I visited and I too am a big San Pedro fan! I could say many wonderful things in addition to the above, but instead I will consentrate on one restaurant, two people and one great vibe. I too ended up eating alot at D'NOZ, and though the food was delicious, it was the staff that made me come back for more and more. The cook Indy was a funny, frank, handsome, charming and totally saucy sexy man - and Gabby the waitress/and everything else girl was a beautiful ray of sunshine, a supernova of positive energy, and one of the friendliest, warmest women I think I have evr met. It's people that make a place, and without these two - D'NOZ would be just another good restaurant. They are two people I will remember long after I leave - thanks for the laughs you too, and the memories!!!
I enjoyed San Pedro, although the drug scene is a bit tiring. So many of the people that say they came for a few days and just got stuck, mean they got addicted to cocaine and couldn't afford the addiction back home. Many of the expats are friendly in the evening and zombie-like and rude in the daytime. Anyone who says that there are no gangs there is naive. This is a drug mecca -- of course there are gangs! If you want to check out San Pedro, stay ten minutes away in San Marcos and take the boat across for the day. Females, be careful at night. Rape is common (somewhat accepted) in San Pedro and outside the Full-moon parties. The locals are awesome folk, but they live in the shadows of the four cocaine-running families and the Russians bringing in the ecstasy. If you drink at Freedom bar you run the risk of being caught up in a raid as the power in town shifts. It has happened in the past when they brought in police from five different towns to take on the Russian Mob. While it may…
Just because a bar or restaurant or hotel is owned by a foreigner in a place like San Pedro doesn't mean it's inherently bad or anti-local. Choose a place to go because you want to go there regardless of ownership. Guatemala permits foreigners to own land and run businesses just like the U.S., for example, permits this. Cash is infused to the local and greater economy by foreign investors and jobs are created as well. If the business is legitimate and respecting the law, it should also be paying taxes.
I spent almost two months coming and going from San Pedro in October-December 2005. I highly recommend the direct chicken buses between San Pedro and Guatemala City for all of your travelling needs. I went to Honduras, Tikal, and to the Guate City airport from San Pedro and taking the chicken bus directly from San Pedro to Guate City is super cheap. The locals on this bus are also very nice and very friendly, and they never once tried to rip me off. Usually, I was accustomed to seeing one rate quoted for a gringo on a chicken bus and one rate for locals on the chicken bus and I would have to argue with them in Spanish to get the local price. But not in San Pedro -- they always asked me for the local rate, every time.
I recommend avoiding the Pana dock side of town. Alegre has awful food and expensive drinks. Nick's place is dirty and it's likely you'll get parasites from the food there, plus it's populated with drunken and drugged-out locals looking to sell to gringos. Chile's…
Well we just got back from San Pedro and the weather did not comply. Sunny mornings, but it did rain every afternoon. If you like the smell of herb stay at Mansion del Lago, where the smell just wafts in from off the streets. Otherwise head for the other side of town. My daughter studied Spanish for three days and learned alot. We drove there this time and saw the most amazing views we've ever seen in our lives. Also bought lots of cool art from Cafe Arte.
There is way more in San Pedro than an American-owned bar. Try some other with some more atmosphere.
I spent too little time in San Pedro last month and enjoyed every minute. Trippy's Hostel is great and D'Noz was my favorite restaurant (the view over the lake is unbelievable) althought I did enjoy Rosalinda's as well. We climbed the volcano in the early morning but were very picky about our guide. We got to see the sun rise between Volcans Toliman and Atitlan and felt safe the entire time because our guide was very knowledgeable. Ask about Pedro Gonzales and the Bohemian near Trippy's--that's where we found him. As for roaches and cleanliness, I've worked in restaurants in the US for the better part of 10 years. Even here, all restaurants have roaches and a major chain restaurant closed down near me because of a salmonella incident. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. If the thought makes you squeamish, you probably shouldn't be traveling in places like Central America as has been said. If you use your head (don't be wandering around at 4 in the morning, don't drink the…
If you can't have fun in San Pedro, you don't know how. If you can't enjoy good food anywhere in San Pedro, you won't any where else in the world. If you don't like the people you meet in San Pedro, you don't like people. TheTzu'tu'jil Mayans are wonderful. Go to every restaurant -- the owners maybe foreign, but the cooks are Guatemletecan. Love the local people, respect their culture, and they will respect you. If you are looking for a place to live like you want, try San Pedro. Everybody does what they want. Relax. Just show your love.
If you can't take a place that is a little rough around the edges, everyone in San Pedro (locals/hippies/travellers/etc) prefer that you stay home. Lake Atitlan is the most spectacular natural site in Central America, the Mayan culture remains prominent, and it is a place where it can be as much or as little as you want it to be. If you're looking to relax, learn Spanish, meditate, write, or escape your life for as long as you want -- you can do it San Pedro. I went to San Pedro and intended to stay for a week. I left a month later.
We have been in San Pedro for two months and love it! We are in our thirties and love the blend of backpackers and friendly locals. We have been eating in a new place run by an expat American called Bistro Nuevo Sol and have never had better food. We have dined in many other places and we still have nothing more than your standard travelers' problems. If you have a relaxed and friendly attitude about life in general, San Pedro is for you -- if you are a whiner, go elsewhere!
Although a quick stroll through the upper part of town in San Pedro might make you think otherwise, The Buddha is Lord in San Pedro. They have the hottest babe bartenders, delicious food, fun drinks, and a Halloween party complete with Quetzalteca punch, jello shooters and a Simpsons marathon.
Beautiful place - stunning scenery. I lived in San Pedro for six months - the local people are lovely. One word of warning, everyone gets ill in San Pedro because there are parasites in the water (cryptosporidium) - boil it for at least five minutes to kill them off...
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