Need advice: Guatemala substituted for Cozumel

[topekacruiser]

We're booked on Holland America's Zaandam for a New Years cruise and just found out that Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala has been substituted for Cozumel. I've found very limited information on this area...and some not very good. HELP! We need any advice or suggestions. We are a family of four (with two teen girls). :eek:

[larasmom]

my son is adopted from guatemala. it is a beautiful country. i don't know much about that area but i can ask some of my friends that also traveled more in gautemala than i did. only places i went in gautemala were antigua, guatemala city.

[PurpleCow]

Found a couple of positive reviews at Yahoo Travel. The HAL website had good things to say. It looks like a great place for diving and/or visiting Mayan ruins. You'll have a great time.

[hova]

On our last cruise aboard the HAL Veendam, we stopped at Guatamala. This stop was the highlight of the cruise. We hired a local taxi driver and seen some of the local scenery. We ended the day, at his house, having some fresh fruit with his family. Santo De Tomas is very third world, so make sure you get out into the countryside. We also had our kids with us (13 and 8 at that time). They had a great time.

Overall, I would say you are very lucky to have Guatamala as a stop instead of Cozumel. Just don't expect much in the way of infrastructure or tourist type events.

 

hova

[topekacruiser]

Thanks Hova! That's just what we'd like to do. We hope to escape the cruise ship crowds! Do you remember the taxi drivers name or anything about him? We're thinking that we'd also like to do a quick boat trip on the Rio Dulce, if at all possible.

[Southbound]

A similar question was asked on the HAL board which resulted in several responses, one of which suggested checking this port out at lonelyplanet.com. I did, and this is what I found:

Despite its turmoil, travellers flock to Guatemala because it offers Central America in concentrated form: its volcanoes are the highest and most active, its Mayan ruins the most impressive, its earthquakes the most devastating and its history of repression decidedly world-class.

 

Hurricane damage/Safety Issues for Foreigners

In the wake of Hurricane Stan, which caused severe flooding and wiped out entire villages, Guatemala is now facing a severe food shortage. Travellers are advised to research the current situation before planning trips across the country.

 

Travel in Guatemala is generally safe, but a relatively high level of violent crimes are committed against foreigners. Vehicle-jackings are almost an everyday occurrence, especially in Guatemala City. Intercity travel after sunset should be avoided.

 

You might want to go over to the HAL board and read the postings there by CC'ers who have first-hand info for their opinions. The Amatique Bay Resort sounded like a nice way to spend the day in that port.

[hova]

It seemed that there were no cruise ship crowds in Guatamala. Most of the passengers stayed aboard the ship, and then complained that Guatamala was a dirty town that had nothing to offer. Well, it was there loss. If they had taken the time to get out and explore, they would have found that the countryside is very beautiful, and in my opinion, a better stop than Belize and Cozumel which we also stopped in.

As a warning, the town is poor and quite dirty, so try and make your trip into the countryside.

As for the taxi driver, I don't have a name (I have photos of him and his family which I could email you). They have a taxi booth set up right off the ship near the market place. I checked with the ships excursion desk before we left the ship and they said that these taxi drivers were safe to go with. Our day lasted 3-4 hours and the cost was $40-50 total for our family (which was a fraction of the ship tours).

Try and find a taxi driver that speaks good English several of them don't.

have a good day

hova

[larasmom]

being that i have traveled to guatemala city and antigua 4 times while in the process of adopting my son........ you do not go anywhere in guatemala after dark. that is when most of the problems occur.

 

i suggest taking a taxi to drive around and see the mayan ruins..........they are beautiful.

[GA girl]

topekacruiser, we (two of us) were in this port about two years ago and took a wonderful trip up the Rio Dolce River (and we too were on a HAL ship).

 

We had booked a ship excursion (a bit pricy) which was cancelled due to not enough interest by others, so we went with a small boat (about 26 ft) with a captain, mate, and four other folks. Very reasonably priced...we booked it right on the quay where the ship docked. Had a great trip up the river with several stops...it's very beautiful country and would heartily recommend seeing a small part of it in this way.

 

Stella

[topekacruiser]

Has anyone done the Rio Dulce on their own? It sounds beautiful, and it seems like the boat ride would be interesting and fun.

[GA girl]

Am just wondering, when you ask about seeing the Rio Dolce on your own do you mean chartering a small boat and just your family making the trip? I wonder if you could even find a boat in which to do this. Where the HAL ship docks in really an industrial area with a large concrete quay...you have to leave this area (by water) and go up the coast to get to the Rio Dolce River.

 

We are very experienced sailors, having cruised for many years, but don't think we'd make that trip without a local captain on board (if we were on our own boat with charts, radios, etc. it would be different). Plus you'd miss much of the local information...on our own don't think we'd have visited the town of Livingston at the mouth of the river which was very interesting.

 

Hope you can work out something that will please you all.

[topekacruiser]

We definitely want to have a local guide as we want to learn about the country and her people. It's too bad we're only there one day but we hope to make the most of it!

[Joyce and Tim]

 

i suggest taking a taxi to drive around and see the mayan ruins..........they are beautiful.

 

Does anyone know how they compare to the ruins in Copan, which are nearby in Honduras? We've been to Copan, and our cruise itinerary also brings us to Santo Tomas in Feb. Wondered how far the Mayan ruins are, and how they compare (ie, maybe not worth the trip if we've seen better.) Thanks.

[momofmeg]

I have friends who have an uncle in Guatemala. He has lived there like 40years. He came there as a missionary and made it his home. When they visited him about 10 years ago. He told them to wear no flashy jewlery and recommended they even leave their wedding rings at home-the crime rate is high there. So if you go out of the touristy areas be very careful.

[RSTPOKC]

Just like any country, you will need to make the best of it. There is so much beauty in Guatemala, that everyone should go with a open mind.Two things to do: learn spanish, so many go to these spanish speaking countries and no one takes the time to learn the language and spanish is the easiest language to learn. Just a few key phrases to help you. And secondly, becareful during the evenings. I am not quite sure how long you will be there but at night things are quite dangerous. You will probably see alot of police with machine guns, heavy weapons for protection and always carry your ID's and money close to you. You never know when a person from the police department may pull you over and ask for ID. Just be careful. Enjoy the food. Black beans and tortillas are the staple. They are great. Have a great time. Wish I could be there.

 

;)