fishee

Hola, I'm looking to stay overnight at Hotel Casa Antigua ($50-ish/night) on 3rd Calle Poniente #5 although there's nothing on fodors about it:
http://www.hotelcasa-antigua.com/

I'll be grabbing an airport shuttle van around 2:45 pm and heading here before going to Lake Atitlan the next day. I'll be wheeling around my carry-on and while the site says 2 blocks from the Plaza, I'm not sure where the shuttles will be dropping me off and picking me up. I believe I need to get to El Gato Negro or Yellow House for the shuttle to San Pedro La Laguna and from google maps, Yellow House looks like walking distance to this hotel.

Any comments on convenience of this location for shuttles and food? tia

hopefulist

The $10 share shuttles from the airport will drop you off at your hotel if you ask, just have the address handy. You can walk to Yellow House or Black Cat (and everyplace else - the core area isn't very big) from there but different shuttle companies pick up in different places and most will pick up at your hotel if you ask. 2 companies with offices in Antigua (and typically quick responses to email questions) I've had good luck with are:
www.adrenalinatours.com
www.rainbowtravelcenter.com

The Adrenalina office is near the arch, likely close to your hotel.

The rest of this is unsolicited and may not appeal to you, just my 2 quetzales' worth...

I travel with a conversion pack. I advise against luggage with wheels in Guatemala because the cobbled streets and rough, narrow sidewalks (or relative lack of sidewalks in SPLL) make them tough to use (plus nonwheeled bags are light and have lots more room). You might want to consider a shoulder strap of some sort in case your luggage is too heavy or awkward to just carry if the wheels aren't working for you.

Also, you might want to consider taking a shuttle to Panajachel and a boat across to San Pedro from there. The road down into San Pedro is curvy and especially atrocious in the rain - been there, done that, never again.

Have a wonderful visit, whatever you decide. I'll be in those places in July - maybe our paths will cross!

fishee

thx so much for all your help, i'm quite excited and just a bit anxious... I have a frameless 4 wheel that's light enough to carry when packed and a really heavy zuca which won't be coming with me. I'll look around for a duffel to see if I can swing that (I agree rolling down dirt paths doesn't make a lot of sense) but I'm trying not to buy anything extra for this trip. Any additional tips on little gifts for teachers/kids would be appreciated - pencils/erasers/notepads for kids and what for teachers (are they in their 20s and 30s?) Also, tip shuttle drivers and waiters, yes?

hopefulist

Hello again! I tip drivers and waiters if I feel the service is outstanding; sometimes as much as 15% but usually more like 10% (though I'm a 15-20% tipper in US restaurants, tipping isn't as common a practice in Guatemala).

As long as your wheeled luggage is light enough to carry it will work fine. If you become addicted to travel in those parts and want advice on well organized and constructed conversion packs, let me know.

I've pasted my homestay gift ideas below from a previous thread. Happy trails!
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For host family gifts I like to take/send items that represent our area. In addition to a food specialty if there is one (maple candies, chocolate covered cherries, etc.) things like photo magnets, playing cards, tiny photo books, and picture calendars (even if it's most of the way through the year) with a state or regional theme make good gifts. I can see Mt. Adams in Washington state, Mt. Hood in Oregon, and the Columbia River from my house; I have photo magnets made and they're a big hit in the tropics because no one can believe I see snow year round. When I find a good deal on small English/Spanish dictionaries I take those to give out to teachers and family members and (in my case now) scholarship students. You don't want to take anything too fancy or it might make them feel uncomfortable or like they should reciprocate.

For kids I take small rubber finger puppets, stickers, pencils, and small pencil sharpeners; I don't give out candy or balloons for health/safety reasons. Sometimes I find those glow stick/bracelet things at the Dollar Store and take those, and some little hair doodads for girls. Pro team apparel/hats are popular but spendy and a lot to lug along if you don't know anything in advance about the family.

I don't give money to kids who ask (beg) for it but foreign currency can make a fun gift for host family kids if they're old enough to keep it out of their mouths - all the coins and a $1 bill, maybe.

One of my best recommendations is to take a small photo album of your own family, house, pets, town, and friends - the perfect conversation starter, esp. if there's a language barrier. Happy trails!

Donald_Leibowicz

There are now shuttles directly to San Pedro la Laguna from Antigua that will pick you up at your hotel and take you directly to San Pedro avoiding congested Panajachel with its 300 or so tuk tuks and tour buses and traffic spouting diesel fumes, change money at one of the 30 or so banks in Antigua, only 2 ATMs in San Pedro and one has recently been cloning cards. Rainbow Travel is located at 7a Avenida Sur no. 8, south is toward the volcanoes, ask directions. Be careful in Guatemala, use common sense and do not give out your itinerary, address of your lodging place, nor accept drinks nor rides with overly friendly young males in bars if you are a woman travelling solo. This is not 'Disneyland' nor Kansas, Dorothy.

fishee

Thx for the heads-up Donald, I am indeed taking a shuttle from Antigua-San Pedro. The ATM situation in San Pedro is disheartening as I will have to w/draw several times there over 4 weeks to avoid storing cash in the room. I appreciate your on-the-ground advice. Just curious -- why do you think I'd approach this as disneyland or in a pollyanna manner?

hopefulist

Donald - Those shuttles have been available for years but I just prefer the route through Pana. It's not my favorite place in Guatemala but the trip itself feels faster and more interesting to me. It's certainly not as convenient, though, for new folks who are concerned about finding the right dock in Pana and negotiating the boat ride across.

I haven't read of ATM problems in San Pedro since last year; they seemed to involve the flaky looking one with no bank in sight near the Pana dock (dock where boats from Pana arrive). Hopefully the one at the bank near the market will be ok - that's the only one I've ever used.

Fishee - are you shuttling to San Pedro in the morning? Hopefully you'll have nice weather which will make the drive down into the lake more interesting and less hairy; take dramamine ahead if you're prone to carsickness. Happy trails!