Antigua, Guatemala had been on my bucket list for a long time so when I found myself including Guatemala as the last country of a Central America trip I figured, now was as good a time as ever to finally get there.
There are a ton of options for places to stay in town but for some reason I kept coming back to one in particular. Posada del Angel.
Our driver picked us up at our Guatemala City hotel, the hour drive to Antigua was easy, and dropped us off at the door of the hotel. It's a very nondescript door with a painted tile sign depicting the name of the hotel. The place only has seven rooms and only guests are permitted entry so we rang the bell and waited a few.
The minute the door opened I knew I'd made the right choice. It was, literally, like stepping into a painting. It was colorful and charming and stuffed full of nooks and crannies and things I just wanted to take a closer look at. What a tranquil ambiance.
The woman from the front desk showed us around and took us up to the rooftop terrace where the view was spectacular and was complete with a resident volcano. She said our room was ready and presented us our key to the 'green room'. Now you'd think that would be easy enough by my traveling companion is a huge Glasgow Rangers fan and because of that, anything 'green' was out of the question. While I'm sure she thought I was crazy, she switched our room without batting an eye but our new 'blue' room wasn't ready yet. We decided to wait in the living room for the half an hour it took until the room was ready. The free wifi gave me time to catch up online in no time but that time spent sitting in the living room, pool side, provided a good look at the detail that adds to the sweetness of this place. Tremendous thought has been put into every detail here. So much so it needs to be experience to be felt because the pictures just don't do it justice.
Our 'blue' room was lovely. A large, king sized bed sat next to a corner fireplace and details continued in here. Books available to read, fresh white roses, beautiful handmade soaps, fluffy towels, bathroom faucets in the shape of birds, pretty light fixtures and a handmade Guatemalan worry doll as a take away gift. (Guatemalan legend says that children tell one worry to each doll when they go to bed at night and place the dolls under their pillow. In the morning, the dolls have taken their worries away).
The center of town was a short ten minute walk away and we were itching to explore. Antigua is a beautiful, and incredibly friendly, colonial city that shows off its churches, shops, restaurants, bars and architecture very well. It even has a spewing volcano! Exquisite handicrafts and hand embroidered textiles spill out of shops in colorful heaps to lure you in. Perusing these shops will serve up many one of a kind finds you can get only here.
After a day of walking town and absorbing the vibe, we decided we wanted some local Guatemalan cuisine for dinner. While searching out a place to eat we came across an amusing photo op...well, a couple really. We posed for hilarious selfies in front of Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, Burger King (complete with crowns) and Wendy's to post for all of our friends to laugh about as we were searching out 'local fare'. We ended up having pizza at a great little Italian place. I know, very Guatemalan.
Walking back into the hotel after dinner I was amazed at how magical the ambiance becomes here after dark. Scroll through the pictures below for an idea because it's really hard to describe in writing.
The included breakfast the next morning was light but a good way to begin the new day.
Antigua didn't disappoint but Posada del Angel has ambiance, amazing details and a staff and service level that compliments the town to a tee.
Please leave a comment about your love of travel, your own travel experiences or your favorite boutique hotel (or any hotel, really)...I'd love to hear from you.
And please, take a minute to check out the photo gallery on the home page...lot's of additional vantage points there as well.
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