EL ORIENTE AND IZABAL - Guatemala - page 368

before settling down to a delicious five-course dinner ($20) served in a gorgeous garden
patio. Another wonderful old farm-turned-chic-hotel can be found along the road to San
PedroSulanearthevillageofSantaRitaat Hacienda El Jaral (tel.[phone]or552-5067,
$50 d), where you can stay in cozy wooden cabins near a lagoon. The rooms have ceiling
fan, TV, private hot-water bathroom, and hammocks on a small porch. Choose from activ-
ities including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, or tubing on the Río Copán. Its
owners also run a small shopping center, water park, and movie theater just down the road.
FOOD
Cafés and Light Meals
La Casa de Todo (tel. [phone], www.casadetodo.com , 7 A.M.-9 P.M. daily) serves
delicious snacks all day, including delicious baleadas, flour tortillas filled with beans
and cheese, or scrumptious homemade yogurt with granola and fruit ($3.50). The break-
fasts here are excellent ($2-4) with good, potent coffee. Enjoy your meal in the sunny
garden courtyard. Another great place for a snack is Licuados Express (tel. [phone],
www.licuadosexpress.com , 6:30A.M.-5P.M.Mon.-Sat.,6:30A.M.-noonSun.),justupthe
streettowardtheplaza,blendinghealthyshakesandsmoothies (licuados) plussandwiches,
bagels,waffles,yogurt,andexcellenthotorcoldespressobeverages($1.50).Trythefilling
wafflebreakfast($3).RightontheplazanexttotheHotelMarinaCopán, Café Welchez (7
A.M.-9 P.M. daily) is Copán's best coffee shop, with espresso drinks and delicious cakes,
pastries, and assorted other baked goods. One block southwest of the plaza, Vamos a Ver
(tel. [phone], 7 A.M.-10 P.M. daily) is a cozy covered-patio café that is a good bet for
soups, homemade breads, a variety of international cheeses, salads and vegetarian dishes,
smoothies, and strong coffee. There are very good sandwiches ($2-4) and it's a popular
happy-hour venue 5-7 P.M.
Italian
Across the street from Hotel Los Gemelos Pizzería Italia (tel. [phone], 10 A.M.- 9:30
P.M. Tues.-Sun.) serves decent pizzas with a variety of toppings averaging around $6 for
a medium pie. It also serves beer and wine in an agreeable cobblestone courtyard lit by
quaintpaperlamps. Jim's Pizza (tel.[phone],11A.M.-9P.M.daily),ablocksouthofthe
plaza, makes tasty pizzas ($6-10) and yummy rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and
corn on the cob for $5.
Honduran
Carnitas Nia Lola (tel. [phone], 7 A.M.- 10 P.M. daily), two blocks south of the
Museo Regional de Arqueología, is a hugely popular gathering spot for its scrumptious