Shuttles, fiestas, people, Atitlan, flights, Flores or not?

Hello again

A few more questions for you helpful people:

Is is better to book a shuttle from the airport to Antigua for late on a Wednesday night than to find one at the airport? Best done through booking a hotel in Antigua?

I see that there's a fiesta in Santiago Atitlan next week - do fiestas go on all day or are they a night time thing (wondering if we need to stay there to experience it)? Has anyone been?

What's the best way to meet Guatemalan people - I posted before about getting off the beaten track, but then realised I really meant what would be the best way to see what life's really like in Guat rather than being only in tourist places - even on limited time.

In Atitlan, what's your opinion on walking and staying on the North Shore (San Pedro to Paxanax) -is it safe at the moment, and what are the places like?

How long in advance do we need to book a Guat City-Flores afternoon flight - is it better to do it before we go, or is 4 days ish in advance from Antigua travel agent ok

And lastly - is it really worth going to Flores? we have 2/3 nights in the area, and I'm wondering whether staying one in Tikal itself and then one in Yaxha/El Remate before moving on to Belize might be better. The places to stay and eat in Flores look nice, but is it worth the trip?

Less than a week to go :)

There will be loads of shuttles. I think it depends how late

When we were in Guatemala two weeks ago, we booked our flight from Flores - Guatemala City the day before the flight. Even then there were only about 30 people on a 124 Airbus A319. I suppose it depends on when you are going though...

As far as shuttles, we stayed at Posada La Merced in Antigua and just arranged the shuttle through them. It wasn't necessary by any means, but it was nice to not have any hassles or worries...especially when we arrived at odd times.

One more thing...we absolutely LOVED staying in El Remate. The small village atmosphere was great, the locals were friendly, scenery was beatutiful. We took an early morning lake tour that was a lot of fun as well....stayed at La Casa de Don David.

I enjoyed Flores very much. It's a cute town, filled with nice places to sleep and eat. I love the scenery, too, from any place on the coast you get to.

Town festivities around guatemala can very well last the whole week as they celebrate their patron saint, in this case Santiago.
It is like a fair and it would be a good opportunity to watch folklorique dances and take pitcures. Just watch out for pickpockets.

Shuttles stop running at the airport around 8pm. You might get lucky. Two options... a private pre-booked shuttle or take a taxi. Taxis is slightly cheaper and there are loads of them always.

I think that the best way for travelers to meet Guatemalans in a situation of essential equality would be to ride on a chicken bus for long distances. You could really meet a them that way on the way to Flores instead of flying and missing out on this.

I would ask locally at your hotel if it is safe to do the walk you mention at Atitlan.

Flores is a delightful overnight or more after a jungle jaunt of any kind. I love the sunsets over the lake and having access to a pool there makes the whole experience even better. Flores is also a nexus for onward travel.

I would not write "Yaxha/El Remate" unless there is now a shuttle between the two. They are not the same destination, but you could stay at the one Yaxha hotel and then you would only need a ride to the highway, where you could hop the next bus eastward and also meet Guatemalans along the way. The owner at Yaxha is a pretty nice person. I suspect that she would include a lift to the highway if you stayed there.