For the past four years I’ve visited this intriguing city with its colorful people and  vibrant vibe.  This year we have our two friends, Scott and Sandy, visiting for ten days.  Scott’s an old pro at Antigua life but Sandy only spent a brief few hours here off a cruise ship.  And of course you can’t see much in that short time.  To see behind the walls, you need to take time walking the cobblestone streets.

Porta Hotel Antigua

Antigua is a city of culinary delights.  Being the Spanish School capital of all Central America, it draws people from all over the world.  And with this influx of multiple cultures comes an amazing array of tantalizing cuisine.  For Scott and Sandy’s first evening, we dined at the Porta Hotel.  Set in a lush back drop with pool and garden, we enjoyed some very fine dining.

Sandy and I had a chicken breast with lemon sauce and vegetables steamed to a perfect firm perfection.

Bruce and Scott had a white fish over mash potatoes with the same delicious vegetables.

On Wednesday we walked to Central Park where we introduced Scott and Sandy to some of our friends.  I saw Juana for the first time and introduced her to Sandy and Scott.

And Clara was also in the park.  She had a runner that one of my friends back home wanted to buy.

It was a warm day so we spent some time enjoying the hot tub and pool.  We had the entire complex to ourselves.

Meson Panza Verde

For our evening meal, we went to Meson Panza Verde, a restaurant I’ve been wanting to go to since coming to Antigua four years ago.  We had a lovely table with white tablecloth and a pink rose in what they call the cave.  We even were able to get a smile from Bruce and Scott.

There is a long pool with tables for two.  One table had a huge vase filled with red roses and rose petals scattered around the table in a heart shape.  It was going to be a romantic night for someone.

For dinner I had Parmesan encrusted tuna cooked rare with sautéed vegetables over rice.  Bruce had Frutti di Mare which looked delicious and he was kind enough to share his giant shrimp with me.

For dessert Bruce and I shared a macadamia parfait.  It was to die for.  Chocolate and macadamia on the bottom followed by rich vanilla ice cream and topped with merengue.  Definitely not keto except the macadamia nuts.

The entertainment for the evening was a guitar player who played sort of country folk songs.  Scott new the words to some of the songs so he sang along as we ate our meal.

Thursday was a busy day.  Scott and Sandy headed to Finca Filadelfia for a coffee plantation tour and Bruce and I visited with some folks in the park.  I love all the beautiful children and this little girl is seven months old and her name is Alexia.

We met up with Sandy and Scott for lunch at Roots where we had sandwiches.  Yes, I am getting way off the keto.

Afterwards we visited the chocolate Museum where Sandy dressed in Mayan clothing and role played the art of cocoa making.  We had an adorable young girl as our guide through the process of the cocoa bean.

We also stopped and checked out some lovely places along the way.

Fonda De La Calle Real

After several gourmet dinners, we decided to eat in a more authentic Guatemalan restaurant.  Fonda De La Calle Real is located avenue five not too far from the famous arches.  Bruce and I ate a combination of different foods which was very good.  Sandy had fish which she liked very much.  Scott had a pork dish.

I know it sounds like all we do is eat and it is hard to deny that Antigua is a foody’s paradise, but we do a lot of walking each day.   On Friday morning, Sandy came with me to the yoga stretch class and Bruce and Scott went to the gym.  Of course later we went to Luna de Miel for crepes.

Ni-Fu Ni-Fa

In the evening we went to Ni-Fu Ni-Fa for dinner.  This is an Argentinian restaurant located near our apartment.  The main food here is beef.  It was a lovely meal.  Scott and Sandy had filet mignonette and Bruce and I shared an Argentinian platter with sausage and sirloin.

This is not what you think.  Honest to goodness it’s a sausage!

And of course Bruce smoking his cigar!

Does he look like he’s smoking something else???

Caoba Farms

On Saturday mornings at Caoba Farms, the local organic farm, they serve breakfast, have vendors, and have live music.  We walked to the farm to buy some produce so we could cook a meal that night.

On our way home from the farm a young woman gave us a ride.  She said that she was buying produce for her restaurant called 27.  Later that day we decided to go check it out.  What a great little place.  Delicious tacos both vegetarian and with chicken.

Sunday we went to the Macadamia Farm.  Unfortunately, we did not get to see Lorenzo but we did get to have the delicious Macadamia pancakes.

Tomorrow we are off to Lake Attitlan!