Talk to me about Guatemala
 

After on-again/off-again planning mainly due to job situation (or lack thereof) it looks like we'll really be going away for xmas.

Guatemala might fit the bill with cost, weather, ease to get to from Atlanta etc.

We'd be flying into Guatemala city but I'll gather that shouldn't be out final destination for 10 days. Any input appreciated (and I'll continue to comb through old posts).

Definitely pass on Guat city -- If u feel u must see it, a day is plenty there. Without knowing your interests, here are a few suggestions that many visit upon their ifirst visit to Guat. Antigua is a charming village about a 45 minute drive from Guat City. Many folks go directly from the airport to Antigua. Lake Aitilan and the small islands in it are nice for a few days. The market at Chichicastenango is fun. A day trip or overnight to the ruins at Tikal shouldn't be missed. Enjoy Guatemala -- its a wonderful country with friendly, delightful people.

Speaking for myself, I couldn't get out of Guatemala city fast enough. The diesel fumes alone were horrible. We used a company called Turansa for our transportation. They were always on time and were good drivers. They also gave us the cheapest quote for the trips. English wasn't spoken by all of the drivers. Fortunately my husband speaks fluent spanish.

Antiqua is a lovely city with so many beautiful places to stay. At first glance we didn't realize it was as nice as it was. Once we started looking behind the walls we understood what everyone was talking about.

Casa Palopo on lake Atitlan is a place we will go back to. It was just beautiful. Panajachel is the nearest town of any size and it was a fun place. We felt safe walking around. We didn't stay there because of the "touristy" sound of it but once we were in the area it didn't seem so bad. It is touristy but fun.

Tikal, an amazing place. We stayed at La Lancha, Jungle Lodge (in Tikal), Hotel Villa Maya (near Tikal and the airport-not the one in Santa Elena).

We went through Atlanta and had a great flight that got us there mid day so we had plenty of time to get on the road.

Thanks for the speedy reply! The Guatemala threads don't seem overly active so I was afraid I'd not get much response.

I wouldn't mind passing on Guat City at all. I actually emailed La Lancha to see if they had any room. I won't expect it at this late date (I've only been reminding the BF that we should be planning this last summer and cancelling if needed but...).

Any other hotel rec greatly appreciated. I have a good feeling about Guatemala in general so thanks!

In Antigua one visit we stayed a week at Casa de los Cantaros, a very small B&B a few blocks off the square. The owner Anna was a wealth of infomratoin and even took us around to a variety of shops and villages. It was very reasonable and a lovely place to stay. Antigua has many, many hotels & B&Bs to fit every price range. Other places we stayed were not as memorable.

In Antigua we love to stay at the Casa Santo Domingo, a restored 16th century church and convent. Antigua is a great walking city and the market is awash with colors of fruits, vegetables, and fabrics.
If you go to Chichicastenago, aka Chichi, be sure to go for a market day. It is best to stay in Chichi the night before, the market gets extremely crowded and you will have your best time getting around earlier in the morning.

We also took the boat from Panajachel to Santiago Atitlan, across Lake Atitlan. The lake ride alone is worth the trip, the beautiful blue lake is surrounded with volcanic mountains, often puffing.
If you want to read a narrative about the Mayan culture, a good book is "Long Life, Honey in the Heart" by Martin Prechtel.
I would never stay in Guatemala City again, too much smog.

Just remembered another nice place-- in Chichi we stayed at a lovely colonial inn, Mayan Inn. And yes, it's defintiely worth staying the night in Chichi b4 market day to get an early tart at the market. It was also interesting to go out the evening b4 and watch them prepare for the market the next day.

I have been twice to Guatemala -- there's a lot to see.

On my first trip, we visited Antigua (and stayed in the top floor suite at Posada San Angel, which is where Clinton stayed during the Summit of the Americas -- likely the world's most affordable presidential suite), the market at Ch... (I won't even try to spell it), and then flew up to Flores and visited Tikal.

Then, last year, while I was in Copan, Honduras, I traveled by public bus to Quirigua (sp?), the third UNESCO World Heritage Site (in addition to the two I had previously visited, Antigua and Tikal).

The Lonely Planet to Guatemala is an excellent travel guide.

Michael

I found Guatemala a little primitive. I got there from Tikal which is a great historic site in the jungle and stayed at nearby Flores which is a scenic little town by a lake.


It was only $60 by plane but I decided to go by bus. It should have only been about 4 hours but the roads were so awful it took 12 hours.

As part of our Guatemala trip next year we will have a full day in Guatemala City. Any "Must See" attractions? Understand they have a very good museum.

We went to the market in Solola not far from Chichicastenango (not as hard to say as it looks if you go slow LOL). We wanted to go there because it is not THE tourist market and it sure wasn't. We were the ONLY people that weren't mayan. We were traveling with another couple. It was pretty fascinating at first. We could really see the different villages reflected in the clothing. We got some great deals on fabrics. Bargain away everywhere. The market is quite large. We did get uncomfortable after awhile because there were about 6-7 women who just hounded us no matter where we walked or what we said. As most of the people were only slightly taller than waist high we stood out. The market in Chichi is the day before I believe so you could see both.

Panajachel has tons of shops and you can bargain there as well but you won't get quite as low as some places. We rented a boat for the day and stopped at several of the different villages. They all have their own languages and most don't even speak spanish.

Santiago de Atitlan is a fun place. There are guides you can hire who will take you around by foot. A big help if seeing Maximon is on your list. The Wikipedia info on him is excellent. My friends got some great deals on things. They had bought so much that they had to buy a suitcase and was able to get a nice hand woven and leather bag for $50.

We stayed at Meson Panza Verde in Antigua and it was beautiful we were able to get there in time to enjoy Sunday Brunch and were not disappointed. We ate dinner one night at El Sereno. If you can afford to eat there the food was wonderful. Ask to eat on the upper garden terrace where you can see the city lights.

We enjoyed our trip so much we want to redo the whole thing with just a few small modifications.

You guys are great! La Lancha doesn't have rooms xmas week so we are still searching for places to stay for a stretch of relaxation. One of the places recommended by y'all won't let me search on dates so I need to send an email.

We really liked the Villa Maya. The service was very good, the food excellent. There are two pools, a lagoon and it is on many many acres of private property. Don't know this tour company but they had a pretty good description of the hotel. http://www.covacations.com/property....mp;dest=FLORES

Camino Real was right near La Lancha in El Remate and looked very nice. They have their own shuttles that go to Tikal.

Yahoooo! Thanks to your input I got the BF excited about going to Guatemala for xmas. We still need to solidify an itinerary and accomodations but this was a giant step, i.e. getting a nonplanner to THINK about vacation.

And this also saves me from going to Ireland in the dead of winter and pushing it off until you can enjoy sightseeing in the country side. Whew!

Again, thanks and I might be back with more questions.

Wow, Suzie2! Love the look of Meson Panza Verde. That would be a great way to start a trip.

I'm still looking at all the other options folks have offered.

Is the most logical way to start vacation to start with Antigua?

It (Antigua) is not far from the airport. I think about an hour so makes a logical place to start rather than Guat City that looked horrible (sorry). We arrived around 12:30pm and had time to get to Panajachel where we stayed at Casa Palopo. We did it this way because we were leaving on a fairly early flight to get up to Tikal so figured the shorter trip to the airport would be the best idea.

We used a private shuttle for our ground transports. From airport to Panajachel, to Solola and Panajachel for the day, to Antigua, to airport again was around $250. Once in Tikal we rented a car. This was just last Feb. We used Turansa for the ground transportation.

Glad to hear your BF is getting excited! That's half the battle. I just hope you can find a place. Sounds like Christmas is pretty busy there.
SSSHHH-we thought the food at La Lancha was pretty uninspiring and even though we were there for several days and they knew we drank the local beer they ran out-we went down the road and bought our own because they wouldn't.

Good luck finding a place and I know you will have a fun trip.

Suzie2...I have reservations at the Casa Palopo, for three days during Thanksgiving week. What did you think of your stay at Palopo? How far is it from Panajackel? What is the travel time by boat to Solola, and Santiago? What would you recommend as excursions from Palopo, based on your experience? I noticed that there are helicopter pads at Casa Palopo...do you know if they go to Tikal? Any information you can offer would be welcomed. By the way I am traveling alone...
Thanks!

OK, now talk to me about the weather!

It's looking like it's quite cool at night and moderate (barely touching warm in my book!).

We are doing Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Tikal and a day in Chichicastenango.

Anyone around during turkey week?

Guatemala is nicknamed Land of Eternal Spring -- an apt name, from my experience there. We've been there in the winter and in March and its always been prefect weather -- 70's in the days and cooler at night. Sometimes used a light sweater/jacket in the evening. Where did you end up booking rooms?

It's looking like it's cooler than 70 in some parts right now. Packing will be interesting because I hate being cold but I refuse to take too much.

Still working out some final details on lodging. Nixed the place at Tikal since bed bugs and poor service were reported on another site. As soon as we have everything ironed out I'll let you know. Or maybe better yet, after we get back so I can report on each place.

Weather. Very comfortable around Atitlan and Antigua. Tikal actually got quite cool. We had light fleece on in the evening. Everyone was bundled up then. Days were perfect.

We loved our stay at Palopo. It was our favorite place on that trip. We liked it so much that we will be back in Feb. You look out across the lake at the three volcanos and the sunsets are awesome. We spent a lot of time visiting places away from the Santa Catarina area so we are looking forward to seeing more of it this time. Casa Palopo is quite colorful on the outside and they have some great artwork inside. They have a huge original Botero by the bar that they think is probably worth more than the whole hotel. The food is very good. There is a whole table full of trophies that the chef has won in competitions.

Minooka....which one did you read a report about bed bugs?

lisi....sorry I didn't see your post before you left. Hope you had a great time.

Peten Esplendido had 3 total reviews, 2 in english from a husband and wife team. They hated it and since I can't really find much on it we are looking (or hopefully the BF is looking) for someplace else. I gave him a few other options that looked ok between their sites and the reviews I could find. We'll see!

It's the bundling up at night that worries me!! I'll get over it and pack 1 warm sweater and a fleece and buy a wrap if I need more!

< 4 weeks to go!

We were pretty unimpressed with most of the hotels on Flores. We looked at 4 or 5. We were at Villa Maya and then spent a night in Flores thinking it would be closer to the airport and it really wasn't. The room we ended up with was so tiny that the bed covered half of the doorway into the bathroom! There was no room to even open up a suitcase unless it was on the bed. The people were very friendly but it wasn't worth it. Lots of shops to wander around in but you can take a taxi to Flores for the day from El Remate.

Suzie2, thanks. You are so helpful.

Actually La Casa de Don David is on the list.

Even though it's far from Tikal I'd sort of like to stay at Ni'Tun. We'll see though. At this point it's BF's bag of tricks and I'm along for the ride (the ride without bedbugs that is).

Good Luck! At least he is finally motivated LOL. That is victory enough. Ni Tun does look nice. It would take a little longer but the roads aren't real bad.

Have a good trip and be sure to come back and tell us how you made out.

We had a guide named Luis that spoke very good english and grew up in the park. His dad was one of the "rangers". He even attended elementary school in the park. His big claim to fame is that he had a walk on when Survivor was filmed in the area. My husband is in Costa Rica right now but when he gets back I can get the contact info for him if you are interested.

Since the bf is handling all the rest of the planning I'm trying to go along with it. I agree though. Ni'tun looks pretty amazing.

Not sure about the guide. I'll ask and see what he wants to do. I'll definitely check back.

But since we are here.... anything that I *must* take with me. I didn't take any bug repellant to CR but I'm seeing various things about packing some. Needed?

What about the food? I've read a few places to only drink bottled/filtered H20 and only eat cooked or peeled fruits/veggies? I am thinking that might be sage advice but I know I'll be craving a salad after 10 days!

I never had a problem with bugs in Guat, but I did not stay over at Tikal. Defintely only bottled/filtered water (watch out for ice) to drink, brush teeth with and only boiled or peeled veggies and fruits. You may find in some of the places you stay or eat that they will say they have filtered water and that all veggies, fruits are purified.

My CA packing list is #15 on the FAQ thread of the Thorntree forum, in case you're interested:

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/me...d=0&from=1

Have a great trip!

We stuck pretty much to bottled refreshments except for a few fresh lime drinks here and there. One of the people we were traveling with couldn't resist a salad at a little restaurant by Yaxha after looking around at the ruins there. We told her we didn't think it was a good idea but she did anyway. She was sick as a dog the next day. I had a problem after going to Santo Domingo de Atitlan for the day. I had a coke at one place from a bottle and we tried to eat at another place and had some ice in a drink while waiting to try to get seated. I know better than to drink anything with ice in most places but this was supposed to be a good restaurant and had a ton of tourists in it. Will be more careful this trip. Fortunately we had gone to the doctors before leaving and had some prescriptions for antinausea and Montezumas revenge.

The only place we had trouble with mosquitos was in Sayaxhe and some ruins we went to around there called Aguateca. The mosquitos were horrible there-don't think I have ever seen so many in one place.

Thanks to all who responded re: bugs and food (maybe not together!). My browser opened funny so I can't respond individually.

We'll definitely pack some imodium. Not sure what else is Rx'd for MontReve so I'll go look up and see if I can get an Rx. I'm going to pack some bug repellant as well. Better safe than sorry. We had zero problems with the food in CR but I know it's not the same place. I'm glad I asked because I'd probably push the envelope. Or llok at it as a "crash diet".

BTW, hopefulist, I envy your packing! I'm really going to try to cut down on things this trip. Honestly after the first day, who cares what you look like or what you left behind. I'm going to really try

*hi, i'm minooka and i'm an overpacker....

hi minooka....*

Packing light provides entertain way ahead of the trip - it becomes a game to see how you can whittle down your list. I must admit, though, that I do spend money on new gadgets or the perfect, light goretex jacket that I could do without if I wanted to haul 20 or 30 pounds around. Let me know if you're interested in pack light websites. Happy trails...

I was looking for Guanacaste area in costa Rica and must have misread quatemala and ended up here. After reading about Guatemala, now I am interested in visiting there. So Minooka thanks for your post.

Hey Jude.... :-)

I've been to Guanacaste and you probably tripped over to my other threads. Be happy to provide CR info on the CR boards if you want. Check out Punta Islita.

So here's the hotels we'll be at:

4 nights Posada del Angel in Antiqua, 3 nights Hotel Atitlan, 2 nights Camino Real Tikal, 1 night at the Intercontinental in GC to catch our flight home the next day.

Hopefully these are all good choices!

I suggested Posada del Angel in Antigua to my husband but he loved Panza Verde so much he wanted to go back. I hear it is beautiful at PdA. Maybe next time. Santo Domingo is supposed to be a beautiful place too. Guess we will have to go back at least two more times LOL. Tough life.

Would love to read a report on your other places. You will know you are at Camino Real when you get to some cobblestones on the dirt road.

Posada del Angel is really a lovely B&B. Never stayed there but have visited a couple times. Stayed at Hotel Atilan on our first trip to Guat. Beautiful grounds, great staff and nice rooms. It was pretty much the only hotel to be had 8 years or so ago. Have a wonderful time!

will definitely add a trip report when we get back.

I am horrible at journaling (never openend my journal in europe or CR last year). But... won a camcorder at an xmas party last night so It should be easier to keep track and remember things. And I will back a journal and try, try again.

Many thanks to all!

I know what you mean about the journal. My husband is a journal keeper so he keeps pretty good track. I bring a pad of paper and for the first couple of days I am pretty good, then it just goes out the window. I rely on my memory and my pictures for most things. It is still half way intact.

arrrrrrrrrrg.....

this packing thing isn't working for me!

I know I need hiking/outdoors clothes.

I figure I'll need casual skirts and/or pants, tees etc but also some sort of sweaters to wear at night and in a cooler region. I also need something to wear for Xmas dinner as well as at night if we go somewhere somewhat upscale (probably just antigua?).

Then there are shoe issues. I'll need hiking shoes, then flip flops to wear during day in city, then something to wear for xmas.

Let's not get into reading material which I always overpack in fear that I'll run out!