Thought I would share my slightly more detailed thoughts on Antigua and Atitlan:
In my opinion, there are two top hotels in Antigua: Casa Santo Domingo, and El Convento Boutique Hotel. I give a slight edge to Casa Santo Domingo, if staying in one of their larger suites, as the suites are huge, beautifully furnished, and have great views of the volcanoes. Casa Santo Domingo is a larger hotel (it is built within the ruins of an abandoned monastery), and El Convento is a small hotel that takes up part of a city block (rooms arranged around a landscaped central courtyard). At Casa Santo Domingo, I highly recommend the "Estancia del Prior" ("Prior's Residence") suite, which we were assigned on our last stay there at the end of March. Not sure exactly which category it falls into on the group below (probably "Superior Suite Spa Living"), as the Hotel's own suite descriptions vary slightly from what Expedia had (where we booked).
http://www.casasantodomingo.com.gt/a...ations-en.html
Going through a TA or direct with the hotel it is probably possible to book it directly. Some photos of the Suite:
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(there's actually a working fountain at bottom-right)
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(through the glass doors are a small patio with small table, potted miniature orange trees, and great volcano views - had coffee there in the mornings)
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(sunken jacuzzi tub on the second, large patio)
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(hammock on large patio)
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(continuation of large patio without lounge chairs and outdoor dining area - blooming Jacaranda tree was a nice touch)
El Convento has absolutely gorgeous rooms, a great restaurant, and impeccable service, but lacks the views of Casa Santo Domingo. We stayed in the Grand Suite during our stay there:
https://www.elconventoantigua.com/our-suites
Anitigua is a beautiful colonial town with cobblestone streets, and has the usual mix of galleries, craft stores, craft breweries, restaurants and shops that appeal to the tourist crowd. A stay of 2-3 nights should be plenty. Quiltro restaurant there is phenomenal, and shouldn't be missed. Los Tres Tiempos is also a very good restaurant serving more traditional Guatemalan cuisine. For an incredible lunch, I can't recommend La Cuevita de Los Urquizu enough. They just serve traditional Guatemalan stews, which bubble away in clay pots in the storefront facing the street. These stews are absolutely delicious, and dirt cheap. The Museo de Chocolate, although quite touristy, is actually well worth a visit. They offer an interactive class where they teach you how chocolate is made, and you can make your own chocolates. Almacen Troccoli is a lovely bar just across the street from the Museo de Chocolate, and also sells bottles of good wine and liquor at decent prices. It is a great place to sit, enjoy a drink, and watch the crowds go by. Hotel or local tour outlets can also set you up with tours to a local coffee plantation, although personally I would recommend doing it with Filadelfia Coffee Resort and Tours (
Antigua Guatemala Tours | Filadelfia Coffee Resort & Tours). It is a small coffee finca and resort just out of town in the hills above Antigua, and the grounds of the resort and their plantation are quite pleasant to walk through.
For Casa Palopo in Lake Atitlan, you can't go wrong with any of the rooms/suites. We stayed in a San Pablo Junior Suite during our stay there, and it had fantastic views of the lake from our terrace.
https://www.casapalopo.com/en/rooms_accommodations
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The hotel's terrace, where we sat and enjoyed the view for much of our stay
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Sunset views from our San Pablo Junior Suite
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One of the better views I've had from a shower
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The hotel's small pool deck (there are unspoiled panoramic views of the lake out-of-frame)
Unsurprisingly, being a Relais & Chateaux property, the restaurant is awesome: incredible food, and an impressive wine list. I don't recall any other eateries in the area being memorable, which was fine, as we were perfectly content eating at Palopo almost daily.If you want to get out and see the villages around the lake, the hotel staff can also arrange for a private boat to take you around. Each village is slightly different (some specialize in spa/volcanic mud/health treatments, others in trekking, crafts, etc.). The coffee grown in the Atitlan region is also some of the best we've ever had. Next time we return we are filling a spare bag with it.
A few tips for Guatemala. Rainy season runs from roughly late April to late November. Rainy typically means afternoon thunderstorms that build up over the course of the day, feeding off moisture from the Pacific. This is actually the coolest time of year in the highlands where Antigua and Atitlan are located, despite being Summer. December is a perfect time to visit, as skies are typically clear, but dust/smog hasn't built up due to the extended dry season (Feb-Apr it can get quite dusty/smoggy). I wouldn't really avoid the rainy season, though, as it typically just means a downpour lasting an hour or two at the end of the day. Due to the altitude, temperatures don't vary too much. Usually low 50s in the mornings, and upper 70s in the afternoon. Towards the end of the dry season high temps can creep into the mid-80s. The sun is intense, though, due to the latitude and elevation, so bring sunscreen.
The other issue is driving. We are pretty comfortable with rental cars (and full insurance), but the roads in Guatemala are crowded and the other drivers are terrible. If there were a proper highway with no traffic from GUA to Antigua, it should only be a 30 minute drive. In reality, with light traffic, the drive is regularly just over an hour. With terrible weekend rush hour traffic, it can take 2:30. The roads from Antigua to Lake Atitlan are in quite poor condition, and it is regularly a 2:30 drive (with a substantial portion of that being caught in terrible traffic in Chimaltenango). There is a reason Casa Santo Domingo and Casa Palopo have helipads. With a helicopter, you can get from GUA to Antigua in about 15 minutes. 30 minutes from Antigua to Atitlan. The concierges there can recommend an operator (there are many based out of GUA). My recommendation for perfect length of stay at Palopo or along the shores of Atitlan is an extended sabbatical or just permanent retirement. I browse property listings there regularly.