A Lovely Lunch in Guatemala

Hotel Atitlan at Panajachel

Don and I spent 2 weeks in Guatemala and we did not expect any cloth napkin meals.  Most of our meals were cooked on a wood-burning stove by our home-stay host.  But our lunch at this lovely hotel was a surprise treat!

Getting There

We had taken the shuttle boat from San Pedro to visit the village of Panajachel for the day.  At the dock we flagged down a tuc-tuc and mentioned something about "Hotel Atitlan" thinking it was just an area we wanted to visit. 

A Lovely Hotel

Our little 3-wheeler had to stop at a gate to enter the hotel grounds which included botanical gardens.  We had to pay a fee, but were told it would be reimbursed if we dined at the hotel.  This wasn't at all where we thought we were going, but the lush growth surrounding this lovely "hacienda" was hard to pass up.  Even the lobby was a treat with all the beams and colorful walls and tile-work.

Through the Bar

The bar was empty at lunch on a Monday, but the daylight made it easy to see the colorful decor and curious bar and fireplace.

Terrace Dining

The hostess walked us through a large and intriguing dining room with cages of macaws and small flittering birds.  There were spacious tables near windows overlooking gardens, but we were drawn to the patio seating with all the colorful napkins and cushioned chairs.  (In 2 weeks, we never adjusted to the flat wooden chairs in every home and restaurant)

Ahhhh!

For most of our lunch we had the patio to ourselves.

Water View

 We had a view of both the luxuriously empty pool and Lake Atitlan.

And...

There was another glorious view with clay birdhouses hanging above a colorful assortment of flowers and a hazy mountain background!

Then There Was Lunch

Our waiter arrived with a white shirt and bow-tie and handed us menus, covered in Guatemalan woven fabric.  I was feeling unworthy in my "camp clothes", but our waiter made us feel more than welcome.  Luckily Don's Spanish was good enough to communicate our wishes, since English speaking guests are not the norm.

Our food arrived, looking as festive as the hotel gardens. Don's salad was full of surprises tucked into avocado halves, which were surrounded with tropical fruits.  My chicken empanadas came with a fresh chopped salad and black bean soup on the side.  We enjoyed the "just enough" sized lunch with a little wine and some bread and butter.  That was a real treat since I'd been served corn tortillas with every meal since arrival.

Exploring!

There's nothing better to me than following a good meal with a little wandering.  First we wandered inside.  It's hard to see how cute "Ladies Room" door was, with handwoven doll as a sign.  I also loved the wall of mugs that we passed!

Gardens!

And then we wandered through the gardens where we found lovely stone paths, benches, large cages of tropical birds, and an island with a tiny rooster house and flowers and flowers and flowers!

Good-Bye

We headed back up from the gardens, passing the patio where we'd eaten. I took a look at the distant hotel accommodations and made mental notes.  Someday?

Bit of Paradise

We rode our tuc-tuc back into the village and spent the rest of our day bartering over prices at shops and dodging the overly aggressive salespeople. We had fun, but it made our memory of lunch at the hotel, all the sweeter.  Hope to stay longer next time!