Semana Santa itinerary

Old Feb 4th, 2014, 12:00 PM
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Semana Santa itinerary

Just want to check this out with you experts since I am planning a last minute trip to Guatemala for Semana Santa and won't therefore get the best accommodations. (Last time when I queried about G, we ended up going to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia instead.) A major purpose of the trip is photography. So now here is the plan:
I made reservations for Antigua at La Casona de Antigua for the Wed., Thursday, Friday before Easter.
Then we would travel that Saturday to either Panajachel or Chichi for Saturday night and Sunday market day and then stay around the lake and visit villages for a couple of days.
Then back to Antigua, where I made reservations at Hotel la Cathedral (which my son recommended). Both hotels allow late cancellations and I did query Casa Cristina as H suggested.
Any recommendations for a hotel in either Chichi or around the lake? Any other thoughts? I haven't made my airline reservations yet (perhaps tonight) so have some flexibility. Other thoughts. I did print out hopefulists reports. Thanks.
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Old Feb 5th, 2014, 05:29 AM
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Just made airline reservations!
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Old Feb 5th, 2014, 07:59 PM
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Here are my favorite hotels on the lake and in Chichi. I think the San Pedro ones are likely to be full.

Panajachel: Mario's Rooms:
http://www.mariosroomsatitlan.com
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San Pedro La Laguna (my favorite town on the lake):
http://www.mikasohotel.com/
http://hotel-sakcari.com/
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Chichicastenango: Hospedaje Girón: http://www.sailing-diving-guatemala....tels/giron.htm (this is a middle man site; much cheaper to call the hotel and reserve directly, don’t expect English - 502 7756 1156).
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Old Feb 5th, 2014, 08:08 PM
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Thanks hopefulist! I will check these out. I had been wondering how many nights to spend around the lake, but everyone says it is pretty beautiful and the villages are interesting.
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Old Feb 7th, 2014, 01:11 AM
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That would be a matter of personal taste. I have sort of put down roots there so spend most of my time in Guatemala there every year. Last year I visited for 2+ weeks over Semana Santa - fantastic!
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Old Feb 7th, 2014, 05:32 AM
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Thanks hopefulist! I did make reservations for three nights at Panajachel last night just to secure something. They can be cancelled up until April. I'll probably keep them--Hotel Regis, but I will continue to look around. And I did book the Hotel Giron for Chichi--but just one night before the market. Now on to look at ground transportation. My husband decided this trip would be to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary since it is just around the corner.
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Old Feb 7th, 2014, 06:24 AM
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Good work - keep us posted!
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Old Feb 8th, 2014, 01:11 PM
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Yay! I have hotels booked for the whole trip. Which is pretty endouraging since I am so late doing this for Semana Santa. I revised a few choices since I wanted a better location.
Posada Dona Luisa for Antigua 3 days
Mayan Inn for Chichi 1 day
Regis Hotel for Pana 3 days
La Cathedral for Antigua 3 days.
Now I'll read up on ground transportation with the recommended agencies.
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Old Feb 8th, 2014, 08:25 PM
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Here are 2 transportation providers I’ve been pleased with in Guatemala for share shuttles, private transfers, and flight arrangements:
Adrenalina Tours: http://www.adrenalinatours.com
Rainbow Travel: http://www.rainbowtravelcenter.com
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Old Feb 8th, 2014, 08:50 PM
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Thanks hopefulist! I'm going to contact them.
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Old Feb 9th, 2014, 08:19 PM
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Would it be better to mix up our time at Pana and maybe spend a night or two in a village like San Pedro La Laguna?
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Old Feb 9th, 2014, 08:46 PM
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That's a matter of personal choice. It sounds like you have 10 nights; if you add a stop that's 5 places to sleep, an average of just 2 nights per stop. That means half your days you'll be packing up and transitioning from place to place. That wouldn't be fun for me. Some people might find it worth it, though, if it means they get to see more places.
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Old Feb 9th, 2014, 08:49 PM
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We will definitely visit San Pedro La Laguna, whether we sleep there or not, but it might be more relaxing to have the same place all the nights.
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Old Feb 12th, 2014, 08:45 PM
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And what's with Elizabeth Bell? I see radically different reviews on her on trip advisor?
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Old Mar 2nd, 2014, 09:19 PM
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Just made a deposit with Adrenalinatours for ground transportation! Yay! Getting more finalized.
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Old Mar 3rd, 2014, 02:45 AM
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Can't wait to hear about your trip, Patty!
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Old Mar 16th, 2014, 08:38 PM
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So I am trying to make some decisions. LIke when we are in Pana, how to allocate our time. I want to visit Santiago, San Pedro, and Solola. I am wondering how to allocate the time. We have 3 nights which basically means two full days. I would like to schedule a tour with Delores Ratzun, but how much time will we need each place? Should I plan on only going to one village on each day? And include Solola on one of those days?
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 11:52 AM
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I just noticed this. If you are in Antigua on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday go out into the streets at about 1-2 AM and watch them make alfombras in the path of Sunday's procession. These are elaborate rugs made from colorful sawdust. They place them knowing full well they will be trampled on.

Here are some image from google.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sema...urce=univ&sa=X
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 06:49 PM
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Oh my gosh! IMDonehere, I love those photos!!! We actually leave Antigua Saturday afternoon for Chichi, but I hope to see the alfombras on Thursday and Friday. They are gorgeous.
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 07:06 PM
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There might be some on Friday night ask at the hotel.
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