Best Things Nearby:
Antigua is a very pleasant place but not typical of Guatemala. Guatemala is the poorest country in Central America and one of the poorest in all of Latin America. Antigua is more prosperous and has more of a colonial feel than other Guatemalan cities. The weather in Antigua is mild. It is a good place from which to take day trips to Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango, as well as other places. If you go to Guatemala, I would also recommend spending some time in the Highlands. The trip by bus from Antigua to Quetzeltenango (called Xela) passes some stunning scenery. Spending some time outside of Antigua will give you a more accurate view of the country.
Best Things About the Resort:
Resort Experience:
My family spent one week at Villa Antigua (as an exchange), and my husband spent an additional week (bonus vacation) by himself. My husband was in Guatemala conducting a five-week study abroad program and doing research. We stayed at Villa Antigua after his class was over. Before staying at Villa Antigua we stayed at Posada Belen, a lovely retreat center (with excellent views of the volcanoes) run by the sisters of the Belen Convent.
All units at Villa Antigua have fireplaces. The kitchens feature a cook top but no oven, mini-fridge (but larger than a dorm fridge), microwave, toaster, coffee maker, filled salt and pepper shakers, cooler-size bottle of water, and the usual pots, pans, and dishes. There is a breakfast bar but no dining table. The resort supplies the first bottle of water, and there’s a sticker on the dispenser saying additional bottles cost 30 Q (7.81 quetzales to the dollar from the ATM at the time of our trip), but we weren’t charged. All the one and two bedrooms with kitchens, which the resort calls Las Cabanas, are in one building . The hotel units are in another, bigger building, on the other side of the resort. The cabanas do not have heat or air conditioning but do have hot water 24 hours a day, which is not the case for many hotels in Guatemala.
Daily housekeeping is included, and the housekeepers even wash, dry, and put away the dishes. Towels and sheets are changed daily. One of the housekeepers told me that all the employees are being required to learn English.
We had a one bedroom, unit 406. We asked to be on the side of the building away from the road (a main highway in and out of Antigua) because I was worried about the noise and fumes from the buses. The living room looked out over an attractive courtyard. The fountain in the courtyard wasn’t running, but the first week it was decorated with flowers. The courtyard has several benches. The grounds are nicely landscaped. From our bedroom we could see the tennis courts and one of the two pools. Our unit was attractive and in good condition.
The hot tubs, along with lockers, saunas, showers, and massage rooms, are in the dressing rooms. It's unfortunate because Antigua's climate is perfect for an outdoor soak. Massages cost about half of what one would cost in the U.S. (175 Q). The two pools are not heated, and since it never gets really hot in Antigua, I would expect the pools to be on the cold side year round. Towels are provided for the pool and the gym. There are also tennis courts.
When we went into the central part of Antigua we often took a local bus (called chicken buses) just for the few blocks in order to avoid the horrible fumes from the trucks and buses. The chicken bus costs only 1 Q. Just walk out of the resort and wave down a bus. A cab to and from the central area costs 20 Q.
My husband took the hotel’s airport shuttle and it cost $6. If you have a family or a small group you might want to arrange to take a private car to the airport, which is what we did when my son and I left. It costs about $25. We made the arrangements with the travel agent in the courtyard of Cafe Riviera.
- Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
- Activities: Very Good
- Amenities: Very Good
- Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
- Family Friendliness: Very Good
- Service: Very Good