advance of doing several classes per day and the night activities. You can also take a class for 100-200Q ($13-26) each to visit and take photos after the class of the gorgeous view over the lake and volcano. I met a lot of friendly people there, and the Nest also had links to server la group chats of other activities around San Marcos and the lake. This was a beautiful getaway, and I didn’t leave during my two night stay. If staying longer, it’s important to note that it is located at the very top of the hill, which is very steep to climb. You can also take a tuktuk back and forth for between 10-30Q ($1.30-3.90) which only accept cash. You should not be paying more than 10-15Q usually though even as a tourist.
*This goes for rides anywhere else in town, although if you are going between towns or to further activities it will be more- maybe try to ask the price before you take the ride as they will try to up the price once you are already done
-Unicorn Reborn Rentals: $23/night, small cabins with shared kitchen, bathroom and shower, second street over from central street and pretty calm and quiet, a few hammocks and tables to enjoy and kind of a big garden, not the most space to do yoga though and again a lot of bugs since it’s an outdoor cabin!
-La Caverna Inn: $50/4 nights, private room and bathroom, spacious with a small kitchen (has some things to use for cooking but not a lot of extra spices or anything, and overall a bit dirty). The room was fine, but the walls are pretty thin and the owner would be pretty loud at night and with other guests over nights/morning, even though not many other guests were staying there. Still, it was comfortable and cheap for a few nights and nice to have a space to myself.
Holistic Cottage:
-While I was here I completed two courses and revived certificates in both Reiki 1 and Swedish Massage (both courses taking about 3 days each) from the lovely Katherine Bird at San Marcos Holistic Cottage. I paid about $195 and $325 respectively for the courses, and she included an information packet for each. She is very kind, and since I was the only student the trainings were very focused on my personal training, and she was very kind and gentle when answering questions and we got along every well. Both courses involved very different processes, both which are more detailed in her website https://www.sanmholisticcottage.com along with the other courses and services she offers, including reiki and different types of massage. I am deeply grateful for her knowledge, patience, and kindness during my trainings, and can’t wait to continue spreading my practice and knowledge as I grow my own abilities!
Activities:
*I joined a whatsapp group that I found in Eagles Nedt where different groups and people would post about what was going on that day, or events they were hosting that week which was super fun and helpful. The main street (hippie highway) when you first exit the boats also has a lot of posters around about the fifteen town activities and events.
-esthetic dance: with a few friends we took a longer tuktuk to the next town over, to go to the weekly dance they held on sunday nights. It starts around 5 pm with a sound/singing circle and there is a dj for the dance for a few hours, and it ends with a fire circle
ANTIGUA
Hostel:
-The Purpose Hostel: $17/night (including taxes) for 4-bed female dorm, offers a small but pretty rooftop with a lovely volcano view and space to relax or do yoga, and tea/water/coffee always available. I was expecting a much busier hostel, but I only saw a few other people there the whole time I was there and even had the dorm to myself the first 2 of 3 nights. I was a bit disappointed it was not super social, but maybe it’s just not the most popular season, and otherwise reception is 24-hours, very kind and helpful and offer bus transport/booking. I was able to pay here for the hostel itself in card, the bus ticket only cash.
Restaurants:
-La Familia Pizzería y Tratoría: wonderful pizza with fresh made sourdough crust, helpful and kind staff
-Café Condesa: cute garden cafe in the center square, excellent cheesecake/dessert options
-Kombu Ramen Shop: very similar to authentic Japanese shops, the ramen was okay but the service was great and the shop was super cute, had different options
-Hector’s Deli: a cute cafe, offer all meals of the day, with fresh bakery items and coffee
Activities:
-Super Massage Spa: one of the more affordable massage options, 70 minute massages for 200Q/$26USD, of those I saw only one other chain offered the same prices (others were higher)
-Minoshka’s Salón & Spa: I had a pedicure here for $24 and the woman who helped me was so kind, really took her time and offered me also a face mask, and it included a few different foot scrubs/lotions. There are two locations of the same spa very close by, I went to the smaller location and was helped immediately! They also offer other nail, hair and massage services.
-Megapaca Antigua: Huge secondhand thrift shop with imported clothes (I believe all or mainly from US) with good discounts based on tag colors, and had a lot of cool older/vintage styles. I visited the one closer to Antigua center and another about 30 minutes out, both offering a wide variety of prices, styles, brands. Great choice if you are looking for secondhand clothes to swap while traveling, for hiked, or just to check out a thrift shop!
-Pacaya Volcano Day Hike: I paid about $35 for the guided hike and entrance (entrance alone is 100Q/$13 CASH if you don’t pay ahead of time. It was a short and relatively easy hike, with only me and two others hikers in my group so it went by pretty fast. We stopped several times on the way up, and were able to cool marshmallows in the natural heat from the group somewhere near the top. This hike also had the option to camp overnight, or go up by horse, and also go cook pizza in the volcanic ash, but that one at least seemed really overpriced for something that I would have expected more. Overall it was a good experience, and the price also included the bus both ways from my hostel directly, about 1.5-2 hours each way.
Other Activities: (didn’t try but heard of)
-Cerro de la Cruz: 20-30 minutes walk from the center, a viewpoint of Antigua, I was told it is a nice walk and place to see the city from above, but I ended up doing a hike instead
-Hikes: You can hike several of the other volcanos in the area, a huge draw being the overnight hike up Acatenango for around $100 or less including equipment depending on the company you choose, and many tour desks around the city, at hostels, and online offer a variety of options for this- I decided against it because it was super cloudy when I visited and there has not been much Volcanic Activity recently, and many people who had gone said they weren’t able to see anything and it was freezing at the top. It is still an incredible opportunity, so I would just recommend looking into the conditions at the time you visit. Other hikes and information can be found in the same locations.
-If you are staying in a hostel, most likely the front desks will have either a tour desk or different posters highlighting some city activities, but to be honest while I did like the look and vibe of Antigua it didn’t seem like there was a ton to do. I think if you are not going out or only planning to do a short hike, 2-3 days here is plenty. It is a good starting place to travel to Lake Atitlan (about 2 hours drive to Panajachel) and about 1.5-2 hours to the Guatemala City airport. By shuttle you can pay cash at your hostel or a tour Agency 100-150Q ($13-20) typically. You can also purchase the tickets online but they were more expensive.
*something else to note about Guatemala in general is that cash is ideal everywhere! they have pretty high credit card rates for most places, and a lot of the street markets and vendors and stores especially at the lake villages don’t accept card. because i only brought a few hundred in cash to exchange and ended up staying extra time, I was able to PayPal a few of my accommodations and for the certification courses, but it isn’t idea for you or the locals and they don’t always get all the money in the exchange and you typically still have to pay to send it. Just something to keep in mind, or at least bring a debit card since there are a fair amount if ATMs. If you need to exchange, go to the banks since they will give the best rate.
*Guatemala is such a beautiful country, with so many different places to see and such kind people. It is also an excellent to learn and practice spanish, and for me was very easy to converse with the locals as they have an easier dialect and accent to understand as an American. I would love go return to see more of the north and continue learning about the history and culture. Thank you for all the beautiful memories, lessons and peek into all of the incredible Mayan history and traditions that are still alive today.
This was my last trip out of the country (that I know of!) for the time being before I start at a new university to complete my degree. As always, stay adventurous, keep exploring, and I will update as soon as the next adventure appears!
xoxo,
Ang around the World ♥