Guatemala 🇬🇹

7 Days: Guatemala City, Antigua & Lake Atitlán

HOTEL (2 nights)

Hyatt Centric Guatemala Zone 10 17,500 total points with two queen beds, a free airport shuttle, coffee shop, small rooftop swimming pool and modern decor. Excellent location in Zone 10, La Zona Viva, and a quick walk to shopping malls, bars and restaurants.

DAY 1: GUATEMALA CITY

We headed to Cayala, a pedestrian shopping district, for the day to eat and browse. The newest neighborhood in Guatemala City, Cayala is a stark contrast to the other zones to the point where you don't even feel like you're in Guatemala. There are over 90 commercial businesses, including a variety of shops (many high end), restaurants, cafés, and other businesses.

DAY 2: HOBBITENANGO

We got an early start to Antigua to avoid as much traffic as possible and to make a stop in Hobbitenango, a little hobbit-style village in the mountains with restaurants, cottages to rent, and views of the valley and volcanos.

DAY 3: ANTIGUA

In Antigua, we strolled through the Parque Central, had sweets at Doña María Gordillo, walked to the Tanque La Unión, visited shops near the Arco de Santa Catarina, went to the Oasis Spa for massages, had a drink at the Ulew Cocktail Bar (a speakeasy that you enter through a red British-style phone booth located in the Antigua Brewing Company) and dined in a variety of the excellent restaurants that Antigua is known for.

My advice for Antigua: ditch the map and itinerary and just walk around.

HOTEL (2 nights)

Hotel Las Farolas $108/night with two queen beds and breakfast included. The location is perfect for walking to all of the top sites in Antigua. I've stayed here before and would again.

DAY 4-6: LAKE ATITLAN

Lake Atitlán is a truly magical place - a sprawling lake surrounded by eight quaint villages and volcanoes. After checking in to our hotel and admiring the view, we walked up and down main street in Panajachel, the largest of the villages with a variety of restaurants and shopping.

The following day, we took a lancha (boat) from Panajachel to La Casa del Mundo, a hotel with a restaurant and spectacular views. After eating breakfast, we walked up the side of the mountain and explored the property.

Our last full day at the lake, we took a lancha to San Pedro where Sienna got a tattoo of a quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala and the name of its currency that not only represents freedom in traditional Mayan culture, but quetzals are one of the spirit guides, or nahual, at Maya Ink by Omar.

After lunch with a gorgeous view, we took another lancha to the nearby village of San Juan to hike the Mirador Kaqasiiwaan and walk Paseo de las Artes and Calle de los Sombreros.

HOTEL (3 nights)

Porta Hotel del Lago $180/night for a Lake View Room with two queen beds and a swimming pool, conveniently located in Panajachel. I've stayed here previously in a suite (photos below) on an upper floor and would recommend the upgrade.

DAY 7: GUATEMALA CITY

We headed back to the city for our last night in Guatemala and enjoyed a comida típica dinner at Arrin Cuan in Zone 9.

HOTEL (1 night)

Hyatt Centric Guatemala Zone 10 8,000 points (see description above)

PACKING SUGGESTIONS

• Travel light: use a Samsonite Underseat Carry-On or backpack and packing cubes or vacuum sealed bags

• Bring a crossbody bag, travel wallet, portable charger, toiletry bag

  
  

GETTING THERE

We start all trips off with a visit to the Priority Pass MSP Lounge where we receive $15 vouchers per person to be used on food and drink. Sign up for the Venture X card for free access.

We booked 2 one-way tickets MSP-ORD on Delta Airlines for $49 each and ORD-GUA on Avianca for $183. Sienna and I returned on Jet Blue GUA-FLL for $124 each and FLL-MSP on Sun Country for $79 each. TOTAL: $435 each

BUDGET (2 people)

Flight: $870

Hotel (7 nights): $756 + 25,500 points

TOTAL: $1626

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