Looking to go over Thanksgiving week with my girlfriend and her 15yo son. Would appreciate any tips or suggestions for a very active family, not into big tour groups. Thanks

I don't know if I will lay claim to being an expert but I have been, planned trips for others, and am going back in October. We've mostly spent time in the south western part near Antigua, and Lake Atitlan. Most of my adventurous clients in Guatemala are going for the volcano hiking. You can do a single day hike from Antigua on the Volcan Pacaya (there is a guy who cooks pizza at the top from the steam), Acatenago is the most popular and is considered a multi-day hike. Other activities are coffee and chocolate plantation visits but are more leisurely.

Flores in the north is a great add on if timing works, it's next to the jungle of Tikal National Park and there are some great wildlife spotting opportunities.

As far as stays, El Convento or Santo Domingo in Antigua are the two best. Casa Palopo in Lake Atitlan (if you stay in the villa portion they have full view of the volcano on the other side of the lake. In Flores I'd suggest bolontiku or la lancha.

Feel free to reach out if you have more specific questions or if you'd like some help with the trip, though I know you're very well travelled!

Thanks for the info! Ideally, I am looking to fly out on the 20th and return on the 28th/29th depending on flights.

I am thinking of splitting the trip between Lake Aititlan and somewhere else, preferably an ocean town south of there like El Paredon or somewhere like that. I want him to surf with me a day and then maybe a boat trip or snorkel day if that is offered.

If we don't do a beach town, where would you recommend?

Lastly, Have you stayed in AirBnB's in Guatemala? Some of them on the lake look amazing and having a private pool would be great, but I then think that being at a hotel would allow the kiddo to meet kids his age and be entertained a little more.

Sounds like fun! My top pick if you're not doing the surfing/beach town is going to be staying in Antigua and doing a volcano hike (probably Pacaya).

Regarding AirBnB's, we haven't stayed in one yet but I've been looking at this one for our upcoming trip:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1623533183430360864?unique_share_id=068b10ea-e0a4-4e68-8999-482356f398ae&viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76

Its for 2 people though.

UtopiaBoutiqueTravel has a great portfolio of apartments in Guatemala if you want to check them out. I personally prefer the hotels due to the onsite restaurant and the ability to help with activities or recommendations.

I don't know your confidence level driving in other countries but I have friends from Guatemala and they recommended that I not drive myself. I took them up on it last time and I'm glad I hired a driver. Drivers are aggressive in Guat city and the roads are steep/windy especially around the Lake area.

I lived in Guatemala for seven years.

There are some great rentals around Lake Atitln, but many of them take a bit of effort to get to. Personally, I preferred staying in or near Panajachel. There was more going on, and it was easy to take day trips to the other towns around the lake.

The beaches in Guatemala aren't great and would be pretty far down my list of recommendations. When we wanted a beach weekend, we usually drove to El Tunco in El Salvador. Guatemala's beaches are fine if you just want to spend a couple of days by the ocean, but they're nothing specialI'd compare them to Galveston.

If you're looking for a second stop on your trip, I'd recommend Antigua instead. There are plenty of outdoor activities nearby, including hiking the volcanoes, and Antigua itself is a beautiful city.