THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS - Guatemala - page 207

Pedro (tel. [phone] or 7736-8101, www.hotelcasasanpedrosa.com , $40 d) is a comfort-
able lodge housed in a large stone villa with Spanish tile roof. Rooms are well furnished
andhavelakeviews.Thehotelhasitsownboatdockwithkayaksandbikesforrent.Amen-
ities include a sauna, whirlpool tub, video library, and pool table.
Food
To the left of the Panajachel boat dock, the first place you'll come across is Nick's Place
(tel. [phone], 7 A.M.-midnight daily, $4-8), serving good-value Guatemalan and Inter-
national dishes inside or outside on the terrace. One block on the left as you head up the
street into town, the Alegre Pub and Restaurant (tel. [phone], 5 P.M.-1 A.M. Mon., 9
A.M.-1 A.M. Tues.-Sat., 9 A.M.-11 P.M. Sun.) serves authentic pub grub, including Indian
curry, Cajun fare, chili, baked potatoes, and fish 'n chips. There's a nice rooftop garden.
Just around the corner is the best place for light fare on this side of town, Fata Mor-
gana (7:30 A.M.-10 P.M. Thurs.-Tues., $4-8). You'll find sandwiches, baguettes, pizza,
pasta, fruit smoothies, and a wide selection of teas. They roast their own local coffee.
Up the street from the Panajachel dock, if you make a right, the first place of note is
Freedom (8a Calle Zona 2, 9 A.M.-10 P.M. Mon.-Sat., $2-7), where you'll find quesa-
dillas, nachos, vegetarian dishes, pasta, pizza, and steaks on its varied menu. It has a
nice garden fronting the lake. Next door, Shanti Shanti (8a Calle 3-93 Zona 2, tel.
5561-8423, 7 A.M.- 11 P.M. daily) has wonderful lake views, chill music, Israeli food,
sandwiches, smoothies, and delicious breads and cakes. Just down the street, Chile's
(tel. [phone], 7 A.M.-11 P.M. daily, $4-7) is wildly popular for its wonderful wooden
deck fronting the lake and good Pan-Asian cuisine that includes pad thai, paneang gai ,
andtandoorichicken.TheFrench-presscoffeeisalsoquitegood.Hookasandsalsalessons
round out its list of offerings.
There are a number of good eateries in the part of town inland between the two docks
known as El Otro Lado. Among them is Zoola (all meals daily), housed in its namesake
lodge and serving freshly prepared food, including vegetarian fare, though chicken salads
and meat lasagnas are also on the menu. You can dine under a pleasant open-air, thatched-
roof structure. Nearby is The Buddha (tel. [phone], noon-1 A.M. daily), housed in a
three-level building with apooltable anddarts onthe first floor,adining area andchill-out
lounge on the second floor, and a rooftop terrace bar. The restaurant serves authentic Asi-
an and Guatemalan fusion cuisine with a variety of rice, noodle, and curry dishes, sushi,
soups, wraps, and tasty desserts at reasonable prices. There's a hookah water pipe smoking
lounge. Also in this neck of the woods is the popular Jarachik (all meals daily), though
the recipes of its late Dutch owner, including burritos, curry, kebabs, and Asian dishes, are
now spread out in restaurants all over town. Still, it makes for pleasant dining in a garden
patiosetting.ApopularadditiontoSanPedro'sculinaryofferingsis The Clover (7thAve.,