While traveling through Guatemala I kept hearing people talk about the magic of Lake Atitlan. They said that it was a mystical lake with towns scattered around the shoreline, each offering a significantly different scene to behold.
I started looking into making the long trek out there (six hours on buses from Antigua) and came across The Laguna Lodge.
The Laguna Lodge was founded back in the 80’s by owners Mayah and Jeffro. The lodge immediately received fame as being the world’s only true vegetarian hotel. I knew that I needed to check this place out. The owners were nice enough to let me stay in one of their premium suites for an entire week, trading pictures of the hotel and restaurant to cover the cost of my stay. It was absolute heaven.
Every morning I was treated to an incredible cruelty-free breakfast, filled with fresh ingredients and rich Central American coffee.
In the afternoons, I’d go out for hikes and come back for a nice long lounge in the pool.
Oh, and then I was treated to lunch, of course. After a nap, I’d sit and watch the stars, crack open a bottle of vegan wine with Mayah and Jeffro, and settle down for an amazing dinner while they shared amazing stories with me from their past lives. As I said, heaven.
While at the lodge, I was treated to nearly everything that their amazing little kitchen whips up, with some of my all-time favorites being their eggplant and zucchini lasagna, mushroom puffed pastry, and homemade vegan carrot cake. The quality of the food and depth of flavors were truly impressive and always left me hungry for more.
If you find yourself wandering about in Guatemala and thinking about taking a trip to Lake Atitlan, I assure you that the long, winding ride out there is well worth it. The lake is stunningly gorgeous and you can even hang out at an all-vegetarian lakeside lodge, drinking wine and catching rays along the water’s edge.
About the author: James is a full-time traveling filmmaker that is currently directing the world’s first-ever vegan documentary series called Vegan Round the World: The Series. Over the next six months the VRTW team will be traveling to over ten countries and capturing inspiring vegan stories from all across the vegan movement! You can watch the Vegan Round the World promotional trailer at the following link: https://igg.me/at/vrtw
