Guatemala, Antigua and Lake Atitlán
A night in Guatemala City, three in colonial Antigua and three above Lake Atitlán, ringed by volcanoes.
- Seven nights
- Three stays
- Guatemala
- Colonial towns, volcanoes, markets, Maya history, lake
Seven nights by road through the Guatemalan highlands, from the capital to the old colonial capital of Antigua and on to the shore of Lake Atitlán. Markets, ruins and volcano views fill the days, with no drive longer than about 50 miles.
- Length
- Seven nights
- Pace
- Three stays
- Style
- Colonial towns, volcanoes, markets, Maya history, lake
- Route
- Guatemala City to Antigua to Lake Atitlán
- Guatemala CityOne night
- AntiguaThree nights
- Lake AtitlánThree nights
01
Days 1 to 2 · one night
Guatemala City
Arrive in a capital surrounded by volcanoes. There is time for its museums, which hold Maya artefacts and modern Guatemalan art, and for dinner at Sublime, where chef Sergio Diaz builds a menu around the country's regional cooking.
Where you stay
InterContinental Real Guatemala
InterContinental Real Guatemala stands in Zona Viva, the city's business and dining district, 6.5 kilometres from La Aurora airport. It has a pool, a spa and several restaurants, and the Popol Vuh Museum is within two kilometres.
02
Days 2 to 5 · three nights
Antigua
A drive of about 26 miles brings you to Antigua, the former capital, set between three volcanoes and listed by UNESCO for its colonial streets and restored monuments. Walk up Cerro de la Cruz for the view over the town to the Agua volcano, and browse the Nim Po't market for textiles, ceramics, masks and coffee.
Where you stay
Villa Bokéh
Villa Bokéh is a hacienda-style estate on six acres of parkland, about three kilometres from the centre of Antigua and ringed by volcanoes. Its 15 rooms and suites mix hand-woven Guatemalan textiles with contemporary art, and there is a pool, a spa and two restaurants, among them Bokéh 3.1. It is the sister house of Casa Palopó on Lake Atitlán.
03
Days 5 to 8 · three nights
Lake Atitlán
About 50 miles further on, the road reaches Santa Catarina Palopó on the shore of Lake Atitlán, encircled by three volcanoes. From here, visit the market town of Chichicastenango, and Iximché, the former Kaqchikel capital founded in 1470, which has a small museum.
Where you stay
Casa Palopó
Casa Palopó is a former private residence on a hillside above Lake Atitlán, with the Tolimán, Atitlán and San Pedro volcanoes in view. It has 15 rooms and suites and a separate villa with its own pool, along with an infinity pool, terraces, a library and a lakeside restaurant.
Ways to make it yours
This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.
Made around you
Most travel is bought. This is designed.
Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.
The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.
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