On My Way Out of Town: One Last Guatemala Discovery
I thought I was finished scouting.
After a few days immersed in Lake Atitlán, staying at our retreat villa, exploring the villages around the lake, hiking, boating, meeting local artisans, and imagining what our week here in January will feel like, I had one last stop to make on my way out of town.
Perched high above Lake Atitlán in the small village of Santa Catarina Palopó, Casa Palopó had been on my radar as one of those very special, very elevated places to stay in Guatemala. I wanted to see it for myself before heading home. My best friend had her honeymoon at Casa Palopó and went back to celebrate her 50th birthday.
And yes, this one is a splurge.
It’s not something you need to add to a trip to Lake Atitlán, and it certainly isn’t necessary to have an incredible experience here. But for those who love a beautiful hotel as much as I do, or who might want to turn our retreat into a slightly more indulgent Guatemala getaway, I wanted to share it.
Because it is pretty spectacular.
The property feels intimate and tucked away, with colorful interiors, beautiful art, lush gardens and sweeping views across the lake toward the volcanoes. There’s a pool seemingly suspended above Lake Atitlán, quiet terraces for a cocktail or coffee, and that wonderful feeling of having nowhere in particular you need to be.
I could especially see Casa Palopó being a beautiful one- or two-night bookend to our retreat. Come to Guatemala a little early, or stay after our week at our retreat villa and let yourself land here before heading home.
And for those who really want to lean into the splurge, Casa Palopó has its own private helipad. You can take the roughly 25-minute helicopter ride between the property and either Antigua or Guatemala City, turning what would otherwise be several hours on the road into a pretty spectacular arrival—or departure. Their sister property, Villa Bokeh, is in Antigua and also has a helipad, making it possible to travel between the two properties by air.
Entirely unnecessary? Absolutely.
A very fabulous way to make your way in or out of Lake Atitlán? Also absolutely.
But there was another side to my time at Casa Palopó that affected me far more than the beautiful hotel or the rather glamorous way you can get there.
And I don’t want to tell you about one without telling you about the other.
A Contrast I’m Still Sitting With
Just beyond Casa Palopó is Santa Catarina Palopó.
My boyfriend and I walked through its narrow streets one afternoon, attempting to find a trail that climbed high into the mountains above town. As we wandered, we were met with curious eyes and so many smiles. We said buenos días and buenas tardes, made eye contact, smiled back, and tried to move through the community with respect rather than simply observe it.
Eventually, we met a man whose father owned some of the land we needed to cross to access the trail. We stopped and talked with him for a while, and something about that interaction really stayed with me.
Because only a short distance away was this extraordinarily beautiful luxury hotel.
The contrast was impossible not to feel.
I want to be transparent about that because it had been a long time since I had traveled somewhere where the disparity between privilege and poverty felt so immediate. I came home from Guatemala still grappling with what it means to travel responsibly in a place like this.
How do we become curious about and connected to another culture without becoming voyeuristic? How do we support a community without assuming we know what it needs? How do we give back without turning generosity into something that is more about making us feel good?
I don’t have perfect answers to those questions. I’m still sitting with them.
What I do know is that the kindness I experienced throughout Guatemala was extraordinary. On our early-morning journey to hike Indian Nose, I think we exchanged buenos días and buenas tardes a hundred times. People looked us in the eye. We looked back. There was a warmth to those tiny exchanges that I keep thinking about now that I’m home.
And this is something I want to carry into our retreat in January.
Our retreat villa supports Mayan Mothers, a local initiative it founded in 2020 after recognizing that elderly women—particularly widows and mothers with little or no income—were often overlooked by existing nonprofit programs. The initiative has since expanded to support elderly men as well, providing food relief and essential care to elderly and at-risk Maya community members in Santa Cruz La Laguna.
During our retreat, there will be optional opportunities for anyone who feels called to learn more about the local outreach being done around the lake and ways to support it.
Not as an obligation. Not as another item on the itinerary.
Simply as an opportunity to understand a little more deeply the place that is welcoming us.
I still believe there is room for beautiful hotels, incredible meals, gorgeous pools and the privilege of traveling somewhere extraordinary. Casa Palopó is undeniably special, and I loved experiencing it.
But I don’t want to travel through Guatemala with my eyes open only to its beauty.
For me, part of this trip became learning how to hold both.
