Let me start by saying this; Guatemala is heaven on earth.
I stayed in Antigua for 3 total nights and 2 nights in Lake Atitlan. We stayed at Porta Hotel and Las Camilias Inn in Antigua. For Lake Atitlan, we stayed at Sababa Resort and wow! It was one of the most beautiful hotels I've stayed at with the most beautiful
views. See below for some photos of Sababa!
We ended up booking two rooms for Sababa. We had the double room and the hostel room as well! All the windows were mirrored tint, so of course we took multiple pictures!
I love booking hostels in different countries because I get to meet so many solo travelers. When I booked this 12-bed hostel, it said there was only 1 left. However, at check-in, I quickly realized that it was only me and two other girls in this huge room! Talk about lucky! We quickly became friends and are now planning our next trip together. How cool is that?
Anyway, we ended up renting kayaks and going on small boats to different towns, such as San Juan and San Marcos. Each boat ride was roughly 25-35 Quetzales, which is about $3-4! Super cheap! Try to get to San Marcos pretty early so that you are able to visit Eagle's Nest and see the view of Lake Atitlan! It's beautiful (when there aren't so many clouds)! You can also do yoga up there. They have a cute little restaurant to grab a healthy snack after the short hike you have to take to get there. Check out the photo below of Eagle's Nest!
Unfortunately, we only had 2 nights in Lake Atitlan and had to go back to Antigua for our final night. However, it was definitely an amazing day. We ended up going on ATVs to multiple spots to learn about history and get some photos. We also got to go to a chocolate factory and watch how they make the chocolate. Right next door, they had a small winery, but they use Zapote fruit instead of grapes! The wine tasted amazing, but I could not take some back home because I was using a carry on. :(
*Kayaking in Lake Atitlan for 20 Quetzales, which equals to less than $3 for 1 hour! *
*ATVs in Antigua for $50 for 3.5 hours with our amazing guide, Jeremy!
I realized that 5-6 days was NOT enough in Guatemala. There is so much to see and so much to do. I plan on going back to hike a volcano! Who knows, maybe it'll be a group trip. Keep a look out for future group trips!
Xoxo, Joslyn