We want to stay in the Lake Atitlan area but I am a bit confused as to the area we want to stay. We want to make sure that the water is clean so that we can swim, and also that we will be able to take some hikes ect. from the area. Any suggestions? We don't mind stairs.

Been to Pana twice in the past year and stayed there as well as 3 days in Santiago Atitlan at Posada de Santiago and they have a small pool.I was told by many people to avoid swimming in the lake esp around Pana as the local sewer empties directly into the lake .Posada offers the pool and the owner was great at suggesting hikes as well as intros to local guides..Would not hike w/o a guide

We stayed at Lomas de Tzununa for 4 nights in December. It is absolutely gorgeous and I was thrilled with our choice. The views are amazing. It is a lot of stairs up to the hotel from the lake (420 of them) so we tended to go down once a day, do an excursion, then come back to the hotel later in the afternoon. After climbing all those steps, I'd change into my swimsuit and cool off in the pool (and get my heartrate back to normal!). I'd definitely stay there again.

Thanks for the advice about not hiking with a guide. I tend to do most things with a guide just because I feel safer.
Can you swim in the water at Lomas de Tzununa? Maybe I should just plan on swimming in the pool.

I would also say that Lomas is a great place to stay. We spent a week there in April and the views are wonderful. I swam in the lake from their dock several times and the water was crystal clear and refreshing. They also have a small pool that looked nice although we never used it.

Thanks for everyones help. I think that I am going to have to postpone my trip. I was all set to book last week and I called everyone to confirm.. within the next hour the fares jumped.
On Saturday we found another fare that was higher but we agreed we would go.. and again the fares jumped up.
Now we are just going to wait. We are going to keep our same dates open and if the fares come down then we will go, if not we will most likely go in Feb. I checked the airlines seat availability and there are plenty of seats so maybe we will get lucky.

Bummer! Keep us posted!

We finally booked our tickets to Guatemala! We aren't going until Feb. but it will give us all something great to look forward to. We got a great airfare from Newark and our flights are direct. I guess I have a little time before I need to start booking any hotels.

Great! Plenty of time to enjoy the planning. Keep us posted!

I love the planning phase of a trip! Have fun!

I love to plan trips as well. Do you think it's too early to book hotels?

I would hold out for a bit on the hotels as you continue your research. Sometimes I'm set with one general plan for awhile and read a new travelogue or guidebook entry and shift gears. If you do book ahead, I think it's a good idea to confirm about 2 months out (in case they "lost" your reservation and you need to rebook somewhere else) and again the week or so before you travel. Happy trails!

Hopeful,
Yes, it is probably a good idea for me to wait a bit.. I know I want to visit Antigua, Lake Atitlan, and the market. Any other suggetions of what I shouldn't miss? I have already been to Tikal so I probably won't go this trip.
I always reconfirm. I am always afraid that they won't remember. Once I went to a convention that a travel agent booked for me. I arrived late at night and they didn't have a room for me so now I am always careful.

ttraveler - how much time do you have?

We have seven nights. We arrive on a Sat. afternoon and leave on a Sat. afternoon. We really got great flights as far as time. We would like to do a lot of hiking. I see where you hiked the volcano and that looks like something we would like to do. I am also thinking about taking a cooking class that is offered in Antigua. I have taken classes when traveling before and they are always a lot of fun.

With a week, the places you name are plenty. Keep us posted!

I agree, a week is good with the places you're planning to see. We had 11 nights and saw Antigua, Chichi, Tikal and the lake. That was enough moving around for me.

Thank you both for your help and suggestions.I think that I am leaning towards staying at Lomas de Tzununa right now.. It just looks so beautiful and perfect for my group. Now I just have to figure out my days.