The Central America "Hot and Cold" List (December 2009 - January 2010)

OK it doesn’t have quite the same cachet as the Conde Nast Hotlist, but you never know it could just start a trend! Here are some of our top and bottom picks from our Central America travels:


Favourite country ranking


Guatemala

Belize
Mexico
US



Cheapest hotels


Paraiso Tropical – Rio Dulce

Finca Ixobel – Poptun
Casa de Don David – El Remate






Best Festivals


Local Saint - San Juan de Chamula

Black Christ Festival – Flores

Diablo Festival – Antigua de Guatemala

San Thomas – Chichicastanengo






Best Meals


Hannah’s – San Ignacio
Rose y Chocolate – Merida
9 One 5 – Key West
Fran’s Beach – Caye Caulker

Syd’s – Caye Caulker






Worst meals


Gill – queso releno – Piste (perhaps it would have tasted better if I was...)

Ant – Havana Cafe Merida, Xmas night






Worst Pizza’s (and we did eat quite a few...)


Greedy Too’s – San Ignacio

Panajachel Pizza’s






Worst bathrooms


Finca Ixobel, Poptun (probably the bare electric wires coming out of the shower rose that swung this one...)
Gite del Sol, San Cristobal de Las Casas
Belcove Hotel, Belize






Best Place to stay – a hard one, we stayed in so many unusual places!


Gill – Hotel de la Luz – Merida – quirky and a good bathroom!

Ant – Casa del Mundo, Lake Aititlan, purely for the spectacular setting






Best days – another tough one, every day was fab!


Ant – ATM cave, Tikal, Agua Caliente, day with Juni and the rays

Gill – Day on Lake Aititlan, Tikal, Chichicastanengo






Best Journeys


Rio Dulce to Livingston – an amazing river trip
Panajachel to San Cristobal de Las Casa’s – across the border through a mad market with our backpacks and a really long journey in two minibuses – but fun!
Belize City to Caye Caulker – riding the waves in a fast, open, motorboat clutching our lifejackets
Chetumal to Belize City – crossing yet another land border and then roaring along country roads in the pitch dark on a dubious bus
Antigua to Chichicastanengo to Panajachel - for the spectacular scenery along winding hillside roads


And Ant’s favourite, the overnight bumpy bus ride from Palenque to Merida that he slept through completely!






And the best traveller’s tip of all – make sure you take lots of “Icebreaker” clothes, pure merino wool, they keep you warm, they keep you cool and all you need to do to “launder “ them is to let them freshen up on a hanger overnight!