Earth Lodge

We popped in for a brunch and had a bit of FOMO that we could not spend a week. Earth Lodge has a gorgeous setup on the steep hillside. Every spot has an incredible view of the three neerby volcanoes. There are plenty of spaces to get lost in your thoughts, or find a conversation with the others guests.

The food was amazing, and the coffee was great, too. We had avocado enchiladas and the famous breakfast salad. If everything is prepared with the same care, I am sure it will all be delicious. We loved the music that was playing, and I can see myself losing a great number of days just chilling in the lounge.

Earth Lodge is well worth the short trip out from Antigua. Keep in mind that, while an Uber may drop you there, you probably won't get one back. We rented an ATV for the day and took a number of detours to outlying villages, like San Juan de Obispo, that made the rental worthwhile.

Best accommodation of our Guatamala trip and amazing food - prepared with love 💚.
We could have stayed at Earth Lodge forever! This place is just magical.

Incredible experience. Beautiful location with breathtaking view. Excellent service and food/drinks.

Rooms are all unique- small but magical. There is an erupting volcano you can see in the morning , absolutely stunning.

Traveler be warned! Very steep getting to/from rooms and lodge. Many steps are man-made with planks and rods. Not recommended for anyone with mobility issues. Backpacking > roller bags is vital.

Also, massages are INCREDIBLE. Did not have opportunity to take yoga class or offered hikes.

Music is chill, low-fi relaxing music. Warm fireplace, books. Very cozy and relaxing atmosphere.

Nice place to relax and enjoy the mountains. Great view of the three collosal volcanos. Acatenango,Fuego and Agua.

Super schöner Blick, extrem netter Service

Buena atencion

La vue est superbe depuis le restaurant et depuis la chambre mais l’hôtel n’est pas terminé, escalier très dangereux pour accéder aux maisons dans les arbres et l’hôtel manque de finitions (pas de rideaux à toutes les fenêtres par exemple). Ne pas venir avec une valise, c’est impraticable depuis le parking et jusqu’aux chambres, mais avec un sac à dos, l’hôtel est agréable. Le staff était très sympa et le restaurant est bon, les prix sont raisonnables.

Even though it is a beautiful and relaxing spot, we did not quite enjoy our stay at earthlodge. First, it felt as if we were annoying the staff and were a burden to serve. The vibes are off and not prone to meet other people. There is no ambiance or free activities planned in the day. On top of that, it is a bit ridiculous that they charge 50 qtz to get your bags to the shuttle when the shuttle itself costs 30 qtz.

We arrived via private transportation for a 2 night stay in Casa Del Encino. Reception is friendly and able to explain the services and fee structure (pay at the end for food/beverage and any room charges). We didn't mind the 300m hike down so much since we were expecting it.

The Casa Del Encino is fine, the view is beautiful. There is only one working light and the outlet fits pretty loose. The bathroom is pretty rustic but the shower was nice and hot. Be prepared to be one with nature and see a few spider friends during your stay.

We arranged the romantic package with a bottle of wine, flowers, and chocolate upon arrival to our room which was quite lovely.

The food was freshly prepared with good ingredients - nothing incredibly authentic but tasty all the same. Same goes for the drinks.

It was difficult to get picked up from the 300m point, in fact it never actually happened. Ubers will refuse to drive up there; however you can catch the Chicken bus into the center of Antigua for about 5Q/person. That pick up point is 1km away from the lodge and we were able to actually snag an Uber to the airport from that spot on the day of departure.

In returning to the US, the current COVID policy requires a COVID test within a day. If you're traveling on the weekend there are no places that can do testing in Antigua; however, the Earth Lodge folks said someone can sometimes come by to do an antigen or PCR test at the lodge. We didn't get to do that since they weren't available.

We instead planned on completing our COVID tests at the airport and arriving 3-4 hours before our departure, which meant leaving Earth Lodge at around 6:30am. We confirmed with reception that they would meet us at the 300m pickup point and closed our tab.

We were at the pickup point early (6:20) and waited until 6:40 before deciding to walk to the 1km pickup point. We got there and still no transportation. We ended up negotiating with an Uber driver to pick us up there and take us to the airport for 200Q cash. During this time there was no one at Earth Lodge that we could contact and we weren't given any contact info for the transportation.

Moral of this story - don't even attempt to get picked up at the 300m point. Be prepared to wait and be flexible with your travel plans.

Customer service is not the best.

Very far from main road.