I spent 4 months in Guatemala last winter and loved it! My base was in El Paredon at Swell, a surf and lifestyle hotel where I volunteered at the reception and bar for accomodation, meals, and surfboard use. I spent some time in Antigua and Lake Atitlan as well and will share my recommendations for places to stay and eat with you. I hope you enjoy!
Antigua
Antigua is a beautiful city with cobblestone streets, small shops, and numerous restaurants with amazing food. I would recommend getting a taxi or Uber straight to Antigua from the airport.
Where to Stay
Maya Papaya: A hostel with dorm and private rooms close to everywhere you want to go and on a quiet street. They offer a free local breakfast consisting of beans, plantains, eggs, and coffee or a fruit, granola, and yoghurt bowl. The hostel has a bar, shared lounge with Netflix, free WiFi, a shared kitchen, and awesome staff. This is where I always stayed in Antigua and highly recommend it!
What to Eat
Bella Vista Coffee: A great place to grab a coffee and do some computer work with views of the volcano. Located above a wine shop.
Bullseye Sports Pub: Located in El Barrio which is a collection of different bars in a courtyard and even a rooftop bar. They serve some amazing Animal-Style fries!
El Viejo Cafe: The best pan de chocolate. Has a sit-down restaurant and a quick grab-and-go coffee and baked goods area.
Vice Pizzeria: Delicious pizza, drinks, and a cookie on a skillet served on a trendy roof-top terrace.
San Martin Bakery: A great place to go for breakfast or lunch with a wide menu served in a courtyard.
What to Do
Xibalba Studio: A beautiful workshop that allows you to choose a Jade stone and craft it into jewelry for $50. They have a very trendy showroom with products like handmade floral paper, mugs, clothing, jewelry, and more.
Santa Catalina Arch: The iconic photo of Antigua. The arch originally connected the Santa Catalina convent to a school.
Akasha Shop: A plastic-free refillable shop with many products for health and to lower your carbon footprint on the daily.
Explore Antigua! Go for a walk, get lost, find a speak-easy bar on the second floor of a mattress store…
El Paredon
A beautiful black-sand beach town with good waves, beach bars, and restaurants. Very small but home to some awesome people and a great community of locals, expats, and tourists.
Where to Stay
Swell: The best surf and lifestyle hotel with 4 swim-up rooms, dorms, a cabana, a bungalow, a loft, and a studio. The restaurant is run by the best Chef: Tara with food options from tacos, sandwiches, breakfast items, Shashuka, smoothies, specials, and more! The owners are Elan and Marie and the nicest people you will meet. The property is just around the corner from the beach and has many hammocks, a pool, a chill space upstairs perfect for yoga, and a ping-pong table. Almost every room has an outside shower and they are amazing! If you are ever in Guatemala this is the place to stay!
Where to Eat
Swell: The best! Try and make it for one of their special nights or whenever there is an opportunity. The food is insane!!
Mellow Hostel: Great breakfast food and they do great coffees, overnight oats, and traditional local breakfasts. They have a very good ceviche, burgers, cold coconuts, and delicious drinks.
Pacifico: The best pizza and desserts. I would go there almost on the daily for their banana bread or chocolate balls. They also have a refreshing chocolate frozen coffee.
Chef in Flip Flops: Generally only open on the weekends with two main dishes, an appetizer, and a dessert. Very good food and home to one of the best drinks: The Andy.
Cocori: The ideal beach bar perfect for an after sunset-surf drink. They serve Coco Locos, Rum + Jamaica, and very good Palomas. There is also a volleyball net out front that is used almost every sunset. The place to be and a fun spot for Taco Tuesday.
Pakalolo: A gelato shop right down the street from Swell that also makes a mean crepe. They have flavors like lavender, sesame, Crema de Catalana, lychee, and more. (Crema de Catalana was my fav)
What to Do
Surf! El Paredon has a long black sand beach that breaks in many different spots. The surf can get very heavy or it can be fun to longboard. Avoid low-tide as it is even more powerful and shallow. A hidden gem.
Puerto: Get on the little red shuttle that takes you to Puerto from El Paredon for 20Q. Go to Megapaca and thrift all the amazing clothes that take you back in time to the 80s. Right next to Megapaca is the big grocery store with AC called La Torre that sells all the almond milk you can buy…and more.
Go to the beach. El Paredon has beautiful golden hours and everyone congregates at the beach for sunset. The black sand gets very hot and anytime between 11am and 3pm you are going to want to wear shoes.
Take the boat and a tuk tuk to Sipacate. This is a must-do at least one time. Sipacate is a small little town with awesome fruit markets, an ATM, and many small Pacas. The boat will take you through the mangroves and the tuk tuk will take you past all the cow pastures. A good adventure to change things up from El Paredon every once in a while.
Walk to the rivermouth. If you take a right from the Swell palapa it is about a 2 mile walk to the rivermouth. This is a great spot for sunset and just a nice walk to do during the day as it is very quiet and you will just see a few fishermen.
Play volleyball at Driftwood at sunset. Another great spot for some beach volleyball and games are even more consistent then at Cocori. A good spot to have a beer at sunset on their rooftop or play pool.
Shop at Maggie Paca. Maggie goes to all the Pacas and brings back the best pieces. She will occasionally have a stand set up at Cocori, Driftwood, or at the markets.
Participate in a surfing competition hosted by Cocori.
Have your morning coffee at the Swell palapa and check the waves.
Go to Mellow for a pool party, game of pingpong, or just to relax.
Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan is a popular stop in Guatemala. I stayed four nights in total: two in San Pedro and two in Santa Cruz. The lake tends to draw a “hippie” crowd to yoga retreats, full moon ceremonies, or parties. Your trip will start in Panajachel where you will get on a boat to travel to your destination. These boat taxis will go from village to village and it can be around a 45 minute boat ride.
San Pedro
Where to stay
I stayed at Sababa Resort for two days. We received champagne upon arrival and had the pool to ourselves. They have a restaurant and cocktails as well as a pool table. If you have a private boat taxi they can drop you right off at the dock in front.
What to eat
Sababa Restaurant: Their Shashuka hummus is amazing and you can enjoy the view at the same time.
What to do
Explore San Pedro. Take a walk around the town, check out the cemetary, and get lost in the alleyways.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is a beautiful, small, quiet town. I only walked to La Casa Del Mundo for a smoothie at sunset otherwise I stayed on property the whole time at Isla Verde.
Where to stay
I stayed at Isla Verde for 2 nights in one of their cabins on the hill. This is a decent walk from the resturant area so be aware when booking.
Where to eat
Isla Verde has an awesome restaurant and even had a pizza day while I was there. No need to look any further for food.
What to do
Take a walk along the trail to the right and explore. I went to La Casa Del Mundo for sunset and a smoothie.
Guatemala is a beautiful piece of paradise that is slowly emerging on everyone’s radar. The surf is good and uncrowded, locals are friendly, Antigua is beautiful, and land is quickly being purchased. If you have any plans to visit Guatemala do it now!
the nomadic nanny 