Antigua, Guatemala - Great Place to Visit!

While I have not (yet) traveled extensively throughout Latin America, I am working on it. So far, I have visited some great places in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia and now Guatemala. I would put Antigua, Guatemala WAY up on the list of my favorites.

Antigua is a mix of so many visual experiences. It is historically preserved so that every street you walk down is cobblestone and all building exteriors are preserved.

It also has retained many structures from the colonial period including churches and some ruins which are unbelievable. See if you can find Isabel hiding in one of these photos.

As you walk down any street, a peak inside any open door gives you a view into a boutique hotel, a restaurant or bar or shop, many of which begin with a beautiful garden area or in so many ways are simply jaw dropping. There are literally dozens of boutique hotels to chose from. We picked Hotel Eterna Primavera and we loved it. The courtyard full of greenery and the rooms were large and colorful - all of this at a very affordable price with breakfast thrown in. The staff was friendly and happy to help with anything.

Antigua is also full of indigenous culture which it displays proudly and mainly in the style of dress of its inhabitants. The whole pueblo is awash in bright colors.

From any spot in the pueblo, you will always be able to see at least one of the two most predominant volcanoes - Volcán de Agua and Volcán de Fuego. Both of these volcanoes are still active, but the latter is very active as you can see in the video below.

Volcán de Agua:

Volcán de Fuego:

Blended in to all of this are great restaurants with great food and fun bars. While at first it seems to contradict the historic feel of the city, it actually complements it. Two of our favorite restaurants were Ta'Cool Mexican Restaurant and Restaurante Frida's but there were scores of others to chose from. Isabel at Frida's:

Comparatively, Antigua is also inexpensive. I am not sure how much time I have to make any repeat visits to places I have been, but I will find time to get back to Antigua.