cavalierfish

Hello all!
My husband and I, 35 years old, have just booked our flights to Guatemala in December 2024. We have a flight coming in at 8:30-ish in the morning and leaving after one week at around 4 PM. We are slower travelers, so we are planning to go to Antigua and Lake Atitlan (we'll got to Tikal another trip). We were hoping to do the following activities:
1-1.5 days in Antigua
Walk around and see the architecture, maybe the art museum
5-ish days in Lake Atitlan
Go to San Juan, San Pedro, Panajachel, and Santa Cruz
Nature Reserve in Panajachel
Birdwatching
Hiking Indian Nose
Weaving class
Cooking class
Salsa dancing
Licor Marron
Kayaking on the lake
A market, but not too big of one, because those get overwhelming for me
Do these seem like reasonable activities for the time period given?
Does anyone have lodging recommendations? The one I am having the most trouble with is San Pedro because we want to go to Chabad on Friday night. The main hotel there has a three-night minimum. While I don't want to stay in San Pedro that long, we have to stay there because Shabbat dinner will be over after the lanchas leave for the last time for the day. Our budget is no more than $75 a night pre-tax. We are open to nice hostels as long as we can get a private room and a private bathroom. Thank you for your help!

hopefulist

Hi there -
That's a ton to pack in but you can accomplish most of it since some of the activities like kayaking, visiting a market, and the Panajachel Reserve will take only an hour or 2. I don't know that you'll have time for a weaving lesson but there are weaving cooperatives in San Juan, San Pedro, and Santiago Atitlán that will give weaving demonstrations including information about the natural dyes they use.

I'd add Santiago to your list, way ahead of Santa Cruz. Rolando Tol Gonzalez is a fantastic birding guide based in Santiago Atitlán. That time of year is a great time to see resplendent quetzal in Tepepul and the birding and hiking are both fantastic in the Los Tarrales Reserve; you might consider spending a night there and hiring Rolando for birding and a waterfall hike.

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000583534066

https://www.atitlanexpeditions.com

I don't understand 'the main hotel there' since there are dozens of hotels in San Pedro. I'd consider Mikaso and Sak'cari Amanacer.
Happy trails!

cavalierfish

Hopefulist, I meant the Mikaso hotel, the main hotel I had in consideration, has a three night minimum. Thank you for the tip about Santiago. Any recommendations about the best lodging in Santiago?

Faedus

One full day in Antigua seems a little skimpy, especially for slow travellers; but then, I have a bias towards quaint historic cities and can usually hang out for ages in any good one; and I know not everyone can. However, it would be useful to know whether your week in Guatemala includes the day you fly in, and the day you fly out. Since those two days usually cannot be devoted to tourist stuff, you may effectively have only five full days in the country -- and much as I hate recommending that anyone skip Antigua, given all the activities you intend, you may then want to consider heading straight to Lake Atitlan and staying there. Even if you find yourself agreeing, I personally would consider it worth stopping in Antigua, if it is feasible, for at least a couple of hours for a quick stroll around, and a visit to the splendid MUNAG museum: its official name (in English, National Guatemalan Museum of Art) is an understatement, for there's a good deal of history in it too, from ancient to post-independence times. Even the building itself, the former palace of the Captains-General (I won't take the time to explain that!) is worth seeing. Just make sure the museum is open on the day you will be passing through.

(To help decide on even a short stop in Antigua -- one night, or an afternoon -- you may want to consult the illustrated "Antigua" part of my Guatemala trip report, posted on this forum last November. Though I probably shouldn't recommend my own stuff, there just aren't a lot of Guatemala trip reports on this forum, apart from what hopefulist, above, has posted, and which you should also read. Of course, I don't know how much Antigua, including the MUNAG, might have changed since I posted that report.)