From Valle Dorado to Monterrico
Normally, DTT,
(Jahzara and I) lead a very basic lifestyle. No electric, rice and beans to
eat, washing in rain or river water, and so on…
Our normal shower facilities
This is all
great for the body, mind and soul, and we love it! But, for my Diva girls
birthday this year, I managed to scrape together enough money for a complete
change…. For a week at least.
We opted for
total VIP and booked a night at Valle Dorado water park ‘ Q500 (just under £50/$70)
all inclusive 3pm until 1pm the following day. It was certainly a break from
the norm; open bar with amazing, and unlimited cocktails (both alcoholic and
non-alcoholic), a snack bar, waffle-pancake shack, and breakfast lunch and
dinner buffet style in the dining room (food was basic but plentiful).
Then there was
the Jacuzzi (I was dismayed to discover that they let children in freely…. and
with food!). Valle Dorados childrens pool, childrens activities, and modern,
clean rooms; made me completely forget that I was in Guatemala! I commented to
my friend, that while all these city types were enjoying the sun, water, and
beer, something we are more than used to, We
were making the most of our clean. Fresh, air conditioned room complete
with running water, electricity, and TV! Something we certainly are not
accustomed to.
Valle Dorado Waterpark
The water park
itself is modern, clean, safe, and fun; I would certainly recommend it. The all-inclusive
package that Valle Dorado offers is also something worth taking up; Just don’t
get too excited by the free cocktails! We had an amazing barman called Brian
who whipped up the most fantastic, delicious and varied cocktails… I drank
many, many, many of these sweet devilish drinks…. And (both physically and
mentally) Paid for it the next day!
To get to
Valle Dorado from the city, just take a Litegua coach headed for Puerto Barrios.
Valle Dorado is where the coach stops off for its mid point refreshment break. The
coach itself should cost less than Q50.
Monterrico
From the water
park, we were supposed to head for Chichicastenango, but decided we couldn’t take
the mountain chill, so we opted for Monterrico beach, on the Pacific coast of
Guatemala. We were faced with allsorts of long winded routes, and ways to reach
Monterico, but in the end we discovered that we could get a single chicken bus
from a place called Cenma, in Guatemala city which reaches Monterrico in just
four hours (to get to Cenma take the Transmetro Sur from Plaza Barrios. It is
the last stop). Alternatively, for double the cost but half the journey time,
you can travel from La Antigua Guatemala,
to Monterrico in a tourist filled mini bus, which in my opinion is not as fun
or as interesting as a chicken bus. To experience both, we took a chicken bus
there, and the mini bus back.
Hotel Delfin from the Beach
In Monterrico,
we found a reasonable deal at hotel el Delfin on the beach, with a decent pool,
free drinking water and free coffee or tea in the mornings. The hotel usually offers
you a free fourth night and has great food and all the necessary connections
with local tour guides. Rooms are basic, but you have little reason to spend
long in them, as they have wonderful communal areas, seating on the beach, and
a few hammocks too.
There is
little to do in Monterrico, with the main attraction being turtle season (July
to October). Canoe tours through the mangroves are available for around Q100;
it is advisable to take the 5am tour to see any wildlife.
You can take a
horse ride along the beach for around Q100, but it is lead, so if you are a
rider, it may not be for you. Quads are also available to tour the beautiful
stretch of beach, the small town and perhaps even some of the aldeas (small
villages) in the area too.
At Q300 an hour the quads were out of our budget,
but a friend we had made borrowed one and gave us a wonderful tour – even
finding an area of the sea that was gentle enough for us to paddle in. The sea is
simply not for swimming here‘ with strong
undercurrents and powerful waves at the shore-line, neither is it for paddling!
If you are with children, keep your eyes and hands on them if they are anywhere
near the water! For this reason, we
chose a hotel with a pool.
Shrimp dishes
are good value in this part of Guatemala, so make the most of it. While the
hotel Delfin served delicious food, it was a little pricey and included a
service charge, which pushed the bill up even more. Our favourite eatery
outside of the hotel was somewhere along the main street, and is called Calle
Real. We loved their shrimp burritos. Alcohol can be as expensive as Antigua
(surely the most expensive place in the country), so be careful of racking up a
tab with your hotel! We paid for everything as we went along, to avoid any
surprises at check out!
From
Monterrico we took the tourist shuttle to Antigua – and instantly regretted it!
It was hotter and stuffer than a chicken bus and I simply did not enjoy being
surrounded by tourists – for me, one of the best things about travel, is
meeting local people; and one thing I adore about local transport is seeing
peoples lives in terms of where they are
travelling, where they live, what they have bought, or made, or are selling…
their stories.
The Terrace at Frank&Fre
Antigua is a
tourist hot spot, therefore, it has a range of accommodation… some much pricier
than others, within nothing absolutely dirt cheap. We found that in particular,
Tropicana and el Hostal are good value, but chose to stay above a gastropub
called Frank&Fre. It has a lovely terrace, friendly atmosphere and great
staff. Another grteat place to stay is the Three Monkeys Hoste. I rarely spend much time in Antigua, but there is a host of tourist
information out there!! Enjoy your stay!!
