My visit to Guatemala during the month of April stemmed from my desire to slow travel through Central and South America this year while learning spanish. Therefore I chose the city of Antigua as it was a wonderful combination of old world architecture combined with scenic natural beauty and modern conveniences such as availability of great wifi and transportation options at a very affordable cost. I selected the Spanish Language school of Maximo Nivel due to the many options they provided in terms of classes (group, private or a combination of the two), and accommodation (host home, hostel, college dorms, apartments). My one month stay which included an hour of private lessons followed by 2 hours of group classes 5 days a week, along with one month apartment rental cost me $1100 US The accommodation was in a very central location and I found the city to be extremely easy to navigate on foot. Loved that I could walk almost everywhere. In addition I felt extremely safe at all times.
Outside of the cost of my program I found there was an abundance of places to eat which were very reasonable. You could obtain breakfast of eggs, bacon, beans, toast, coffee for about $5, and typically my lunch, which I chose to make my heaviest meal of the day, would be about $15 at a dine in restaurant and including my beverage. Fast food options were also widely available and would of course be cheaper.
Sightseeing costs ranged from free for walking and food tours, to moderate for day trips to nearby Hobbitenango, (about $15US for shuttle transportation and entrance). While excursions to Lake Atitlan could be done for a one way shuttle price of $20 booking privately to significantly more if using a tour company for arrangements. In summary, Guatemala is a great budget friendly option for anyone wanting to spend time in a beautiful, safe, location with history and lots of natural beauty to enjoy.
As a solo travelling black female in her fifties, feeling both safe and at ease when traveling is very important to me. San Jose, Costa Rica scored high marks for me in both those areas. I stayed at an apartment style Airbnb in the heart if the city, Urbn Escalante, which was modern, clean, secure, had 24hr front desk service, and was an easy 15 minute walk into San Jose city center. I was delighted to discover that I could wander around freely without being stared at, approached (only minimally), or being made to feel in any way uncomfortable due to race, gender or nationality. I found people to be helpful and courteous when approached, even when utilizing my very basic Spanish. There were so any options for things to do and I had so much fun visiting La Paz waterfalls, although this adventure was way more physically taxing due to the amount of steep staircases going up and down, than I anticipated. Everywhere you look the vegetation is lush and beautiful. Also recommend a visit to Caribbean side of Puerto Viejo where the beaches were amazing and I had the most delicious fish lunch I've eaten in a while. Cost is also very reasonable for ubers and for food in general. Highly recommend.
My visit to Guatemala during the month of April stemmed from my desire to slow travel through Central and South America this year while learning spanish. Therefore I chose the city of Antigua as it was a wonderful combination of old world architecture combined with scenic natural beauty and modern conveniences such as availability of great wifi and transportation options at a very affordable cost. I selected the Spanish Language school of Maximo Nivel due to the many options they provided in terms of classes (group, private or a combination of the two), and accommodation (host home, hostel, college dorms, apartments). My one month stay which included an hour of private lessons followed by 2 hours of group classes 5 days a week, along with one month apartment rental cost me $1100 US The accommodation was in a very central location and I found the city to be extremely easy to navigate on foot. Loved that I could walk almost everywhere. In addition I felt extremely safe at all times. Outside of the cost of my program I found there was an abundance of places to eat which were very reasonable. You could obtain breakfast of eggs, bacon, beans, toast, coffee for about $5, and typically my lunch, which I chose to make my heaviest meal of the day, would be about $15 at a dine in restaurant and including my beverage. Fast food options were also widely available and would of course be cheaper. Sightseeing costs ranged from free for walking and food tours, to moderate for day trips to nearby Hobbitenango, (about $15US for shuttle transportation and entrance). While excursions to Lake Atitlan could be done for a one way shuttle price of $20 booking privately to significantly more if using a tour company for arrangements. In summary, Guatemala is a great budget friendly option for anyone wanting to spend time in a beautiful, safe, location with history and lots of natural beauty to enjoy.
As a solo travelling black female in her fifties, feeling both safe and at ease when traveling is very important to me. San Jose, Costa Rica scored high marks for me in both those areas. I stayed at an apartment style Airbnb in the heart if the city, Urbn Escalante, which was modern, clean, secure, had 24hr front desk service, and was an easy 15 minute walk into San Jose city center. I was delighted to discover that I could wander around freely without being stared at, approached (only minimally), or being made to feel in any way uncomfortable due to race, gender or nationality. I found people to be helpful and courteous when approached, even when utilizing my very basic Spanish. There were so any options for things to do and I had so much fun visiting La Paz waterfalls, although this adventure was way more physically taxing due to the amount of steep staircases going up and down, than I anticipated. Everywhere you look the vegetation is lush and beautiful. Also recommend a visit to Caribbean side of Puerto Viejo where the beaches were amazing and I had the most delicious fish lunch I've eaten in a while. Cost is also very reasonable for ubers and for food in general. Highly recommend.