{ Lifestyle } – Hotel Casa Palopó, It’s All in The Details

As I told you yesterday, my husband and I were cordially invited to spend last weekend at Hotel Casa Palopó, in the village of Santa Catarina Palopó, by Lake Atitlan. Although we had been to the hotel’s restaurant a number of times for lunch and dinner on our prior visits to the lake, we had never stayed there as guests. After hearing great comments from my in-laws, whom have stayed there various times in the past, my husband and I were anxious to see if all our expectations would be met.

And they were.

The hotel is located on a lush hill overlooking the enormous (and magical) Lake Atitlan, giving it one of the best views I have ever witnessed of the 3 volcanoes that guard it. The decor of the hotel has a colonial feel to it, with vibrant colors, antique furnishing, Guatemalan textiles and contemporary art – including an enormous Botero painting that is the focal point of the lounge area. And because the hotel used to be a private residence, it is quite small, consisting of only 7 rooms which give you that “at-home” feel and comfort.

Upon our arrival, we were told that we would be staying at their Master Suite (room #1), which is their biggest room – with the exception of the 2-bedroom villa that sits about 150 steps higher than the hotel’s main building. The room was indeed very large, with vibrant blue walls, antique furniture and french doors that opened to its own private (and huge) terrace. The terrace was a hit. We spent most of our stay laying there, watching life go by as we took in the beauty that surrounded us. Another thing that was a hit: the Frette Linens! Nothing beats the luxury of good-quality sheets and towels, and Frette does it better than anyone! As a result, my husband and I found it very difficult to get out of bed in the mornings; we just wanted to open the french doors and admire the view from the comfort of our soft and luxurious bed. And since there is no television in the rooms, we took this opportunity to disconnect, relax and enjoy the magic of Atitlan and each other’s company. God knows we needed to unwind.

But that isn’t to say that there isn’t anything to do – there’s plenty! Guatemala is filled with adventures! You can take a private boat to Panajachel (a must-see Bohemian town just a few minutes away), or explore the surrounding Mayan Villages and the Lake itself. However, since our main goal was to relax and escape the city-life, we decided to stay within the hotel’s premises and enjoy all it had to offer.

Besides all the wonderful things Hotel Casa Palopó provides, the warmth, unpretentious and detailed attention you receive from everyone who works there (who will always call you by your name) is the one thing you’ll probably appreciate the most, and the one thing that definitely separates them from the rest. We felt like family being welcomed into our own home, and I don’t know about you…but service is the one thing that always keeps me coming back!

Because words aren’t enough to describe the magic of this place, we took various pictures to show you instead. Enjoy!

Not one, but 3 volcanoes that you can admire from anywhere in the hotel

Of course, I had to take a picture of the Buddha

 

 

 

The Botero painting that overlooks the lounging/fireplace room

Our room – The Master Suite:

 

The terrace of our suite was the perfect place to unwind and take in the view

Some of the many dishes we tried. The jellies are homemade with fruits harvested from their own garden – they were to-die for!

There’s nothing like roomservice – especially when breakfast is served with a view like that!

{Sigh}

We could have stayed there forever!

{ Travel } – The Pavilions or Sri Panwa

As you know, the hubby and I are going on a 5-week getaway this November – originally it was September, but since it’s the rainy season in Southeast Asia we pushed it to November, instead – and one of our main stops is Thailand (as well as France and Vietnam). Because it is quite an extensive trip, we started weighing our options way in advance; trying to figure out what we wanted, where we wanted to splurge, where we wanted to save and determining our priorities for this entire vacation prior to actually booking anything.

As it turns out, we want this trip to be absolutely relaxing, romantic and memorable. We want to eat well, sleep well, enjoy the outdoors, visit some important sights, escape from the “rat race,” and have fantastic views staring directly at us from our villas at all times. And because we will be gone for a very long time, we decided to distribute our trip visiting both cities and deserted beaches, this way we don’t get bored of doing absolutely nothing all the time.

One of our stops is Phuket, Thailand. We’ll be there for 7 nights. We contemplated a lot about this one. Phuket is probably the most “touristy” and developed islands in Thailand, and I really wasn’t too keen about it at first. I wanted something more isolated, private and less crowded, a “hidden jewel“. However, since we’ll be staying at the Six Senses Resort in Con Dao, Vietnam for an entire week right after Thailand, I figured it would be good to stay in Phuket and enjoy it’s craziness, after all. The Six Senses Resort in Con Dao is completely isolated, deserted, there’s not much to do, so we’ll enjoy our time just relaxing, meditating and mentally preparing ourselves for our return to Guatemala.

There are TONS of different luxury hotels in Phuket, it’s overwhelming. I’ve looked at several of them again and again, trying to decide which ones we’d like best, and that still fit within our budget. Some were big chain hotels (Bayan Tree, our original choice, Anantara, W Hotel, etc.,) until I finally narrowed our search down to two: The Pavilions and Sri Panwa – keeping in mind an ocean view is a requirement we will not compromise on.

Both are gorgeous hotels and have fantastic reviews. The villas are also very spacious, which we like. Both are a little distant from the busyness of Phuket, which is a plus. So, with those things in mind, which one would you rather stay in? It’s a tough choice!!

The Pavilions – “Ocean View Pool Villa”:

 

 

Sri Panwa – “1 Bedroom Pool Villa Ocean View”:

 

 

 

Looking forward to your input!!

{ Thought of The Day } – Finding Peace at Six Senses Con Dao

As I sit here trying to come up with the words to express myself in a letter I must write to my mother, a letter she will never, ever, read – a tactic our family councilor (yes, we have one, and I highly recommend it to everyone) believes will help me forgive her for all the things she unconsciously did, or did not do, to me throughout my life – I can’t help but daze off to a better place, peaceful and pure, for some comfort every couple of minutes. I’ve always been really good at facing and expressing my emotions, but somehow when it comes to my deepest, most personal feelings, I lack the courage to even acknowledge they exist. Ignoring such feelings used to be my strongest defense mechanism, my way to face the hardships of life, my way of survival. But as our councilor has said repeatedly, it’s also a ticking bomb waiting to explode.

So here I am, trying to sum up all my emotions into a few words and sentences on a piece of paper. How do you summarize 26 years of your life? Surely, there’s no way of going back in time and remembering all the good and bad without getting a bit emotional….it’s like watching your life unfold right in front of your eyes from a time machine. It’s not easy. There are certain things from my past that I would much rather forget and brush under the rug, thank you. But hey, it’s all for the best. It’s for my mother. And because she’s only human and I love her, I want to forgive her with all my soul. As my councilor also said: the reason why I’ve never pictured myself as a mother has a lot to do with the fact that I’ve never had a mother-daughter relationship. I don’t know what that is, nor what it consists of.

So, every few minutes as I write this painful letter, I take a break and remind myself that in just a few months time, my husband and I will escape the harsh reality and unfairness of life by going here for a week: The Six Senses Resort at Con Dao, Vietnam.

…and suddenly, it’s all worth it!

Doesn’t it take your breath away?

I can’t wait!

{ What We Need } – Hotel for Dogs

If you have a dog (or a few) that is treated like part of the family, you must agree that it breaks your heart when you have to leave him behind when you go away on vacation. My little Frankie knows we’re leaving for a long time the moment we start packing our bags. He cries, he barks, he gets mad and lastly…he gets depressed. Yes, he has MAJOR separation anxiety (and so do we.) And no, that’s not a good thing. Actually, it’s a serious problem.

You see, when we lived in Boston we traveled a lot more than we do here. But in Boston, I traveled guilt-free because I knew my Frankie was treated extremely well in the Dog Hotel we used to leave him. Actually, he loved it there and everyone knew him really, really well. Seeing how excited and happy he was when we left him made us feel a lot better. At least he wasn’t depressed. There, he used to even get “report cards” which let us know of his daily activities (which included ice-cream day, playdates, spa day, etc) and on his behavior. He was treated like a baby, and we really appreciated that. Plus, the facilities were amazing….almost like a real hotel; with suites that had their own flat screens, telephones and comfy beds. It was amazing. I’m sure it still is.

But not as amazing as this new dog hotel that opened recently, The Urban Hound. Considered a “luxury hotel for dogs” – also in Boston. This place is the bomb! Why can’t we have something like this here? Just look at how fantastic it is! Frankie would love it….and so would we. I miss having a place to leave him when we travel. I mean, there are places here, but they are nowhere near this! They are usually places where they leave our dogs in crates all day.

At The Urban Hound, they love our dogs as much as we do….which is exactly what dog owners, like myself, look for!

Check it out:

How cool is it?