Antigua, Guatemala

Diary:

Packed up and checked out of hotel in the morning and were picked up at 9:30am by a private shuttle to go to Antigua.

Arrived Antigua around lunchtime, set about looking for a hotel. Got one night at the so-so Santa Lucia #4, then secured subsequent accomodations at the nearby Posada Juma Ocag, which turned out to be totally excellent.

At first glance we didn't think much of this town. However, after we had gotten off the noisy, dirty, exhaust-fume-ridden main street and walked into the town center, we fell in love with the place and immediately understood why Antigua is such a popular destination for travelers. Antigua is a picturesque town nestled between three volcanoes. It is a huge center for language study with many people taking extended home stay holidays to learn Spanish. It has numerous small cafes serving excellent coffee and sweets, and the food in the restaurants is on the whole exceptional. In a way, it is probably not the most culturally authentic Guatemalan town you could visit, but it is certainly one of the most comfortable and pleasant. We decided to stay for a week and explore it.

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