Enjoying breakfast at our hotel, exploring local cafes and Italian cuisine, and discovering the vibrant art scene in San Juan la Laguna, Guatemala
Our hotel (Eco Hotel Uxlabil Atitlan) for the next few days includes breakfast, which is great to have so close to our room! Robin enjoyed an array of foods from both of our plates—an English muffin breakfast sandwich, pancakes, oatmeal with cinnamon and granola, and lots of fruit! We’re being very careful about water and anything that may have been rinsed in tap water, but most of the fruits here are varieties with a peel so it has been very safe.
After breakfast we walked up the road to get a coffee at Lily Cafe. I think my favorite coffee in the world is Guatemalan. So good!! ☕️ My go-to order is Americano with milk and vanilla.
Then we came right back to the hotel to give Robin a nap already! After that we went to lunch at La Farfalla. We’ve noticed there are a LOT of Italian food options in Guatemala—we had fettuccine Alfredo with freshly made pasta, a “Mexican pizza” with green sauce and jalapeños on pita bread, and banana smoothies. The pasta was especially yummy! All of this plus a bottle of water for $17USD total. There was a nice Canadian couple at the table next to us, vacationing after doing some volunteer work with orphans in Antigua. They mostly spoke French and Spanish but we made due with conversation. That’s one of the best things about traveling to places that don’t speak your language, you still manage to have a nice conversation and learn so many new things about people! No need for small talk, let’s get right to the important things.
Across the street was a little art gallery where we bought a tiny painting for $3 USD. Next, we walked around Calle de Las Artes (Street of the Arts) and Calle de las Sombrillas. The streets and walls are all intricately painted with so many colors, portraits, and hanging art all around. And we were the only ones there!
After exploring a bit more, we got a tuktuk to San Pedro La Laguna where we walked around a bit more. We’ve discovered that tuktuks in this area are 10 Quetzals per person for a ride, no matter the destination (within reason). Just flag them down on the street, tell them your destination, and hand them 10Q when you arrive. If you try to ask the price and haggle before you get in, you’ll waste your time and probably end up paying more.
We definitely like San Juan La Laguna way more than San Pedro La Laguna. Both are great, but San Juan just feels safer, cleaner, and quieter. We ended up back in San Juan for dinner and wrapped up our day 🥰
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!
