Vttraveler

My husband, younger son and I will be visiting Guatemala and Copán, Honduras this summer. The main reason for the trip at this time is for us all to connect for part of the time that our son will be doing research for his senior thesis. (He has a grant for his travel and most of his other expenses.) The main focus of his study is Quiriguá and he says he wants to spend 5 days there.

We have actually seen Quiriguá on a trip in 2009, and it is a fairly small --though important-site without much in the immediate area. Any tips on where to stay and eat and other things to do fairly nearby would be welcome. I am thinking my husband and I will have seen enough of the archeological site after one day. We will probably have to get a car for this part of the trip although I know it is possible to travel by bus to the town.

I am also interested in tips on good places to stay and good restaurants in Copán. There is more information about this area and it should be relatively easy, but tips from other travelers are always useful. I wish our son wanted to spend the bulk of his time there, but I didn't develop the thesis proposal

Our son will also want to see the archeological museum in Guatemala City so will be spending a few days there.

hopefulist

I can't help with the Quiriguá part but here are a few links to check out for lodging in Copán in a variety of budget levels. The 2nd one has links a sister hotel and house rentals near the bottom.
http://www.laposadadebelssy.com/
http://casadecafecopan.com/
http://haciendasanlucas.com/

You could also spend some time in/near Rio Dulce or make the day trip between Rio Dulce town and Livingston - the gorge is beautiful. Happy trails!

Vttraveler

Thanks, hopefulist. You are always a wealth of information for Central American Fodorites.

We had thought of going to Puerto Barrios/Livingston or Rio Dulce to Livingston as you suggest.

walkabout

I stayed at La Posada de Belssy this past March, and I recommend it. I had a room on the top floor with 2 queen beds, ceiling fan, cable TV, balcony, and rooftop pool. All for $16/night. The hotel is only about a 3-minute walk from the main square. (The hotel website says they offer breakfast, but they no longer do so).
http://goo.gl/EfViD

I recommend the Picame restaurant, which is about a block down the hill from the hotel. The portions are large, the fare is healthy, and the prices are reasonable. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
http://www.picamecopan.com/
http://goo.gl/xBIw9

I also recommend visiting the Copan ruins. They are not as extensive as Tikal, but still worth a visit. The ruins are walking distance from the hotel and restaurant. I recommend visiting in the morning, because Copan is hot and there is not much shade.
http://www.honduras.net/copan/

I also really liked the Macaw bird park. You can visit it morning or evening because the site is lush with trees.
http://www.macawmountain.com/

Vttraveler

thanks for the Copan recommendations. We definitely plan on visiting the ruins. that is my son's main purpose in going there and my husband and I share his interest in Mayan sites. We will also go to the museum there.

hopefulist

There are 3 museums - the gorgeous sculpture museum near the ruins, the archaeological museum on the parque central, and the Maya Interpretive museum about 6 blocks up the hill. Happy trails!

Vttraveler

I am putting this back ttt to see whether there are other recommendations for the two areas we plan to visit.

Vttraveler

Still hoping for more restaurant suggestions as our trip draws near.

So we have our lodging reservations for Quirigua and Copan and for G City for the nights of arrival and departure.

My husband and I plan to take a side trip from Quirigua to Puerto Barrios/Livingston. Quirigua is a place most people visit on day trips from other locations so we are not expecting too much of food there. The small B & B where we are staying does offer meals.

Any recommendations for good places to eat would be welcome. We all like local Guatemalan food although I am probably the biggest rice and beans fan.

hopefulist--we are staying the first night at Villa Toscana in G City. I think you have stayed there. Do you have any recommendations for restaurants nearby? My recollection of that part of the city is that it is suburban with few options for meals.

hopefulist

In general I'm not a great one to recommend restaurants because I usually live with local families in Guatemala and Copán Ruinas. The way our schedules worked last summer we stayed at Villa Toscana the night before an early flight to Roatán and the night we returned from Roatán with an early flight home the next morning. In each case we enjoyed the provided breakfast but just had good snacks along for dinner or ate before we arrived so I'm not help with area restaurants. It's a gated residential neighborhood so I don't think there's anything close; they have menus available for places that deliver or could arrange a cab and make suggestions. You could email Azucena ahead and ask - she's really helpful. If you don't speak Spanish there's a niece there who does who could help.

You'll love Villa Toscana; it's a lovely place and we were sorry our visits were so quick. Always another year!! Have a wonderful trip and be sure to tell us all about it.

Vttraveler

thanks for the info on Villa Toscana. It does look nice.

Vttraveler

Just signing in to say thanks again for all the information and recommendations. We got back from our trip (all too short) late last night and I will write a report soon.

We very much enjoyed our stay at Casa de Cafe in Copan and the Villa Toscana in G City (except for the lack of restaurant options nearby at the latter). We met a very nice couple from Arizona at Villa Toscana on the night of arrival, just as they were getting ready to leave at the end of their vacation. As we started talking about our sources of travel information we realized that we had both benefited from hopefulist's great knowledge of Guatemala and Honduras. (This woman posts on trip advisor, not Fodors--I am sure you will know who I mean)

Vttraveler

Another quick post to update information on this thread: the archeological museum on the town square in Copan is currently closed for renovations. There was a good photo exhibit of the history of the town including some great shots of excavating the ruins when we were there two weeks ago. (Free) I am not sure how long this will be there