It was a temperate morning in March, the dry season.
Within minutes, I was panting.
The Drive from Guatemala City to Lake Atitlan had reminded me of my visit eight years earlier.
The infinity pool at Casa Palopó.Credit:Joaquin Trujillo
Once the cradle of Mayan civilization, Guatemala was later annexed by Spain and Mexico.
After a series of hair-raising switchbacks, we arrived at the lake.
These tensions remain palpable and, we learned, are fueling an exodus of Guatemalan citizens.
From left: Villa Bokéh’s gardens; a craft vendor in Antigua.Joaquin Trujillo
Sipping a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon, we grazed and lost track of time.
We returned to the hotel as day gave way to dusk.
These leisurely, unexpected moments provided one of the greatest revelations on this visit to Guatemala.
From left: A suite at Casa Palopó, which showcases works by contemporary and Indigenous Guatemalan artists; Reyna Amairani with a rug from Que Onda Vos, the boutique where she works.Joaquin Trujillo
In 1979, Antigua was recognized as a unesco World Heritage site.
We were staying at Villa Bokeh, a stylish property that opened on the outskirts of town in 2021.
It is a world of refinement at the end of a long driveway shaded by jade vine.
From left: Woman with a Red Bow, by Colombian painter Fernando Botero, at Casa Palopó, a hotel overlooking Lake Atitlán, in Guatemala; the Atitlán volcano, as seen from the property.Joaquin Trujillo
In the near distance I spotted Volcan de Agua, the volcano that looms over the city.
Were known as this hidden gem, she went on.
But, frankly, we are tired of being hidden.
From left: The cocktail bar Ulew, where the entrance is concealed in a telephone booth; a tuk-tuk in Antigua Guatemala.Joaquin Trujillo
Rodrigo Salvo, Quiltros lanky, genial chef, came by our table at the start of the meal.
The restaurant, he explained, was an extension of his personal love affair with Guatemala.
Thats what pulled me here.
From left: The courtyard of Villa Bokéh, a hotel in Antigua Guatemala; the bathroom in a Villa Bokéh suite.Joaquin Trujillo
Where such meals in bigger cities can quickly feel pretentious, this experience was marked by an infectious earnestness.
Im not sure this would have worked five years ago, said Rodrigo Aguilar, Nanas chef and owner.
His first restaurant was Kombu, a ramen spot priced to appeal to backpackers.
The Fuego volcano at sunset.Joaquin Trujillo
I mentioned this to Aguilar and asked if he had any words of advice.
Oh, man, theres nothing like it, he said, a wily glint in his eye.
But let me tell you: it is going to be very, very hard.
From left: Nana, a restaurant and vintage clothing boutique in Antigua Guatemala; Nana’s tlayuda, made with snapper and roasted purple cabbage.Joaquin Trujillo
The punishing expanse wed crossed that morning morphed into a cloud forest of gargantuan ferns and moss-choked trees.
The rest will be maybe not easy, but possible.
Some five hours of uphill later, we arrived at the campsite.
From left: Dishes filled with hibiscus flower and other local ingredients at Quiltro, a restaurant in Antigua Guatemala; chef Rodrigo Salvo of Quiltro, with his wife, Dulce Maria Palacio, and daughter, Camila.Joaquin Trujillo
The cloud forest had yielded to a mist-shrouded landscape of towering pines.
And now, Ramirez said, the show begins.
Each explosion was preceded by a primeval gurgle that gave way to bursts of lava.
From left: The Paloma cocktail at Villa Bokéh; the bedroom of the Cerro de Oro Suite at Casa Palopó.Joaquin Trujillo
Come dawn the next morning, we would climb to the summit, which would be grueling.
It has 15 character-filled rooms, an excellent restaurant, and lavish grounds.
The greenhouse at Villa Bokéh.Joaquin Trujillo
