Atitlan advice for mid December
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Dec 3, 2012 6:45 AM Last Post By: steve486435
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Atitlan advice for mid December
I plan on spending 3 or 4 nights on Atitlan in mid December. I'm trying to decide on a town to base myself in. Pana or San Pedro? Do you guys think hotel reservations would be a good idea at this time of year or am I ok just showing up? I'm looking for a clean, reasonably priced place to sleep. Something more than a hostel but it doesn't need to be fancy either.1
From reading your other post I see that you live in GC. So, If you're driving I can recommend you the hotel where I stayed about years ago. Hotel (Hospedaje El Amanecer) tel 7762-0636 is a clean place with private bath, cable TV and secure parking near the municipal dock in Pana for about $15. I found it while driving around looking for another hotel. But I also noticed that there are two or three other hotels around the corner with secure parking also. I don't think you need advanced reservations for any of the hotels in Pana.7
Arrive in Pana and make your first assessment there. If you like it, stay and do a day trip or a one nighter in San Pedro. The boat trip itself is well worth it. Pana is a big, sprawling town with lots of bars, boozing and expats. To say that "San Pedro is MORE bars and boozing and expats etc" in comparison to Pana is about one of the most ridiculous comparisons ever. As if there aren't bars, boozing and expats in Pana!! There's way more of all of those there plus street touts and tons of road traffic. San Pedro is a much smaller and more traditional village that, indeed, has bars, boozing and expats, but to limit it to just that is completely wrong!! There's a concentrated touristy area down near the lake and the traditional village up above. You can easily find yourself in one or the other scene within a 5 minute walk.9
I think you're right, chehagan, that San Pedro's population is slightly higher than Pana's.I think in any of the villages if you stick to the tourist quarters you're going to find a really different world than if you walk 5 minutes up off the lake and into the town itself. Santiago is the same way. I've heard so many people pigeon-hole SP as a hippie/druggy place (which doesn't describe the town I know and love) that I never pass judgement on other villages based on my short stays in them.
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I found Santiago really untouristy compared to both San Pedro and Pana...maybe i was just lucky ;-)Anyway,there is nothing wrong with some 'touristy' conveniences like bars,nice restaurants etc.once in a while...why not?
I liked getting off the beaten track in the IXIL villages and also sitting on a stool at the juice bar in San Pedro,talking to the girls who worked there and whichever backpackers happened to pass by......
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Steve, where do I claim to be an authority on anything on this thread? I offered my opinion on what we liked, and what out impressions were of the two places. You continue to harass my post and comments, which the Moderators keep deleting your negative and berating obsessive posts on things I comment on. Why dont you offer some advice on this thread, you have been to these places many times, this forum is for people to get opinions and advice, offer it for once, and not just be a pest and a bully.I spent 6 days in the Atitlan area, is there a issue with that?
