$ Budget
Maya Papaya (dorm and private)
Barbara’s Boutique Hostel (dorm and private)
Naif Hotel
$$ Mid Range
El Meson de Maria Ojala (dorm + private)
Casi Casa (dorm and private)
Cacao Boutique Hotel
Casi Casa
The Good Hotel
El Mason de Maria
$$$ LUX
Panza Verde - Boutique with rooms ranging from $122 - $400
Santo Domingo - HUGE - one of the few 5 star hotels in Guatemala (great for large groups and children)
El Convento - Lux boutique
CAFES
El Gran Cafe $- Delicious local coffee only, great for taking home beans too
Union cafe - $ - coffee, smoothies, breakfast + lunch, cute casual (V)
Samsara - $$ - organic, gf vegetarian & vegan options breakfast - dinner (V)
Caoba farms- $$ - organic farm to table restaurant – breakfast + lunch open tues – sun (V)
Saul $$ - Bistrot style next to the Good Hotel - Breakfast, lunch and dinner with a speciality in crepes, tartines pizza (V)
Comalote $ - Traditional breakfast and lunch using heirloom and organic produce. (V)
Alegria Cafe $ - Cute cafe next to Central Park with good coffee, and easy breakfast dishes, cookies (V)
Artista de Cafe $- Coffee shop with good cakes, cookies and breakfast/light meal options. Great spot to work in (V)
12 Onzas $ - Coffee house and light meals good for easy breakfast and lunch right on 4th Calle.(V)
Fat Cat Coffee $- One of the OG coffee houses, great coffee, now serving simple light meals for breakfast and lunch. Opens at 7am for the early birds
Lunch + Dinner
Cactus - $$ - grill, tacos, Burritos + delicious margaritas (V)
El Cazador Deli $ Locals tip when you need a freshly made deli sandwich on the go
Fridas - $$ - traditional and fun mexican food with a super lively atmosphere and the best mescalitas in town (V)
Hector’s bistro - $$$ - Casual Bistrot dining in a lively plaza.
Toku baru - $ - get a feast for under q50. Indian + asian curries and plates (V)
Rincon antigüeño $- super cheap local charcoal chicken house. Plates are 35q-45q for Chicken and sides.
Can do a very cheap veggie plate too La Merced street food- $ - treat yourself to guatemalan cuisine friday – sunday (V)
Kombu $$ delicious raman + asian plates - vegan + vegetarian (V)
Le Japones - $$ - high end japanese sushi and small plates. (V)
Santo espiritu - $$$ - Modern italian in a gorgeous revamped colonial house. Super recommend (V)
Clio’s - $$$- Contemporary eatery with high end traditional service. (V)
Osteria de Francesco $$- Old school italian next to El Calvario for when you need pasta (V)
El Cazador Italian $$ - Pasta and Italian in town (V)
Como Como $$ Local charming neighbourhood Belgium restaurant with unpretentious cuisine
Suelo wines $$- Natural wine bar with small share plates and sourdough pizza
El Bosque $$ Huge garden with different food options
Antigua Brewing (V)
Cafe no se
famous candle-lit mezcal dive bar with live music every night
Vibras de la Casbah Night club
best dance floor in antigua
Las Palmas Salsa
dancing, free dance lessons on different nights!
The Snug
a local hangout – irish bar
Ul’ew
speakeasy tucked behind the entrance of Antigua Brewing Company
Tobacos y Vinos
Nestled under the arch – cute little wine bar
Gerty’s
local dive bar owned by our friend, Sagan - spinning vinyls most nights
El Barrio
Central plaza with multiple bars around. Always has people.
The Market
ARTISANS MARKET - A must if you adore vintage textiles, woodwork and artisan goods.
LOCAL MARKET - Explore the flower section and head inside, near towards the produce for local fruits, spices and veggies.
Hilosophy
A high-end textile shop with beautiful fabric by the yard, hammocks, pillows and table cloths. All of their weavers weave the fabrics on the lower level of the building
LUNA ZORRO STUDIO
Good friend, Molly Berry owns this beautiful little studio. She hosts a variety of workshops. Located about 15 minutes outside of Antigua on a coffee farm.
NIM POT
A market style co-op with set prices. Saves you the stress of haggling and also better helps you understand fair pricing for when you do plan on haggling a bit.
Hike a Volcano
Pacaya ½ Day Volcano Hike. Choose morning or afternoon where you can cook pizza on lava. Very easy 1-2 hour hike on an active volcano Volcano Acatenango overnight hike. Reasonably difficult 5+hr hike up volcano. Most say a once in a lifetime experience!
Head out to El Pilar for the day
Nature Hike + Swim
Take Spanish Classes
Maximo impact Spanish hub, ixchel spanish school, Escuela de Espanol, San Jose el Viejo
Weaving Class
Kakaw designs
Jade carving workshop
Xibalba studio
Salsa Lessons
Salsa y Mas
Volunteer
Caoba Farms, Ninos de Guatemala
Tour a coffee farm
Finca La Azotea, Finca Columbia
Spa Day
Hotel Santo Domingo
Hobbitenango
A farm and attraction 20 minutes up the hill from Antigua in El Hato. It’s a purpose built attraction with hobbit inspired accommodations and activities like archery and games. Incredible views. Has a restaurant. Transport provided from town leaving from cafe AM BKFST.
Alta Mira
Also located in El Hato about 20 mins up the hill from Antigua is another attraction with a restaurant, games and an incredible view of Antigua - photo opp in the famous Hand!
Antigua is essentially sunny and warm during the day all year, with the nights being cool where you will need a sweater to a jacket.
Nov - April is dry season - think a sunny and dry 23-27C during the day dropping to 14-17C at night.
Dec-Jan can be quite cold at night so be prepared. This time of year is very sunny and can be strong. Think light clothing and good shoes/sandals and consider sun protection like sunscreen, a hat and light shirts. Always have a sweater and/or a jacket for the evenings because it can become quite cold as the sun goes down.
April - Nov is rainy season - It will be around 23-30C during the day though normally with a morning downpour for an hour or so. This time of year can feel very humid and the evenings do cool down but only to 17-18C. You will need an umbrella or rain coats if you want to venture out, as well as waterproof shoes. The streets can turn to rivers quite quickly, though equally disappear as fast. The days can feel steamy, so dressing can be a little different. For me this time of year is a jeans and t-shirt kind of scenario.
WIFI - most coffee shops and cafes in town have WIFI - if you sit and grab a coffee they will be more than happy to share the wifi, it is almost expected here. All major cell services work in Guatemala
ATM’s - the best way to get local currency is through the ATM’s located at many of the banks around town. We recommend the banks located around Central Park as they also have security guards. Each ATM will usually charge you a fee. HOT TIP - take out the maximum which is 2000Q (around $250) so then you’re only charged the fee once and not with consistently taking out smaller amounts..
CASH EXCHANGE: Cash exchange places in Antigua charge an exuberant amount on currency exchange and can feel like they are ripping you off, which they are. We recommend using these places only in absolute emergencies (which will likely not happen with our support).
THEFT: Antigua is a relatively safe little tourist town, and even though negative things rarely happen, they still do occur from time to time, and usually in an opportunistic way. We always recommend using an over the shoulder bag with a zip and or backpack- and keeping your money, credit cards and phone separate and safe. Only take out with you what you will need to avoid feeling stressed about all of your things.
And so, as many of you who’ve been following us for a while know that sustainability is one of the main foundations of the company, so every piece is ethically and sustainably made.
All of our cotton threads are plant dyed in the forests of tecpan. Natural dyes are a great alternative against the massive contamination of synthetic dyes, avoiding contaminating different water sources and fertile lands.
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Saludos desde las oficinas de Stela 9. En el post de hoy les mostraremos y daremos más información sobre como las prendas de ropa son hechas. Para que puedan conocer más a fondo el proceso y trabajo por el que pasa su ropa, desde las madejas de hilo hasta que llega a sus manos.
Así que como muchos de ustedes quienes nos siguen desde hace tiempo saben que la sostenibilidad es uno de los principales pilares de Stela 9, por lo que cada pieza se fabrica de manera ética y sostenible.
Todas nuestras madejas de hilo son de algodón, teñidas a base de plantas en las selvas de Tecpán. Los tintes naturales son una gran alternativa contra la contaminación masiva de tintes sintéticos, evitando la contaminación de las distintas fuentes de agua y tierras fértiles.
All of the cotton threads were naturally dyed with these plants:
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Todos los hilos de algodón se tiñeron naturalmente con estas plantas:
Achiote: which produces this orange and ocher orange color. The orange color is obtained from the pulp of the seeds from which a paste is made that is commonly used to give color and as a spice on stews, sauces, tamales, etc.
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Achiote: el achiote produce un color naranja-naranja ocre. El color anaranjado se obtiene de la pulpa de las semillas con la que se forma una pasta, la cual es usada comúnmente para darle color y sabor a los recados, salsas, tamales, etc.
Índigo: The whole fermented plant is used to obtain the indigo powder, which comes from el Salvador.
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Índigo: toda la planta fermentada es la que se usa para obtener el añil, este polvo viene del salvador.
Palo de pito (tz’ité) : Tree whose flowers are red and elongated like a whistle, The seeds (beans) are bright red, its leaves and bark are the ones used for dyeing. The red flowers are also used in some areas as food.
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Palo de pito (tz’ité): es un árbol con flores rojas y alargadas como forma de pito. Las semillas (frijolitos) son de color rojo fuerte, sus hojas y corteza son las que se usan para teñir. Las flores rojas también se usan en algunas áreas para comer.
Palo de brazil: Tree whose bark is light brown and the center of the stem is a reddish brown, very dark orange. The part that its used for dyeing is the heart of the wood.
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Palo de Brazil: la corteza de este árbol es de color café claro y el centro del tallo es de color marrón rojizo, anaranjado muy oscuro. La parte que se usa para teñir es el corazón de la madera.
The threads are dyed through a ¨bath¨ sort of process where they are submerged in a pot with hot water and the natural dye.
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Las madejas de hilo se tiñen mediante un proceso de ¨baño¨ en el que se sumergen en una olla con agua caliente y el tinte natural.
After they are submerged for a period of time its time to let them air dy.
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Después de sumergirlos durante un periodo de tiempo se dejan colgados para que se sequen con el aire.
After the thread is dry and ready to use, we sent them to the weavers in the highlands, where they prepare it to set it up on the loom, which is a very time-consuming process, it varies depending on the type of thread, the fiber and the design.
The foot loom it’s used for the manufacture of fabrics with a more complex structure, its mechanization allows to work on larger fabrics in a faster way, without losing its artisan value.
These pieces were made with gauze huipil coban style fabric, because the lightweight cottons are fresh to wear during the summer.
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Después de que el hilo está seco y listo para usar, se lo enviamos a los tejedores en las tierras altas, donde los preparan para ser colocado en el telar, el cual es un proceso bastante largo que puede llevar hasta 3 días, varía según el tipo de hilo, la fibra y el diseño.
El telar de pie se utiliza para la fabricación de telas con una estructura más compleja, su mecanización permite trabajar en telas más grandes de manera más rápida, sin perder su valor artesanal.
Estas piezas fueron hechas con tela gauze huipil estilo Cobán, porque es está hecha de algodón ligero, el cual hace que la ropa sea fresca para usar en clima cálido.
When the fabric its done, we take it to Irma who is our pattern maker and seamstress along with her sisters, are the ones who make the stela 9 designs come to life. All of our pieces are hand sewn in her studio outside of Antigua. She gets paid fairly as every single person involved on the process, so they can provide for their families.
And this is the process for which the clothes go through until they are available for you to buy through the website or in our boutique in La Antigua Guatemala.
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Cuando la tela ya está terminada, la tela es llevada a Irma quien es nuestra diseñadora de patrones y costurera junto con sus hermanas hacen que los diseños de Stela 9 cobren vida. Todas nuestras piezas son cosidas a mano en su estudio a las afueras de La Antigua. Ella recibe un pago justo por el trabajo que hace, así como todas las personas involucradas en el proceso de esta manera pueden proveer lo necesario para cubrir sus necesidades y las de sus familias.
Y este es el proceso por el que pasan las prendas de ropa hasta que están disponibles para ser compradas a través del sitio web o en nuestra boutique localizada en La antigua Guatemala.
Every piece from the threads to the final product tells the story of our partnership with the artisans, keeping alive these traditional techniques that bring to life our dream wardrobe, keeping the integrity of our workers and without destroying the environment.
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Cada pieza, desde los hilos hasta el producto final, cuenta la historia de nuestra asociación (alianza) con los artesanos, manteniendo vivas estas técnicas tradicionales que dan vida a nuestro closet soñado, manteniendo la integridad de nuestros trabajadores y sin destruir el medio ambiente.
WRITTEN BY - NATALY MARTINEZ
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