best atmosphere in the world

if you cant find what you want here, give up you wont find it

Great for: History/Culture, Nightlife, Budget Travel

Last Visit: October 2005

4 January 2006 | A Yahoo! User

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Greate place

wonderfull magic town, good food, good dancing, peace and quiet mornings.

2 November 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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I can't wait until I can go back!

I can't wait to go back. I want to get married in this city! Hotel casa santo domingo is great!

5 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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OOHHH MY GOD!!!!!!

If your planing to go to antigua please take your time, look for a good hotel and enjoy antigua it's a place with alot of pass and history and don't worry to much if you don't speak spanish many people understand what are your needs in antigua. If u have any more questions please fell free to e-mail me. juanjdavilatobar@yahoo.com

5 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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Limit your time in Antigua and don´t study Spanish there

I have been living in Guatemala for five months now with plans to stay here for at least a year more. I have spent over a month in Antigua with Spanish school and the one piece of advice I can give is, go elsewhere. For starters Antigua was probably the worst place in Guatemala to learn Spanish because of the huge number of English speaking tourists. Most all the shop owners know English as well and insist on using it whenever they can. And secondly, if you’re coming to Antigua with the expectation of experiencing Guatemala, Antigua is not for you. Guatemala is an incredibly diverse country and Antigua offers an incredibly distorted view of this. Antigua thinks only of catering to rich Guatemalans and tourists and it’s superficalness is comparable only to that of Disney. What you see in Antigua is almost just as real as seeing a man in a traditional Moroccan costume at Disney World. The McDonalds in Antigua actually hires a woman to wear indigenous Mayan clothing to appease the expectations of foreign tourists. My advice: Antigua is a beautiful city, but the rest of Guatemala holds much more wonder and authenticity. So please, visit Antigua, but make sure you go elsewhere as well. If you don’t wish to stray to far form the safety of the tourist capital of Guatemala my suggestion is getting on a bus for Santa Maria De Jesus that leaves right next to the market. The half hour bus ride in to the indigenous town on the side of Volcano Agua will only cost you 2 Quetzals (about 25 US cents) and afford you fantastic views and friendly real Mayan people. The main attraction for me in Santa Maria is the Mayan cemetery that is open until 2 everyday. The cemetery is on the highest point of the village to symbolize how the dead watch over us (a Mayan belief) Enjoy your time in Guatemala, but limit your time in Antigua, there is much more to see.

5 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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Best place on earth

Its a colonial paradise, smells like rain and tastes like history should taste. Its simply a getaway to other world, I have been in several colonial cities, but there is no match for this city. Friendly people merges with traditions that have survived for centuries.

5 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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Will NEVER go again!

I stayed at Posada Antano and it was terrible. There was no such thing as quiet and we were overcharged, seemingly as a rule, for almost everything. Although the breakfast was included, we had to haggle over it every morning after waiting about 20 minutes just to get menus. Getting our order taken took another 20 minutes after being told to wait "un momnetito". The servers seemed to have no idea what they were supposed to do and the management was equally inept. I could have overlooked the waiting if I didn't have to make sure I wasn't getting overcharged for everything. Even though the atmosphere was quaint, the Posada Antano is probably the worst hotel I've ever stayed at in Central America.

5 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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No place like it

Antigua is awesome. The people are so friendly. Everyone is laid back and the shops are incredible. I would recommend it as a beautiful safe hidden treasure.

5 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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o.k. antigua

Antigua is one of the most amazing cities that ive ever been to. If taking a walkman, i recommend radioheads o.k. computer.....

5 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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Loved Antigua

a beautiful city, with kind people. I highly recommend Probigua Spanish school if you are going for one, and definitely do a homestay. Really enjoyed Rainbow Reading Room, a coffee shop/bookstore/music venue. Also try to get outside of Antigua to see the "real" Guatemala if you can..Antigua is the sanitized, Disney-ish version, but it's charming. I would love to go spend months there. I could even afford to, if I could find the time!

5 June 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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