JANUARY 2010
The Magazine for DestinationTravel Specialists
®
Posada del Angel A Romantic Hideaway in Colonial Antigua, Guatemala
Querétaro, Mexico The Dominican Republic’s North Coast Explore the Unexpected
The Complete Vacation Destination
LATIN AMERICA
Guatemala: A Country of Active Volcanoes, Tropical Jungles, an Ancient Culture – and Endless Tourism Potential Maya Vacations broadens Guatemala’s appeal with it’s action-packed adventure/nature tours. G A I L P. D U B O V GAIL P. DUBOV
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ourism to Guatemala has more than doubled this decade, to 1.7 million visitors last year from just over 800,000 in 2000, according to government statistics. The country is attracting visitors from around the world, including a growing number of Europeans. And there’s a very good reason. In a country that offers thirtythree volcanoes, Mayan ruins, scenic lakes and black sand beaches, there’s something to offer every client, whether an history buff or beach bum. Maya Vacations was started in 2005 by local travel professionals, key players in the development of Guatemala’s tourism industry. Estuardo Riley, its ESTUARDO RILEY president, told Travel World News, “We started up four years ago to fulfill special travel needs in Guatemala for niche market segments.” Riley and his team believed that Guatemala as a tourism destination was more than just a country of classic tourist sites. International markets have promoted Guatemala’s famous Mayan ruins at Tikal, its colonial city of Antigua, the market at Chichicastenango and beautiful Lake Atitlan. But Maya Vacations’ goal is to broaden the country’s appeal. “Guatemala is full of opportunities for bird watchers, surfers, sports fishing, mountain bikers, trekking, white river rafting, and much much more,” Riley explained. With that in mind, the company has been offering custom made tours for wholesalers and tour operators worldwide so they can offer unique itineraries for FIT’s or groups.
Classic Guatemala or Action Packed Tours Maya Vacations has developed a series of sample itineraries that offer the best of Guatemala. The tours are adaptable to your clients needs, offering boutique as well as three to five star hotels. Price, schedule and places to visit depend on each group’s interest and size. The classic “Modern and Colonial” tour of 8 Days/7 Nights features the highlights of Guatemala. After airport pickup and a night in Guatemala City, clients are transferred to Antigua and a city tour. This old historic capital
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The colonial city of Antigua has charming cobblestone streets and classical Spanish architecture.
city is often called the most beautiful Spanish colonial city in the world with its original architecture, cobblestone streets and impressive sixteenth and seventeenth century monasteries and cathedrals. A tour out of the city to a coffee plantation is also included. Day 3 and 4 are at Lake Atitlan with a boat tour to some of the native villages that rim the lake. Then on to Chichicastenango, one of the largest outdoor markets in Latin America. Day 5 takes the client back to Guatemala City to experience the city’s rich cultural life. Day 6 begins with a very early flight to Flores Peten, where Mayan pyramids stand at the site of Yaxha. Day 7 takes clients to the most important Mayan archeological site—Tikal. Day 8 is departure home. Abbreviated four day/three night trips include Guatemala City, Antigua and eitherTikal or Chichicastenango. Varied itineraries address Maya Vacations’ goal of showcasing Guatemala as a destination for your adventurous, natureloving client. The 8-day Adventure Tour will satisfy any thrill seeker with a mix of culture and adrenalin rush. Just outside
LATIN AMERICA of Guatemala City, clients can rock climb; on the Pacific Coast, they can canoe through turtle reserves; in the highlands, they can mountain bike through Indian villages; in the jungle they can ride all terrain vehicles at night spotting nocturnal animals. Other tours include the 8-day Natural Paradise Adventure where clients explore ecological reserves, natural parks, archeologicalsites and volcanoes. Scheduled in this action-packed tour are cave exploration, mountain biking, sky walking and volcano climbing. An 8day tour of Guatemala’s Caribbean coast includes a boat trip through the Rio Dulce Canyon, a visit to the Candelaria Caves and floating in tubes through the underground cave network. The tour ends with a day of hiking Pacaya, one of Guatemala’s three active volcanoes.
One Day Tours Maya Vacations offers one day tours for the client who wants a day of adventure or a day visiting one of the country’s popular tourist spots. Your client can be picked up at their hotel fora day tour of Guatemala City or colonial Antigua. For the active client, a one day adventure tour to Pacaya volcano, just forty-five minutes from the city, can be scheduled. With its many rivers, whitewater rafting is another adventure option. There are class II through class IV rivers, depending on how much of a daredevil your client is. The most popular day
tour is to the Mayan ruins at Tikal, a flight from Guatemala City arranged by Maya Vacations and accompanied by a guide. All one day tours are $75 (not including air), two person minimum. Clients have the option of combining Guatemala with other neighboring countries in Central America. Customized tours are available for clients within Guatemala and Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Guatemalan Highlights tours (8 days/7 nights): $1270/ppdo. Natural Paradise Tour (8 days/7 nights) starts at $1545/ppdo.
Maya Vacations, reservations@mayavacations.com, 866-498-5333, www.mayavacations.com
TARA TOURS OFFERS GUATEMALA SPECIAL FOR $970 Tara Tours is presenting a Guatemala Special priced at just $970 for six days/five nights featuring Antigua, Chichicastenango and Atitlan. In Guatemala City, accommodations are at the five-star property Barcelo Guatemala with full American breakfast served daily. The package offers the opportunity to get outside the capital and see some of the country, with an included half-day excursion to the historic town of Antigua and a full-day trip to Atitlan and the market of Chichicastenango. The beautiful Antigua, with its colonial architecture, was the first capital of Guatemala during the Spanish conquest (15-17th century) and is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in the Americas. On Sunday travelers visit the famous indigenous market of Chichicastenango, where hundreds of local people from the nearby villages come to sell and buy their products as well as offer the most incredible selection of tourist souvenirs. Chichi (as it is called by the locals) is a magical place, and the market is an amazing festivity of color, old traditions and religion. In late afternoon, guests are provided a guided tour of Atitlan with its lovely lake and three volcanoes. The tour departs every Thursday. From Miami, the $970 ppdo price through December 1, 2010, includes round-trip airfare to Guatemala via American Airlines (other USA departure cities listed below), hotel Barcelo Dorado for five nights with breakfast daily, all transfers and English-speaking tour guides. The following are add-ons via American Airlines—add $200 from ATL, BOS, DFW, EWR, HOU, LAX, NYC, WAS + Zone 1 (Florida) Zone 2 and Zone 3; add $230 from SFO and Zone 5; add $290 from CHI, SJU and Zone 4; add $340 from Zone 6. All rates are subject to change at any time. The American zone chart is as follows—Zone 1: FL; Zone 2: AR, LA, MS, NM, OK, TX; Zone 3: CT, GA, MA, MD, NC, NH, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT; Zone 4: AL, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, OH, SD, TN, WI; Zone 5: CA, ID, NV, UT; and Zone 6: OR, WA. Tara Tours, 800-327-0080, www.taratours.com
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LATIN AMERICA
Posada del Angel: A Romantic Hideaway in Colonial Antigua, Guatemala Sophisticated charm mixed with first-class service, this boutique hotel has welcomed princes and presidents in elegant Guatemalan style. G A I L P. D U B O V
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here aren’t many seven room boutique hotels in the world that can boast a guest list of presidents, prime ministers and princes. Plus a few Hollywood celebrities who will remain anonymous, an indication of how protective this intimate posada—or “inn” in Spanish—is of its guests. Tucked away a few cobblestone streets from the heart of Antigua, Guatemala, Posada del Angel is one of the best kept secrets of this quaint colonial town. And its back story is as magical as its setting. It all started sixteen years ago when Mary Sue Morris, a native Texan and inveterate traveler, decided to stop wandering the world. She made Antigua her home, creating the hotel she always dreamed of staying at—one that was “stylish, beautiful, elegant…where you are just as comfortable being single as being married, a hotel where you get to know other guests and the local residents or you can be left entirely alone.” And so Posada del Angel was born, with rustic Guatemalan charm and a personal touch, the first boutique hotel in Antigua. When Mary Sue died in 2006, she left a legacy. The inn would be auctioned off, with proceeds used to finance “Becas Mari Sue,” a foundation to educate Guatemalan children, managed through a trust and supported by Posada del Angel. Enter two young entrepreneurs from Guatemala City, eager for a business but with no prior hotel experience. Owner Ricardo Balzaretti told Travel World News, “Enrique called me one day. We’ve been friends for a long time and have talked about doing a business together. He said, ‘I have a business but you have to decide today,’ Ricardo continued with a laugh. His business partner Enrique Urruela added, “We put together the numbers, had a good feeling about it and we just decided to do it.” The Balzarettis and Urruelas suddenly became hoteliers. The timing couldn’t have been better. It was right before the economic crisis began and the new owners were able to get financing. They added two new rooms—The Mayan Room and The Mary Sue Suite in honor of the original owner, a woman whose legacy they are determined to continue. “We knew this place was a jewel that needed a little cleaning to shine, Balzaretti explained with pride. They’ve been cleaning out for two and a half years now, bringing in high end mattresses, luxury linens and towels, and adding fine touches like handmade soaps and native incense. Without any experience in running a hotel, they had decided to “run it like our house with friends,” Ana de
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RICARDO BALZARETTI, ENRIQUE URRUELA, ANA DE URRUELA
Urruela explained. “That’s just what Mary Sue did and that’s what made it special.” Alicia de Balzaretti is now manager, and along with a staff of eight bilingual employees, gives a personal face to the inn. “That’s what got us through the economic crisis,” explained Ricardo, Alicia’s husband. Tourism has been down 15% in Guatemala but their personal relationships with guests have brought repeat business to Posada del Angel and the owners feel that personal touch has made the difference.
Attention to detail with first-class service Winner of the 2007 Andrew Harper Hideaway Report, Posada del Angel stands behind a set of ancient wood turquoise doors, a few streets away from Parque Central, the heart of Antigua. But once those doors are opened and you step inside the tranquil courtyard, the noise of motorcycles and cars fade away, your senses are soothed with incense, fountains and soft classical music. The colonial house beyond is reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa, with stucco walls of salmon and gold, created to blend the interior with the outdoors. A long, narrow lap pool, open to the sky and lined in a deep blue tile, runs the length of a stone walkway. A comfortable living room with its imposing fireplace sits opposite it, cozy furnishings and a laptop with hi speed internet connection available to guests. The dining room resembles a stone chapel, with morning light streaming through the floor to ceiling glass doors. This is where breakfast is served-- fresh squeezed orange juice, native fruit, hearty Guatemalan coffee and the inn’s signature dish, huevos rancheros. From your clients first cup of coffee, Simon, a 12 year employee, will remember just how they like it, bringing it to their table each morning.
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LATIN AMERICA POSADA DEL ANGEL From Page 4 Rooms are decorated in the style of colonial elegance with rich, bright colors, local textiles and huge bouquets of fresh cut flowers. Luxurious 600 thread-count sheets and hand woven bedspreads cover the beds, each with a distinctively elaborate bed frame. Private baths contain thick bathrobes, lush towels and handmade soaps and lotions. Each room has its own wood burning fireplace. A roaring fire will be started at your clients request by a member of the Posada’s attentive staff. The busiest season is Christmas, New Years and Holy Week (Easter) when the city overflows with 40,000 tourists arriving for religious festivities. It’s a must see, when locals, dressed in purple, carry huge crucifixes in processionals down the crowded streets of the city. The rooftop terrace offers magnificent views of three volcanoes and is perfect for watching the sunset at the end of a day of sightseeing. Specially designed carpets cover the long stretches of cobblestone as thousands of onlookers watch the spectacle. Though temperatures stay in the 70’s through most of Historic Antigua the year, Antigua’s tourism drops from May to October, its Founded in 1543 as Guatemala’s capital, Antigua is a must rainy season. Sixty-five percent of the inn’s guests are from see on any tourist route. “It’s absolutely the center of our the United Stations, 20% from Europe and the rest from tourism industry,” said Evelyn Davidson, director of North Guatemala, Central and South America and other countries. American and European marketing for the Federal Institute “We have a lot of people from New York and D.C., given that of Tourism. A walk through the cobblestone streets of the (President) Clinton was here. It put this hotel on the map,” ex- city—only twelve square blocks—explains why. Its colonial plained Ricardo Balzaretti. “It was the only time an American architecture, restored cathedrals, convents, plazas and resipresident spent the night on Guatemalan soil.” Besides dences from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are the Clinton, the inn has hosted other dignitaries including finest examples of Spanish Colonial art and architecture in Canada’s former Prime Minister Trudeau, and the Prince of the Americas. Antigua has been called the loveliest Spanish Saxony and his wife, the Princess of Bavaria. But most guests colonial town in the world. Surrounded by three towering volare not royalty. “Eighty-five percent of our guests use the canoes, hundreds of thousands of people visit the city each Posada as their home base, staying an average of four nights,” year. They come to study Spanish, attend cooking school, volexplained Alicia de Balzaretti, hotel manager. Guests may unteer, and experience the culture of Guatemala. Others leave to overnight at Lake Atitlan and the market at come for the city’s art galleries, boutiques and sophisticated Chichicastenango or fly to the famous Mayan ruins at Tikal. restaurants. For its strong historical and cultural value, the The Posada can help customize any trip requests. city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. Destination weddings have made Antigua—and the inn— an attractive locale. The house can be rented for a week, en- Welcoming agents suring privacy for a family with the hotel’s personal services. Most of Posada del Angels’ business comes through their “A lot of people come from the United States to get married website, which is their most important advertising tool. But here,” explained Enrique. “We are trying to get weddings travel agencies are getting to know the inn and booking diand family reunions—there are special rates for these.” Last rectly with them. “We give 5% commission when we start a reyear, a family scattered from L.A. to NY rented the inn for lationship with an agent,” explained Alicia de Balzaretti, Thanksgiving, a cheaper alternative than flying to one coast manager of the hotel. “We can go up to 10-15%, depending or the other. Suites accommodate two adults and two children on the business generated by them,” she continued. or an additional adult. The majority of guests are sophisti- According to Balzaretti, the hotel participates in the cated travelers who are looking for something different or TACA fam trip and is open to customize any other fam trip honeymooners and couples who come to unwind in a roman- with interested and established agencies. Agents can book tic setting. “We don’t have phones in the rooms. We didn’t via email, website request or the hotel’s Miami phone numwant TVs in the rooms but guests asked for it. They are small ber. Rooms, including breakfast start at $175/night; suites and discrete. The level of noise is very low—it’s a place to start at $231/night. relax. We even talk a little lower here,” Enrique Urruela told Posada del Angel, elangel@posadadelangel.com, Travel World News. www.posadadelangel.com
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