An Afternoon Eating Real Guatemalan Street Food In Antigua.

13/09/202407/08/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Another view of the stuffed plantain from the street food stalls in Antigua, Guatemala

Of course we took a food tour when we visited Antigua, Guatemala earlier this year. The tour was exclusively street food focused, which Dan loved. You can easily recreate the tour yourself if you are a bit adventrous and speak a little Spanish. Otherwise, I will link the tour below.

Antigua, Guatemala.

Our first stop was at a real Antiguan bakery that has been around since 1940 (and opens daily at 5:00 AM). And, it was delicious. The name of the bakery is San Antonio Panaderia Lo de Cuchi Cuchi. It is famous for its homemade bread, and its take away only. Located right in the center of Antigua, San Antonio is super popular with both locals and tourists. If you are visiting, bring cash and know a little bit of Spanish.

The entrance to San Antonio.

The sweet counter at San Antonio bakery in Antigua, Guatemala

San Antonio’s sweet counter.

We tried two dishes at San Antonio. The first “bite” of our tour was something that a tourist can pretty easily find all over Antigua, particularly in restaurants and shops offering traditional Guatemalan food (such as Rincon Tipico),Colochos de Guayaba. Colochos for short are gummy-like circles made from guava fruit and topped with powdered sugar. These were midly sweet and very tasty. They were also super cheap. A definite must try in Antigua.

A colocho de guayaba, a guava sweet dusted with powdered sugar, from San Antonio bakery

A Colochos de Guayaba from San Antonio.

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Hotel Review: Casa Prana, Lake Atitlán

16/08/202407/08/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Lake Atitlán seen from Casa Prana, our hotel at Santa Cruz la Laguna, Guatemala

Casa Prana is one of several luxury hotels located on Guatemala’s Lake Atitlán. Dan and I spent 4 nights and four days here in June and July 2024. This post reviews our stay at Casa Prana in detail. In sum, Casa Prana is a beautiful hotel and we totally enjoyed our time, with the highs and lows being:

PROS: Gorgeous setting, stunning views around every corner, private, good food, excellent service.

CONS: Remote, pricey, very limited nightlife, same menu every day.

Keep reading if you are considering a stay at Casa Prana!

Sunrise view of Volcano Atitlán from a guest room window at Casa Prana

Sunrise view of Volcano Atitlán from our window at Casa Prana.

CASA PRANA – THE HOTEL

Casa Prana is set on 9 uphill acres on the side (literally, the banks) of Lake Atitlán. There is no car access and the only way to reach the hotel is via boat, helicopter or foot (10 minutes from Santa Cruz La Laguna along a kind of marked trail). The hotel only has eight rooms, called suites, and each is unique, and you will likely feel like the only person at the property. We certainly felt that way (for better or worse, lol).

Casa Prana seen from Lake Atitlán, our balcony room at the top left among the greenery

Casa Prana. Our room is the top one with the balcony on the left hand wide with all the greenery!

Walkway through the grounds at Casa Prana above Lake Atitlán

Walking around Casa Prana.

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4 Nights In Lake Atitlan, Guatemala in July: What to Do, Where to Stay & How to Get Around

11/08/202407/08/2026wareontheglobe 1 Comment

Lake Atitlán, the volcano-ringed lake in the highlands of southwestern Guatemala

Lake Atitlán is a gorgeous lake in southwestern Guatemala in the highlands of the Sierra Madre mountains. It has been described as “the most beautiful lake in the world”, and honestly, it is totally stunning. Dan and I spent 4 days and 4 nights in Lake Atitlán in early July this year (2024). This post discusses what we did, where we stayed and what we ate, in addition to practical information. Our itinerary is good for those looking for a luxury stay with a bit of adventure and a lot of relaxing.

Map showing the location of Lake Atitlán in southwestern Guatemala

Lake Atitlán on a map.

LAKE ATITLÁN – GENERAL INFORMATION

Located pretty high in the Guatemalan mountains, Lake Atitlán is actually an ancient valley situated between three volcanos, Atitlán volcano, Tolimán volcano, and San Pedro volcano. The valley was long ago dammed by volcanic ash from said volcanoes, which resulted in the modern day lake with fantastic volcano views.

San Pedro volcano rising over Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

San Pedro Volcano overlooking Lake Atitlán.

Around eleven small (some tiny) villages dotted around the lake make up the Lake Atitlán community, most connected only via boat and old trails that are somewhat difficult to hike. Mayan people make up much of the local population, and one can pretty easily experience relatively authentic Mayan culture in Lake Atitlán. Some of Lake Atitlán’s most popular villages are Panajachel, San Pedro, San Marcos, San Juan, and Santa Cruz. Pro tip: if you are someone enjoying night life or wanting to walk to shops, cafes, etc. in the evening, be sure to stay in one of these towns as other locations shutter after dark.

Overlook above Lake Atitlán on the road down into Panajachel, under cloud on our arrival day

Arriving in Lake Atitlán! It rained a little bit on arrival day, but nothing too crazy (especially for “rainy season”).

HOW WE GOT TO LAKE ATITLÁN

As Lake Atitlán is kind of in the middle of nowhere, it, not surprisingly, lacks a proper airport. Most visitors fly into Guatemala City’s airport and drive from there, which is what we did. The drive from Guatemala City is a little over 3 hours (slightly shorter from Antigua) and consists of mostly well-paved highway, although the roads get twistier and smaller when you get to the mountains. We booked a private transfer, but there are plenty of shared buses/vans and Uber also goes between Guatemala City and Lake Atitlán (and I have heard this is the cheapest option). I also understand helicopters fly between Guatemala City and Lake Atitlán, but that seems wholly unnecessary.

The lancha dock in Panajachel, where cars from Guatemala City drop visitors for the boats

The lancha dock in Panajachel – where we arrived via car from Guatemala City.

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Dining at One of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants – Sublime, Guatemala City & Its Sister Cocktail Bar, Cocktail Lobby.

07/08/202407/08/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

Confit crab from the Motagua river with a spicy sauce, the third course at Sublime

Sublime is ranked the best restaurant in Guatemala and the 24th best restaurant in Latin America(right after my fave Gusto in La, Paz, Bolivia!). I made a reservation as soon as I knew I would be in Guatemala City. Sublime, and its adjacent cocktail lounge, Cocktail Lobby, was the best meal and cocktails that I had in Guatemala. Run, don’t walk, to Sublime or Cocktail Lobby (or both!) when in Guatemala City.

The entrance to Sublime restaurant in Zona 14, Guatemala City

Welcome to Sublime.

In terms of location, Sublime is located in Guatemala City’s Zona 14, in a nondescript building off a slow street. There is parking on site and the hip Cocktail Lobby is just on the other side of the building (they are connected to each other). We Ubered from our hotel to Sublime, the Westin Camino Reale, but the area seemed safe enough, and our tour guide from earlier in the day confirmed this.

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24 Hours in Guatemala City: What To Do, Where To Eat & Staying Safe

30/07/202407/08/2026wareontheglobe Leave a comment

The cocktail modeled on Guatemala's colorful buses, served at Cocktail Lobby in Guatemala City

I spent a little over 24 hours in the ever unpopular Guatemala City, Guatemala in June. I almost skipped Guatemala City in favor of tourist friendly Antigua, but I needed Marriott nights and couldn’t resist the opportunity to explore a new city. After visiting, I had a great time and found more than enough to do in 24 hours. That being said, I don’t think Guatemala City is a “must see” for tourists in Guatemala, but I also do not think it needs to be avoided like the plague. This article details my 24 hour experience in Guatemala City and how to recreate it for yourself!

Street food being prepared at the Mercado Central in Guatemala City

Tasty street food in Guatemala City’s Mrecado Central.

24 HOURS IN GUATEMALA CITY ITINERARY

First, Dan and I arrived in Guatemala City after midnight due to a delayed flight, we simply checked into the Westin Camino Reale and slept our first evening. Despite arriving quite late, we woke up early the next morning and were pleasantly surprised that it was not raining, as it was rainy season and the forecast called for rain… And indeed, it would later rain. In any case, we enjoyed in the Westin’s hotel breakfast, which was great and even included fresh coconuts (!) and checked out the pool for later.

The fresh coconut bar at breakfast in the Westin Camino Real, Guatemala City

A coconut bar at breakfast!

The outdoor pool at the Westin Camino Real in Zona 10, Guatemala City

The Westin pool.

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