Lake Atitlan Retreat - Spectacular View & Large Private Garden

• Dont hesitate to rent this house

  Dont hesitate to rent this house

  • Guest Ann and Jim
  • Date of stay 04/20/13
  • Review Submitted 04/30/13
  The house did not disappoint. Everything was as promised. Fully operational and clean. The gardens are beautiful. Richard was most helpful in setting up transportation and in anticipating our needs. The house is very private, but you are a ten minute walk from the boat launch dock, and three excellant restaurants/bars/internet cafe and a small tienda that sells fruit and soft drinks. The people at these establishments are very helpful. Best advice was that each person bring a flashlight (for the walk back to the house at night). Alicia is a very good cook and baker. Her mango pie is the best we've ever had. Best house feature is the shower. We would have liked to have had a microwave oven and a CD boombox. Overall, we were very impressed with the rental and cannot say enough about Richard's attention to detail. Thank you Richard for everything.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

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• Beautiful house in a beautiful town...

  Beautiful house in a beautiful town...

  • Guest Sarah
  • Date of stay 03/25/13
  • Review Submitted 04/04/13
  My friends and I enjoyed our stay at Rico's house immensely. The master bedroom has a balcony with a spectacular view of the lake... What a sight to wake up to every morning! :) The garden is lush and well kept, and the town is peaceful and quiet... Great for a fun and relaxing getaway. The house was impeccable, and very well equipped: the kitchen has every cooking utensil one could want, and there are sheets, towels, blankets, etc. The caretaker was very helpful and friendly as well. We will certainly be coming back soon for another visit!!

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

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• Muy tranquilo!

  Muy tranquilo!

  • Guest Solana
  • Date of stay 01/02/13
  • Review Submitted 01/28/13
  My husband and I had a most restful, peaceful week at Rico's casa at the magnifico Lake Atitlán. The lake of course is awesome, the area is so quiet, since Santa Cruz is the quietest of the villages I have tried (now my third time staying in this village). The boat ride is only 15-20 minutes. The walk will take 10-15 minutes from the dock. Arriving at the casa, the surrounding gardens with flowers of every color and type greeted us. (Read: The Language of Flowers by Diffenbaugh!) There's a wonderful porch to sit outside (we had our coffee out here every morning), then the beautiful house with tile floors, wooden vaulted ceilings. The bathroom is downstairs and has a beautiful stone shower. One bedroom is downstairs, with twin beds. The master bedroom is upstairs with a beautiful view of the lake and volcanoes and small patio outside the sliding patio door. The other bedroom has a queen bed, is a beautiful room, with views of the gardens. I used the kitchen a lot and it had everything I needed, except spices, so bring your spices as I had some difficulty finding everything I wanted, but I was able to improvise quite well. You can find garlic (ajo), onions (cebollas), and tomatoes, and sometimes different squashes uphill in the pueblo, though you may need to go to several tiendas, but that is part of the fun! . For the best choice take the lancha (boat) back to Pana, shop the mercado first, then the supermarket. There is also a small mercado near the dock, at the Iguana, on Saturday a.m., where you can also buy the best coffee, sold by Hans from Jaibalito. There's a little tienda upstairs near the tuktuks that has some staples like rice, black beans, avena (oatmeal), Carlos, the gardener/caretaker, is precious and very helpful. I think he understands a little English, but since I speak Spanish I never had a problem. He was very responsive to our every need and I feel is very trustworthy. He also put me in contact with a tailor (sastre) who hemmed my pants for really cheap, so I took the other pair! The walk up to the pueblo is very steep but good exerercise. CECAP up there has a great little café, a good place to try typical Guatemalan food. Beautiful views. We also hiked over to Jaibalito, a hike I highly recommend. Somewhat difficult, but not nearly as strenuous as I was told. Weather was perfect. There is a lot more to do here, birding, climbing, kayaking, but relaxing & reading won out! Can't wait to go back

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Mike L.

  Mike L.

  • Guest Miker
  • Date of stay 11/18/12
  • Review Submitted 12/14/12
  Excellent accommodations, Excellent local persons, Excellent expats!!! Exceptionally friendly all around. The villa was amazing!!!! Spacious, all amenities included and the fantasy garden was exquisite. Carlos is the man!!!!!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Extremely satisfied customer

  Extremely satisfied customer

  • Guest Cougar
  • Date of stay 03/01/12
  • Review Submitted 04/15/12
  "We absolutely loved your house! It was like being in Paradise. The gardens were beautiful and the view of the lake and volcanoes were fantastic! We loved Carlos and Alicia, the caretakers of the house, and their children. Such hard working sweet people!! Thank you so much for sharing your house with us!!"

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• A terrific place

  A terrific place

  • Guest Jo Lori
  • Date of stay 02/27/12
  • Review Submitted 03/22/12
  We loved this house! The views are amazing, and the garden is lovely, and the interior of the house is beautifully designed. The kitchen was well-equipped. The caretaker, Carlos, and his family were extremely helpful and patient. The house in a tranquil and quiet location. I would definitely recommend this property!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, romantic getaway, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• A Little Corner of Paradise

  A Little Corner of Paradise

  • Guest PikeyMclane
  • Date of stay 08/01/11
  • Review Submitted 03/21/12
  I have no doubts that Santa Cruz is the most pleasant and peaceful village on Lake Atitlan, and this home must be one of the most charming and aesthetically pleasing in Santa Cruz. The house is nestled off of a footpath, surrounded by lush and verdant gardens, with a gorgeous view overlooking the lake and the volcanoes. We saw some of the most beautiful sunsets, rainbows, and night skies of our lives from this property. The house is big enough to host an entire family, but also feels cozy for a couple. The kitchen is spacious, airy, and fully equipped. Using the rich selection of fruits and vegetables from the local market we cooked a delicious spread every evening. Rico, the home owner, is a soft-spoken, extremely accommodating, and was a pleasure to book with. He went out of his way to help plan aspects of our trip, assure the house exceeded our expectations, and answer all of our questions leading up to our arrival. If we had known what a gorgeous, secluded, zen-like sanctuary this was, we would have certainly chosen to stay longer. I could not recommend a vacation experience any more highly. Thank you!

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

• Jay and Barbara Budde

  Jay and Barbara Budde

  • Guest Jay
  • Date of stay 07/17/11
  • Review Submitted 08/01/11
  We loved our stay at this property! The views across Lake Atitlan are stunning and the garden was a joy. We loved to sit in the front porch quietly in the cool, misty mornings until the hummingbirds come to the beautiful tropical flowers hanging down around your head. If you sit still, they will come within inches of your face! The property was well equipped, clean and a housekeeper checked on us daily to help us with water, etc. We highly recommend a stay at this property. Also, Rico was very easy to work out details of our stay. Don't miss the hike around the shore to the next village, Jaibolito and a cup of coffee at at Han's cafe. Great German bread there, too. Also, don't hesitate to take the public boat to surrounding villages...fun rides and great exploring.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, romantic getaway, families with young children.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• • Guest Molly25
  • Date of stay 11/18/08
  • Review Submitted 11/18/08
  The most amazing place! We stayed here in March of 2008. The house was beautiful, extremely well-kept, and very private. The views from the master bedroom's terrace are breathtaking. The owner, Rico, was beyond helpful and informative before, during, and after our trip. He was truly invested in our experience in Guatemala. Best vacation ever.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• • Guest Anonymous
  • Date of stay 02/29/08
  • Review Submitted 02/29/08
  Great place! Very comfortable, secluded, and relaxing....we had a great visit. The owner was very accomodating in arranging the reservation at the last minute.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/2

$400.00 per Week.
Weekly Rate Includes Linen's, Towels, Gas, Electricity, Water & First 5 Gallons
Drinking Water. Discount for Extended Stay (3 or More Weeks).
Refundable Deposit Required.

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.