Travel Deal for June Trips to Guatemala

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Travel Deal for June Trips to Guatemala

June 10th, 2009 | Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Via Venture, the top sustainable tourism provider and luxury travel firm in Guatemala has teamed up with two boutique hotels to offer a 40% discount on a 6–night, 7 day private itinerary starting in Antigua.

This article comes from The Perrin Post on Conde Nast Traveler via www.concierge.com.

For $1,086 (including all taxes and fees) per person, reduced from $1,810, you can stay for 3 nights at the Palacio de Dona Leonor, a 12-room mansion in the heart of Antigua, and 3 nights at the eco-friendly Laguna Lodge, located in the Tzantizotz Nature Reserve. This luxury package offers a good mix of guided activities–such as private tours of Antigua, San Juan La Laguna, and

Exchanging Money In Guatemala, from Dollars to Quetzals

June 3rd, 2009 | Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

If you are needing to change over money, make sure and do it early in the day.

The exchange rate for the Quetzal is recalculated daily at the Central Bank in Guatemala City. This happens daily at 3 pm. Therefore starting at about that time many banks refuse to change money, since they do not know the “current” exchange rate. It may seem like splitting hairs, but that is the way many banks do it. I have found the best way to avoid it is by making time to go to the bank in the morning to exchange money.

In addition, if you are in a more rural area, or a small town, not all banks handle foreign money. Bring Read more

Renting a Car in Guatemala

May 23rd, 2009 | Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

If you plan on renting a car in Guatemala and you are flying into the La Aurora International Airport, there are plenty of rental car booths that you can choose from. If you wish to spend a few days in Guatemala City on foot before heading out into the countryside in a private vehicle, then you don’t have to go all the way back to the airport to rent a car.

Within Guatemala City there are several of different places to choose from when renting a car. Two of the main car rental agencies in Guatemala City are Guatemala Renta Autos and Hertz Rent a Car.

Guatemala Renta Autos is known for having the most economical rates of car rental agencies in Guatemala. Read more

International Day of Museums

May 6th, 2009 | Guatemala - Culture, Guatemala - Family Friendly, Guatemala - Must See or Do, Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

The International Day of Museums is held all over the globe on May 18th. Guatemala has a rich history, and it is celebrated in the country’s many museums.

This list, taken from Revue Magazine, highlights some of the many museums in Guatemala City:

Artecentro Paiz:7a av. 22-01, z. 1, Plaza Carlos Mérida del Banco de Guatemala, tel: 2429-6000 ext. 5248. www.fundacionpaiz.org.gt

Casa Flavio Herrera:9a calle 8-54, z. 1, tel: 2285-1014.

Museo Numismático de Guatemala:Calle Mariscal 7-46, z. 11, Colonia Mariscal, tel: 2473-0567.

Casa Mima: 8a av. 14-12, z. 1, tel: 2253-4020.www.portalmuseosguatemala.net/m.casa.mima

Mapa en Relieve:Av. Simeón Cañas final, z. 2, Hipódromo del Norte, tel: 2285-0330. www.muniguate.com

Museo Carlos F. Novella:15 av. 18-01, z. 6, interior Read more

Facts about Guatemala City

May 1st, 2009 | Guatemala - Culture, Guatemala - Travel Tips, The Best of Guatemala | No Comments »

Did you know…

Guatemala City is the capital of Guatemala.
It is the largest city in Central America.
Guatemala City is separated into at l.east 21 different zonas.
Zona 1 is the Old City
Zonas 9 and 10 are the New City, and are very popular for tourists.
Guatemala City is surrounded on three sides by low hills and volcanic cones, which make for great day trips.
Guatemala is famous for its textiles and many are sold in the Mercado Central in Guatemala City.
Guatemala City became the country capital in 1776 after the destruction of Antigua.

The Complete Guide To Guatemala

April 29th, 2009 | Guatemala - Business, Guatemala - Culture, Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

This article was published by The Independent and highlights the history, culture and nature of Guatemala. Alessia Horwich brings out the best of Guatemala for the budget traveller.

Why Guatemala?

This chunk of Central America, wedged beneath Mexico and washed by both the Atlantic and Pacific, is scenically beautiful, rich in history – and very cheap.

Guatemala is the only Central American country where indigenous Indian people are in the majority, and their culture is vividly conveyed in their bright, hand-woven textiles. Before the Spanish Conquest, the Mayan civilisation was arguably the most advanced in the Americas. It began to crumble before Columbus arrived, but bequeathed an array of exquisite cities, which are still being uncovered from within the Read more

Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City

April 22nd, 2009 | Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

There are two international airports in Guatemala, one in Flores, near Tikal, and one in Guatemala City.

The Aurora International Airport, which is located in Guatemala City is the larger of the two international airports. Most major airlines fly into the Aurora International Airport, such as American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, Copa, Spirit, United, U.S. Airways and other Latin American lines, such as Iberia, Mexicana, Cubana, and TACA.

There is a $30-US departure tax for all persons flying out of Guatemala. It was included in the price of my Delta ticket. Also there is a security fee of $3-US, or 20 Q, which is charged each departing passenger and must be paid in cash.

For more Read more

The Gringo Shares His Little Black Book…

April 5th, 2009 | Guatemala - Adults Only, Guatemala - Adventure, Guatemala - Best Shopping, Guatemala - Business, Guatemala - Culture, Guatemala - Family Friendly, Guatemala - Gringo Owned Business, Guatemala - Must See or Do, Guatemala - News, Guatemala - Nightlife, Guatemala - Places to Eat, Guatemala - Places to Stay, Guatemala - Relocation, Guatemala - Travel Tips, The Best of Guatemala | No Comments »

We interrupt this tour of Guatemala City to share with you an important update from the Guatemala Gringo and his other Gringo affiliate sites (see the blogroll)…

The Gringo has worked to create a system that puts readers in touch with valuable people in Guatemala and other Latin American countries. If you need an English speaking driver, real estate information, legal services and so on, all you need to do is this:

Click on this link to sign up for whatever information you want. Then you will be put directly in touch with people that you can count on to get the job done.

It is an automatic system that is shared by all the Gringo affiliate sites Read more

Map of La Antigua Guatemala

March 12th, 2009 | Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

I am on the search to find a good map of La Antigua Guatemala to put up here for you guys! While Antigua isn’t large, having a good map can still be a very helpful tool.

AntiguaSelect.com has two different maps that you can print off:

Click here to view the map of La Antigua that is for print on legal size paper.

Click here to view the version of the La Antigua map for print on letter size paper.

From what I can see the maps are pretty accurate. They are provided to AntiguaSelect by the Candelaria Hotel and show North and South, label the Avenues and Streets, and highlight the main points.

The whole town of La Read more

New "Mayan People" Tourism Program in Guatemala

March 4th, 2009 | Guatemala - Business, Guatemala - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Three new tourist routes are in the works for Guatemala, all of which highlight the country’s Mayan population. The three new routes, the Mayan Universe Trail, the Mayan Calendar Trail, and the Mayan Dualism Trail, will be run by the Mayan community.

As the largest indigenous people in Guatemala, the Mayans are prepared to take on the spotlight. Local Mayan businesses, cultural associations, tour operators, artists and other craftsmen will all get involved, fueling income into the poorer predominantly Mayan regions.

Guatemala is jumping on a wonderful opportunity here; designing routes that run through popular tourist locations such as main archaeological sites and sacred places and take visitors on the inside of Mayan communities really caters to the increased demand for Read more