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30 | December 2019
ver since we returned from our trip to Guatemala,
we’ve been singing the country’s praises. We
ew into Guatemala City, stayed the night there
and spent our remaining three days in the beautiful city
of Antigua. We didn’t know much beforehand about
Guatemala, other than it’s in Central America and bor-
dered on the north and west by Mexico – a country we
frequent quite regularly.
But we found a cheap ight and decided to give it a go.
After a little bit of research, we saw that Guatemala is home
to many volcanoes and knew if nothing else, we denitely
wanted to visit a volcano! Keep reading for a recap of our
whirlwind trip to Guatemala!
Guatemala City
We didn’t spend long here, but if you’re like us and
have a late ight in, it’s denitely better to stay the night
in Guatemala City and explore more of Guatemala the
following day.
Our hotel was e Hilton Garden Inn in Guatemala City
and here’s why we recommend it:
• it’s located just a few miles from La Aurora
International Airport
• the hotel is clean with modern décor
• it oers free airport shuttle transfers
• it oers free Wi-Fi
While some advise not to wander around Guatemala City
late at night or by yourself, we found no problems walking
around the next morning to grab some coee.
Antigua
We booked a transfer from our Guatemala City hotel to
our Airbnb in Antigua. is is truly a beautiful city – one
we did NOT want to leave! Part of the appeal was the lovely
Airbnb we stayed at … it’s called e House of Pots. Our
Airbnb hosts, Tom and Paul, owned and operated an art
gallery in Honolulu, Hawaii for 10 years before moving
to Guatemala where they purchased a home and quickly
started adding their artistic air to it. From there La Casa
de las Ollas (House of the Cooking Pots) was born!
The house was abso-
lutely beautiful, charming and
cozy. e wood utilized for
the ceiling is a local wood
called conacaste, known for its beauti-
ful grain and natural repellent against insects. e furniture
and artwork are all from Tom and Paul’s own personal
collection. e furnishings are mostly vintage Guatemalan
and exhibit the unique character of the country. ere are
paintings of Antigua by local artist Alfredo Garcia Gil
and textiles that are Tzutes or ceremonial textiles from
Chichicastenango; and are about 50-60 years old.
Now as for what we did in Antigua…a lot!
Just a few steps away from our Airbnb was a new artsy
restaurant called L’Osteria Antigua, located inside e
Good Hotel. We ate here twice – for lunch and breakfast
– and were pleased with their alcoholic and non-alcoholic
drinks as well as their cuisine.
Another restaurant we visited more than once was the
hip, late-night taco spot called Ta’Cool. is is where you
should go for your street tacos and margaritas.
Our Airbnb was in the perfect location in Antigua –
walking distance to central park where you have your
choice of restaurants and shopping. We haggled prices in
a local market, visited a museum and ate a full lunch with
drinks for just over $5 USD!
But probably the most exciting part of our trip was our
ATTEMPT to hike a volcano. We say attempt because just
ve minutes in, we realized it was more strenuous than we
anticipated!
Luckily, on the tour we
booked, travelers can pay for
a horse to ride up the volcano
– denitely worth the money!
And this tour was amazing
– if just for the view of the
volcano alone! And it didn’t
hurt that as part of the full-
day tour, we got to eat lunch
at a swanky resort nearby and
relax in the hot springs!
For more pictures, details
and tips about traveling to
Guatemala, be sure to visit
www.2girlswhotravel.com
and subscribe to our blog so
you can keep up with all of our
adventures!
By Valerie Jones and Kim Floyd
2 Girls Who Travel
TRAVEL
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TRAVEL
