EL PICNIC ATITLÁN — Hotel in Sololá

El Picnic is hands down the most exceptional hotel I have ever stayed in throughout all of my travels. The accommodations are thoughtfully designed for optimum comfort, convenience, and luxury. No detail has been forgotten in their meticulous planning, building, and creation of not only a sanctuary but a holistic experience.

The views are unrivaled, and each space is curated specifically to maximize the lake experience. “Glamping” is not luxurious enough a word for the amazing beds, waterfall showers, and high speed wifi available across the property. There is no better way to start your day than laying in bed and watching the sunrise across the lake.

The food is exceptional—everything is fresh, healthy, and prepared daily. Breakfast is available at your convenience, and dinner is served at a set time (730) with all the guests, which creates a lovely community atmosphere. They have a great selection of beer, wine, and a full bar available as well, Jochen’s flaming shots and smoked drinks are not to be missed!

I was originally booked for just 3 nights and kept extending my stay for a full week. Since I kept extending my reservation I had the unique experience in staying in three of the four available rooms—each more beautiful than the last.

Logistically this is a very convenient place to stay. It is a 2min tuktuk ride from the launcha, and having breakfast and dinner served on site makes starting and ending the day simple and safe. Lunch is also available if you end up hanging around relaxing or are working remotely.

Jochen and Gabby are attentive, welcoming, extraordinarily helpful, and cater to a variety of needs—from early breakfasts for sunrise tours, to dietary accommodations, to helping with all sorts of arrangements, logistics, and recommendations.

I stayed at a handful of upscale hotels all around the lake and El Picnic was by far my favorite. The experience and service is exceptional, and the accommodations are truly unrivaled. It is the perfect home base for your Lake Atitlán experience, offering peace and tranquility, convenience, and the fasted wifi at the lake—all while being only few minutes away from the launcha that gives you access to the rest of the towns.

The only thing you will regret is not...

Our stay here was the highlight of our trip to Guatemala!! Unreal views, amazing food and incredible service.

The hotel is a glamping type concept with open air bungalow style rooms, an outdoor Biergarten, and awesome outdoor bar and dining area. We stayed in the “deluxe double room” which was perfect! Plenty of space for a couple, an amazing outdoor shower with a view of the whole lot and hot water plus a small outdoor seating area to relax and read.

Breakfast is included every morning and it is so delicious!!! Dinner is optional for an extra cost but would completely recommend because it was some of the best food we’ve had on our trip. Jochen is an amazing chef and cooks up something delicious and nutritious every night. They also have a great selection of wines, beer and cocktails to accompany your meal. Dinner is eaten together with other guests and is a great way to spend the evening.

Getting to the hotel is pretty easy and Gaby and Jochen are very helpful with any questions you might have. It’s about a 40 min (20 quetzales) ferry ride from panajachel to tzununa then a 15 minute walk or 5 min tuk tuk to the hotel from the ferry stop. Tzununa is a very quiet, not-touristy town at all with not much to do for visitors but it’s a good central location for day trips to San Juan, San Marcos, San Pedro, Santa Cruz, etc. San Marcos is walking distance! (45 min walk). Just keep in mind there are no restaurants or bars that we know of in the town so after ferries stop running (5-7 pm depending route) you should plan to stay relaxing at the hotel for the evening.

Besides the amazing views, food and awesome room, probably the best part of the stay are the owners Gaby and Jochen and Jorge are so welcoming, attentive and helpful with any questions you might have. They also speak Spanish, English and German! Plus they have two adorable German shepherds that love to befriend the guests.

Would love to come back to stay here next time we are...

As a former coffee buyer, I've been fortunate enough to experience a wide range of beautiful countries throughout the world, and Guatemala is my absolute favorite. I wanted to take my wife to see this beautiful country for the first time on our 25th anniversary, and fortunately, we landed upon El Picnic! It seems evident to me that this is absolutely the best place to stay in Atitlan. Because the temperatures are consistently cool in the evenings year round with 13-17C (57-62F) at night, the glamping experience of sleeping outside is a no-brainer! The places to stay at El Picnic are beautifully elegant and very impressive architecturally. One of the things I often worry about with AirBnb's and glamping resorts is whether or not they have good bedding and mattresses; no concern with this place, we had a great bed, it was super comfortable with a very charming bathroom as well. You would be hard pressed to wake up to a better view anywhere else in the world. View and comfort aside, Jochen and Gaby are excellent hosts. Gaby was very helpful in arranging transport and providing useful trips in visiting surrounding areas; Jochen is an exceptional chef, mixologist and baker. I can go on and on about the outstanding cuisine, coffee, rum cocktails and fresh baked bread with every meal! Suffice to say, we will be coming back next year with the kids. The guests were a pleasure to meet and get to know as well, places like this always seem to attract interesting and fun people. El Picnic has an awesome culture, it's conviviality...