Exploring Finca la Azotea in the morning, breakfast with unexpected entertainment, a scenic drive to Chichicastenango, and Semana Santa Processional
Today we are leaving Antigua so we had just the morning left to explore! We decided to spend it at Finca la Azotea, where there are several restaurants, lots of animals, a coffee museum, cacao shop and tours, and lots of grounds to explore. We chose a nice quiet outdoor restaurant for breakfast that only had one other family enjoying their meal. Before our food even came, a lady came and started singing with a microphone and massive speakers. She was really good, but we couldn’t hear each other speak 😂 Not exactly the vibe we were going for, but the food was really good! After breakfast we rented some bikes to explore the grounds for a little while–they even had one with a baby seat!
Prices: Entrance to the farm on the weekends is 20 Quetzals (about $3USD) and it includes entrance to the coffee museum and a sample of cacao tea. Weekdays, entrance is free.
When we got back to the hostel, we packed everything up and met a car to take us to Chichicastenango (pronounced Chee-chee-cah-stay-non-go), a mountain town north of Lake Atitlán. The private shuttle cost about $80 USD and took about 2 hours from Antigua to Chichi. Don’t leave your motion sickness pills in your bags in the trunk of the car… The roads are so windy and we haven’t come across a good driver yet. If you are prone to motion sickness, you will need the Dramamine.
Because of Semana Santa coming up, many of the roads were shut down to set up for processions so our car couldn’t even get us all the way to our hotel. We had to walk about half a mile with all our things, which is yet another reason we travel with backpacks.
As soon as we had checked in to the hotel and dropped our bags off at the room, we went out to explore the town and found a procession starting at the church just down the street! There are processions happening all over the place in Guatemala as Easter approaches, and this one happened to be on a Saturday because the market happens on Sunday. In the procession, there were about 50 women walking down the steep steps of the Church (a remnant of the Mayan temple that once stood in the same spot) with a giant float on their shoulders that displayed of angels and crosses, and a sign that read, “As you journey through life, you are never alone.” They walked onto the street where a gorgeous runner of colored wood shavings and pine needles lay, and proceeded through town while thousands watched and a band played. The rest of the streets along their path were decorated in the same way, and they proceed slowly in a loop around the city until they make their way back to the church. Benjamin woke up to the sound of them returning, the band still blasting music, at 11pm–7 hours later!
We had a delicious early dinner at Casa San Juan Restaurante, then headed back to the hotel. I highly recommend the mixed meat kebabs!
Our hotel actually had a crib for Robin which was great! Nowhere else we’re staying in Guatemala has a crib. However, the downside of our lodging is a lack of hot water. We went to give Robin a bath and they told us to run the water for 4 minutes to let it warm up. Then they said 15, 20, 40, an hour…. After 2 hours of the water running, it never got warm 🤣 Robin learned the joys of a cold shower while traveling.
Chichicastenango market happens tomorrow!
Hotel in Chichicastenango: Hotel Museo Mayan Inn, $75/night
Follow along for updates on our entire trip to Guatemala with our 11-month-old daughter!
If you’re like me and you read travel blogs wondering, “Should I use this itinerary?” – because how do you know if the blogger would do it the same way a second time? I’ll just say, I highly recommend this route! Our original plan included some beach time down on the Pacific Coast, but you’ll see we changed our plans mid-trip. I’m so glad we did!
