Recommend August 2011 - (Page 38)

central america rOAdS continued from page 36 LeSS TrAveLed ing to the eastern end of the lake, you find Santa Catarina, a quaint village with adobe houses built into the hills and with several women’s weaving cooperatives fashioning hand woven table coverings, clothing and bed covers. You can also drive here easily, and even stay. Probably the lake’s most splendid lodging, the colonial villa-style Casa Palopo (casapalopo.com), offers nine elegant rooms and suites with grand lake views. West of Panajachel and accessible only by boat is Santa Juan La Laguna, where day-trippers visit a women weaver’s cooperative, medicinal plant garden operated by the midwives of San Juan, a coffee finca, and local naïve painters’ workshops. Several famous painters are from this settlement, which is also home to the Laguna Lodge (lagunalodgeatitlan.com), a lovely boutique eco-resort fitted out with seven spacious suites, native healing spa and nature reserve. Of note: Lake Atitlan counts 236 bird species. The next stop will be Santiago Atitlan, the largest and most picturesque of the lake communities. Stop at the visitor’s center for an introduction to the Tz’utujil Maya, their traditional clothing and spiritual beliefs that focus on Maximon, the Mayan god who receives visitors who make an offering before asking for healthy crops, to help cure illness, to find love or cast a spell on a neighbor. Friday and Saturday are principal market days, when the streets are lined with local craft stalls. Any day one sees women wearing their distinctive huipiles (blouses), intricately embroidered with birds and flowers. The best hotel in town is Bambu Hotel & Restaurant (ecobambu.com); two of its accommodations are bungalows with patios overlooking the lake. Lake Atitlan is a perfect place for kayaking and canoeing, while on land visitors go horseback riding, rent mountain bikes, and soak in hot springs. Hiking up volcano San Pedro (with a guide) is popular, and the truly adventurous can take a tandem paragliding flight over the lake: the natural high of a lifetime. While there are many lovely places to stay around the lake, in this writer’s opinion, top of the list for all-round comfort and convenience is Hotel Atitlan (hotelatitlan.com) located outside of Panajachel on a magnificently landscaped lakeside site. It’s known for its stylish rooms with lake views, terrace dining overlooking the pool, the lake beyond, and its own dock and boats for private excursions. Within walking distance is the reserva Natural Atitlan, occupying the grounds of a former coffee farm. Its attractions include a butterfly farm, well-designed nature trails with hanging bridges leading to waterfalls, a zipline canopy tour and lakeside beach. Lake Atitlan is also a good base for visiting many of the wildly colorful highland markets. Closest is Solola, whose major market days are Tuesday and Friday. And farther afield, the Atitlan traveler can plan an excursion to Chichicastenango, whose Thursday and Saturday market is awash in a sea of traditional costumes as the indigenous Maya people come from all over to sell their wares. Our Guatemala Specialist Program offers you the opportunity to learn all about this country’s lush tropical jungles, forests, lakes and rivers, as well as its cultural diversity. The program is available on the newly redesigned edu.recommend.com. 38 august 2011 recommend.com http://www.casapalopo.com http://www.hotelatitlan.com http://www.lagunalodgeatitlan.com http://www.ecobambu.com http://edu.recommend.com http://www.natureair.com/travel-agents.aspx http://www.natureair.com/travel-agents.aspx http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend August 2011

Editor"s Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Regent Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: The Wayfarers
Africa Travel Options Mix the Classic with the New
Thailand's Koh Samui
Jade Mountain, Saint Lucia
Escaping to San Juan's Condado
San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Central America: Roads Less Traveled
In Search of Flanders' Holy Ale
Downtown L.A. in the Thick of Things
Scrumptious Savannah
Cunard's Queen Elizabeth

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