We found Guatemala to be more friendly, cheap...

Guatemala | Mar 26 - Apr 4, 2022

We found Guatemala to be more friendly, cheaper, more interesting and way, way safer than the other Central American countries that we've toured, especially Mexico. We felt safe walking anywhere, excluding Guatemala City, including night. People are smiling and unusually kind, both to us and to each other. We did the standard Antigua, Tikal, Atitlan route. The latter was the most interesting, especially when we took an extra day to go to the villages the tourists don't normally visit. And though all guides and drivers were fine, Pedro in Atitlan was the best.

Special thanks to Eduardo at kimkim. He had to plan our trip 3 times (twice delayed due to Covid restrictions.) I ask lots of questions and requested many particular changes to the itinerary. He always responded quickly. During the trip he was very attentive, coming to our hotel to review things and always available on the phone. The only two issues we encountered occurred on Sunday nights and he was available and on top of it even then.

In Flores near Tikal, recommend staying at a hotel on the island, not the other side of the bridge and definitely not the El Patio hotel (we were moved upon request.) The 5 star hotels in Antigua, Camino Real and the Casa Santa Domingo (the latter built around museums and not to be missed) were fantastic. Every hotel, including the $50/nite Regis in Panajachel, included great breakfasts.

Tourism is still down 50% or more in Guatemala so take this opportunity to
Visit.