In June, Recommend launched its new Guatemala Specialist Program on its online learning platform, edu.recommend.com. The course is designed to help travel agents discover Guatemala so they can sell an unforgettable vacation to their clients. Since Guatemala is brimming with boutique hotels, and tour companies offer such exciting and adventure-packed itineraries to the country, here are some additional sources to help you sell this colorful Central American destination.
Guatemala Tours
For clients who love to shop for local arts & crafts, look into Tara Tours’ 8-night Guatemala Native Markets trip. The tour visits Guatemala City, Antigua, Atitlan, Quezaltenango and the San Francisco el Alto and Almolonga markets, as well as Huehuetenango and Chichicastenango. Land cost is $1,150 pp dbl. Visit taratours.com for more information.
Viaventure’s 6-day Culinary Antigua, priced at $1,430 pp dbl, starts and ends in Guatemala City and includes five nights in Antigua at the Posada del Angel; a visit to an afternoon market and tour of popular street food locales; a visit to Comalapa market and naïve painters’ studios; a chocolate-making workshop and a cooking class that includes making dinner with chef Hector Castro; an AGAIG (As Green as it Gets) coffee farm tour (only late-November to mid-March) and traditional lunch in a local home. The tour includes deluxe accommodations, most meals, transfers and daily program features. Visit viaventure.com for more information.
Biking, hiking, and birdwatching are the points of interest in Adventure Life’s 7-night Mayan Multisport tour. Travelers will visit Antigua, hike the Pacaya Volcano, and bike the highlands to Totonicapan for a homestay. The hiking continues, with a bit of birdwatching in the mix, to the Zunil Ridge before hopping on a bike to the Almolonga vegetable market, into the tropical lowlands and coffee fincas to Lake Atitlan where it’s time to grab an oar for some kayaking around the lake before returning to Antigua. Land cost is $2,085 pp dbl. Visit adventure-life.com for more information.
Guatemala Lodgings
New on the hotel scene in Guatemala is G Boutique. Opening Oct. 25, G Boutique, located in the new tourist destination Izabal, in the country’s northwest region, features 20 guestrooms, four Master Suites and Junior Suites with a jacuzzi and private deck. Other amenities include a gym, pool, spa, bar, international restaurant and banquet facilities able to accommodate up to 250 guests. To celebrate the opening of the property, G Boutique is offering a 50 percent discount to travel agents, tour operators and airline employees from Nov. 1 to Dec. 22 Rates for a standard room are $140 (sgl/dbl); a Junior Suite is $195 (sgl/dbl); and $265 (sgl/dbl) for a Master Suite. The company behind G Boutique is also planning to build two additional properties in the region. Visit gguatemala.com for more information.
La Casa del Mundo is a charming inn (with only 17 rooms) built into a rocky cliff at Lake Atitlan featuring quaint stone-cottage accommodations with Guatemalan decor and picturesque lake views. The boutique property is located in an up-and-coming village in Jaibalito, which is only accessible by boat. This property is made for clients searching for a remote location within a quiet environment surrounded by Guatemala’s untouched natural environment. Rates start from $37 to $80. For more information, visit lacasadelmundo.com.
In Guatemala’s Western Highlands, on the town of Zunil, lies the sustainable eco-lodge Las Cumbres. Sitting on natural steam vets fed by underground sulfur hot springs allows seven guestrooms on property to feature private natural steam baths. The lodge offers restaurant service, a fitness area and spa, as well as a recreation area; each room, only 12, is named after a small town in the region and amenities include a sauna for some guestrooms, a jacuzzi, chimney, cable TV, CD player, room service and private bath. For more information, visit lascumbres.com.gt.
To learn more about family-focused tours to Guatemala, as well as a few hotels and eco-lodges ideal for a multi-generational vacation, read our June story here. For more on our Guatemala Specialist Program, click here.
