A return to Guatemala

Five years ago, I traveled to Guatemala for the first time for a week-long vacation with two random strangers I met on a Facebook travel group. Luckily, none of us murdered one another, and we had an amazing time wandering the streets of Antigua, trekking up the Acatenango volcano, cliff-jumping into Lake Atitlan, and exploring the charming towns around the lake. I went home from that trip with many amazing memories of Guatemala and two new friends.

Five years later, I am living the nomadic life with my partner, whom I met solo while traveling a year prior. After spending my 30th birthday in Nicaragua, he suggested heading up north to spend a month in Guatemala next. Even though I practically never return to destinations I’ve already been to, I had such fond memories of Guatemala that I wanted him to experience it, too.

We ended up renting a place in Antigua for the entire month of June. On weekdays, we worked in different coffee shops, and on weekends, we explored the city and surrounding areas. Despite being there during the peak of the rainy season, we still had a great time. As we sipped our final Gallo beer on our last night in Antigua, my partner said, “I’ve traveled to a lot of places that I don’t see myself living in, but I can see myself living in Antigua.”

So, if you’re unsure about visiting Guatemala, take this as a sign to do it! It’s a beautiful country with so much nature, history, and charm. There are still several places in Guatemala I would love to explore.

If you’re already planning a trip down to this Central American country, here are some of my recommendations for your Guatemalan adventure.

Antigua, Guatemala Recommendations

Accommodations

I recommend staying in one of the many hostels if you’re visiting for a short trip. The first time I came to Antigua, I stayed in Barbara’s Boutique Hostel and Maya Papaya. Both hostels are clean, comfortable, and within walking distance of the main attractions.

This time around, my partner and I rented an Airbnb a bit outside of Antigua. However, we discovered some hostels with great working/lounging spaces. While we’re unsure how the accommodations are, we enjoyed hanging out at and working in Selina Hostel, Flore Boutique Hostel, and Adra Restaurante/Rooftop Bar.

Laptop-Friendly Cafes

My favorite laptop-friendly cafe in Antigua is Artista de Café. This cafe has a beautiful interior design, plenty of seating, and several outlets. The drinks and food are also good. Unfortunately, the internet is not the strongest of all the cafes, but it’s decent enough to do most computer work.

Another cafe we enjoyed working from was Fat Cat Coffee House. The Wi-Fi here is stronger than that of Artista de Café. However, there’s less seating and food options. The coffee here is great, though. Fat Cat Coffee House is also next to a nice courtyard with several good food options. My partner often frequented Skål, a Danish restaurant/bar, in the afternoons to grab some drinks and get more work done.

Two other notable laptop-friendly cafes that we worked at a few times were Cafe Boheme and La Vid Coffee Roasters. Both of these cafes have large tables to work at, good wifi, and outlets.

For the full list of laptop-friendly cafes (with internet upload/download speed), check out my Antigua, Guatemala — Digital Nomad Travel Guide.

Restaurants

Our most visited restaurant during our monthlong stay in Antigua was Empanadas de Paco. This small restaurant is a bit outside of town but close to where we were staying. The empanadas here were amazing. My partner, who typically does not like empanadas, had empanadas from here at least three or four times. I’ve had empanadas many times on my travels through Central and South America, and these were also some of my favorites. Paco, the owner, is a very welcoming person and a great cook. He made us Ramen one night as well, which isn’t on his typical menu.

Another restaurant that I’ve visited a few times in Antigua is Rincón Antigüeño. This restaurant is popular for its delicious rotisserie chicken. However, they have many other traditional Guatemalan dishes available as well. You can get a full meal here for 40 quetzals, which is about $5 USD.

Some other restaurants we enjoyed and recommend for Guatemalan food are La Fonda de la Calle Real (where we discovered our love for escabeche), La Casa de las Mixtas, and La Cuevita de Los Urquizú.

For a cheap meal, I recommend trying some Guatemalan fried chicken. Pollo Campero is a famous Guatemalan fried chicken fast-food chain that has made its way internationally. Another option is Pollo Granero.

If you love a good weekend brunch, I recommend Caoba Farms Restaurant. The meals here are farm-to-table and the portion size is HUGE. We enjoyed our meals, but neither of us could finish. After brunch, you can walk around the farm and see many different plants.

As an Asian traveler, I had to try the Asian restaurants in town. If you’re craving Asian flavors, I recommend Kombu Ramen for ramen, Kabuki for tempura udon, Red Koi for Taiwanese beef noodle soup, and Mi Vietnamese Kitchen for banh mi.

Bars

We only visited a few bars during our stay. My favorite bar that we visited was Wisdom, a speakeasy bar that you enter through a wig shop. The drinks and food were good, and I loved the atmosphere. It’s also connected to a nightclub, which is convenient for a full night out.

Beauty Services

If you enjoy getting beauty services, I recommend scheduling an appointment with the Twisted Scissor. They offer various beauty services, but I’ve only gotten a manicure and gel nails done here. The nail artist is great and speaks English well.

Activities

There are many activities in Antigua. I always recommend doing a free walking tour to learn about the history of the city and to see the main attractions. If you decide not to do a walking tour, I recommend visiting the famous Arco de Santa Catalina and the historic Iglesia de La Merced, where you’ll find a lot of food vendors out in front. Antigua is not a huge city, so you can wander around the cobblestone streets and explore most of it within a weekend.

If the weather is beautiful, I recommend visiting Cerro de la Cruz. It’s a large cross on top of a hill that you can do a short hike up to or take a taxi up to. The viewpoint from here is beautiful. I’ve gone here twice, once my first time in Antigua a few years ago, and then the second time a few years later. It’s a great place to hang out, admire the city view, and enjoy drinks and snacks from the many vendors.

Another chill activity I recommend doing if the weather is nice is checking out some of the ancient ruins. There are so many ruins all around Antigua. We toured Convento Santa Clara and Convento Capuchinas. Both are beautiful but similar, so I recommend just doing one unless you have an affinity for ruins. The entrance fee for each one was 40 quetzals ($5 USD) for foreigners.

If you’re an outdoorsy person, I recommend doing at least one volcano hike. For the more adventurous, I recommend doing the 2-day hike up Acetenango Volcano. This was one of the most difficult hikes I’ve ever done since you have to haul a large pack up to camp on top. However, it was also one of my memorable hikes. Seeing the neighboring Fuego Volcano erupt at night is one of the most amazing sights ever. If you do this hike, I strongly recommend doing the optional hike up to the peak the next morning to watch the sunrise. You’ll be exhausted, but it’ll be worth it. The tour provider I used a few years ago is not in service anymore, but there are several tour providers that offer this hike.

For the less adventurous person or for someone short on time, I recommend doing the day hike up Pacaya Volcano. We paid $24 for the 7-hour tour from Get Your Guide. The hike picks up around 6 am and drops you off back in town around 1 pm. It’s a moderate hike that you can do with sneakers. Going up is a bit tiring, but the ascent is only about 2 hours. At the top, you get to “roast” marshmallows. I put “roast” in parenthesis as you’re actually just steaming the marshmallows with the hot air that comes up from under the ground. Our tour guide said the hot air flowing out of the ground is supposedly from trapped lava underneath from a previous volcano eruption.

If you’re doing Pacaya Volcano, a popular combo activity is visiting the Santa Teresita Hotel and Spa Termal. This is a hotel and spa where you can soak in natural hot spring pools. My partner and I did the couples spa package here. The spa package felt a bit chaotic and not well organized, so I don’t recommend it. However, I do recommend just soaking in the hot springs there. There are tour providers that offer a day trip with both the Pacaya Volcano hike and the hot spring visit. However, you won’t get to spend as much time at the hot springs. This spot is about half an hour away from the city, so we took an Uber here.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Recommendations

If you’re visiting Guatemala during the dry season, I recommend visiting Lake Atitlan. It’s a beautiful lake surrounded by volcanos.

From Antigua, you can take a chicken bus, shuttle, or taxi to Atitlan, which can cost between $6 to $100. When I went a few years ago, my friend and I took the shuttle, which was around $15-20.

There are many different towns around the lake that you can stay in, all with their own charm. I recommend Panajachel as a starting point. From there, you can take a boat to the other towns. Other popular towns around the lake are San Marcos, San Pedro La Laguna, and San Juan La Laguna.

Accommodation

My friend and I stayed at the Selina in Panajachel. It’s a nice hostel that is close to the lake and walkable to most of the places in town.

Activities

The most memorable activity I did at Lake Atitlan was cliff jumping at Reserva Natural Cerro Tzankujil. The jump is 40-50 feet high, depending on the water level. After cliff jumping, you can swim in the lake. It cost 20 quetzals to enter the nature reserve. To get here, you’ll need to take a boat to the town of San Marco.

Other than cliff jumping, I recommend just exploring the different towns around the lake. Since my friend and I were only there for a weekend, we only explored Panajachel and San Marco.

Those are my recommendations for Antigua and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Leave a comment and let me know if you check out any of these!