Panajachel (Pana) on Lake Aitilán and Chichicastenango (Chichi) are often the most visited towns on the tourist route through the Guatemalan Highlands. During our Antigua stays we sometimes take a trip to the lake and drop by for market day at Chichi. On this March road trip with two friends we spent two nights in Panajachel at Porta del Largo Hotel. Tripadvisor reviews give a good overall description of the hotel. We found the breakfast buffets and service to be good.
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View of Lago Aitilán from Panajachel © Spaswinefood
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Early morning view of the lake © Spaswinefood
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| Early morning view of the lake © Spaswinefood |
Enroute to Panajachel from Antigua we stopped for a snack at a popular roadside restaurant, Chichoy.
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Guatemalan hot chocolate, mmh, mmh good! © Spaswinefood
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Berry pie -- the best one is mora (blackberry) © Spaswinefood
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Fried platano with sour cream and hot chocolate © Spaswinefood
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Panajachel has a good selection of restaurants. Virtual Tourist provides a list with reviews. Fodors has a list with brief descriptions and price range. Tripadvisor provides a ranked list. On this most recent trip I was able to check out a few.
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View of lake from Sunset Cafe © Spaswinefood
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On the first night in Panajachel we ate at the Sunset Cafe. We ordered a shrimp plate, a vegetarian plate and soup.
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Shrimp with vegetables and rice © Spaswinefood
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Vegetables with beans and rice © Spaswinefood
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Soup © Spaswinefood
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Overall the food was average but the Sunset Cafe has a great view. Go there for the view.
Guatemala's Lago Aitilán has about a dozen Mayan villages around the lake. There are a number of ways to explore the villages. The option we chose was to hire a boat to take us to Santiago Aititlán. We explored for a few hours and then returned to take lunch at one of the beach side restaurants.
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| Lago Aititlán © Spaswinefood |
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| Lago Aititlán © Spaswinefood |
When we returned from our trip across the lake we ordered lunch at the Catamarán. The Catamarán is one of the many restaurants near the boat dock. The food was average but the view was excellent.
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| Restaurante Catamarán © Spaswinefood |
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| Restaurante Catamarán © Spaswinefood |
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Guacamol and chips © Spaswinefood
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No, it is not Gallo © Spaswinefood
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The view © Spaswinefood
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For dinner the second evening we ate at an Italian restaurant, El Bistro on Calle Santander. We ordered capresse salad and pastas. The food was quite good.
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Pasta with tomato sauce © Spaswinefood
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Aglio e Olio Pasta © Spaswinefood
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Of course you can always take advantage of happy hour at many of the restaurants and bars in Panajachel. I tried a Cuban Mojito it has a slightly different taste from the regular Mojitos I normally get in Guatemala.
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Cuban mojito © Spaswinefood
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Mojito at Rainbow Room, Antigua © Spaswinefood
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The next day was Thursday, so off we went to Chichicastenango (Chichi) for market day. Market days at Chichi are held on Thursday and Sunday. Chichi is famous for it market. The market there is quite large and well worth a visit. I am always struck by the wonderful colors of merchandise at the Chichi market.
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| Chichi Market © Spaswinefood |
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The colorful displays always get my attention © Spaswinefood
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More color © Spaswinefood
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. . . and more color © Spaswinefood
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Whether it is the market or flowers on the church steps it is all about color.
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Church steps at Chichicastenango © Spaswinefood
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Color © Spaswinefood
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And more color © Spaswinefood
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After a few hours at the market we drove back to Antigua. On the way back to Antigua we stopped at Hacienda Tecpán for lunch. Moon Travel Guide describes Hacienda Tecpán as one of the best options in the Tecpán area.
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| Hacienda Tecpan © Spaswinefood |
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| Hacienda Tecpan © Spaswinefood |
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| Hacienda Tecpan © Spaswinefood |
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| Tortillas at Hacienda Tecpan © Spaswinefood |
Hacienda Tecpán has a popular lunch buffet that most people order. Not a good option for vegetarians but, there are other options on the menu.
I always enjoy discovering new colorful happenings and the best food stops on a road trip through the Guatemalan Highlands. Whether you drive, take a bus or a shuttle you will find the route colorful. I invite you to join me in my travels in Guatemala and elsewhere at Spaswinefood, or you can visit my travel column at the Examiner.
Sharon
Antigua, Guatemala
March 2011
© Spaswinefood
© Spaswinefood
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