Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dining room on the ground floor of the main house. Dinner is served family-style and
costs $10. The service here is excellent and the Guatemalan-American owners are very
friendly. In the village proper and away from the lake,
Vulcano Lodge
(tel. 5410-2237,
www.vulcanolodge.com
,
$39-70 d) is a Norwegian-owned lodge with five rooms, all with
private bath and smartly decorated. The largest is a family-size villa, which sleeps five and
has a living room, kitchen, and a nice big terrace with lake views. The restaurant serves
tasty meals for breakfast and lunch, with dinner ($12 for four courses) served family-
style. Many of the fresh ingredients, including bananas, avocadoes, and limes, come right
from the on-site garden plot. Jaibalito's budget accommodations are at
Posada Jaibalito
(tel. 5598-1957,
www.posada-jaibalito.de
, dorms $4 p/p with use of kitchen, $7-11 d with
private bath and kitchen), offering basic but pleasant rooms located in the heart of the vil-
lage.
For utterly delectable food, refreshing cocktails, and killer lake views from its infinity-
edge swimming pool, head to
Club Ven Acá
(tel. 5051-4520,
www.clubvenaca.com
,
11 A.M.-5 P.M. Wed.-Sun., $4-15). The fun staff will keep you entertained and fill your
belly with delicious fish tacos, burgers, salads, BBQ sandwiches, and steaks. Try the sig-
nature beverage, the Jaibalito Mojito, made with basil instead of mint leaves.
West along the shore, the next village is Tzununá, home to the agreeable
Lomas
de Tzununá
(tel. 5201-8272 or 7820-4060,
www.lomasdetzununa.com
,
$85 d including
breakfast and tax), high atop a steep hill. You can call the lodge for a pickup from the
hotel's pier or make the 100-meter trek up the slope. Run by a Belgian-Uruguayan couple
who discovered Guatemala while working with the United Nations, the lodge features 10
lovelystone-and-woodbungalowswithtilefloorsandlakeviewsgreatlyenhancedbytheir
sheer height above the water. Amenities include Internet, a lap pool, library, board games,
and a crafts shop. Meals are served al fresco on a wooden patio with superb lake views.
Just the views of the volcanoes reflected in the placid swimming pool high above the lake
are worth the price of admission.
San Marcos is a unique lake town in that it harbors a strangely esoteric vibe, aided by its
prominence as Guatemala's New Age center. It's about a three-hour walk from Santa Cruz
and two hours from San Pedro. Most visitors arrive at a boat dock beside Posada Schu-
mann, though boats stop first at the main dock a few hundred meters east. A road runs be-
side the lodge into town, which together with a parallel street 100 meters west, form the
main pedestrian arteries into town.
Sights and Recreation
