Hotel & Restaurant Bambú welcomes you to Santiago Atitlán, the most emblematic pueblo of the Atitlán basin. Surrounded by volcanoes Tolimán and Atitlán on one side and volcano San Pedro on the other, and embellished by rustic farms, corn fields, orchards, and forests of the Tz´utujil people, the area recreates a dreamlike atmosphere. With a population of 27,000 inhabitants, 97% of whom are from the Maya Tz´utujil ethnic group, Santiago Atitlán has the highest Indigenous population of the Americas.
The commitment at Hotel & Restaurant Bambú is to ensure that their guests have a good time on their Guatemala tour, relax, get to know another world while feeling at home, and overall, to seduce them with the surrounding beauty, the gardens, and the personal attention to their needs.
Rooms
While designing and building Hotel & Restaurant Bambú, the priority was to offer guests full comfort while preserving the ecological environment. They have merged seamlessly with the scenery, protecting and embellishing it with romantic gardens surrounding our buildings and a swimming pool. Hotel & Restaurant Bambú incorporates traditional construction elements from the Tz´utujil culture in its architecture, such as wooden beams and columns, carved stone, and thatched roofs. All rooms enjoy a view of the lake and its three majestic volcanoes. Hotel & Restaurant Bambú also has a private beach, a pier, and coming soon a swimming pool and traditional sauna (temascal).
Activities
Santiago Atitlán and Hotel Bambú offer activities and enjoyment for various tastes. Swimming in the Lake's pristine waters, sunbathing by the Hotel's pool, paddling a traditional canoe (cayuco); horsebackriding through the humid forest until the mirador that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, hiking to the ruins of Chutinamit, the old capital from the Prehispanic Maya Tz´utujil kingdom, or stroll through the streets of Santiago admiring the colorful allure of its people and the beautiful crafts. Santiago Atitlán is a town of artists and artisans, known for its naive painters, embroideries, handloom textiles, and woodcarvings. The visitor cannot leave without witnessing a ritual ceremony to Maximón. This deity, whose origin is lost in past times, is represented by an outstanding wooden statue that in exchange of liquor and tobacco provides his favours to the Tz´utujil people.
At a distance of 36 km from Santiago Atitlan, it is worth visiting the Reserva Tarrales while on your Guatemala tour. Located at the foot of Volcan Atitlan, in the lowlands of the Pacific Coast, the current reserve was an old coffee plantation, owned in 1870 by British investors. The old British property is open to the public and surprises its visitors with the ancient coffee grounds and mill, a museum, and a magnificent greenhouse. It is the second natural reserve in the country, with more than 197 birds identified.
Those who only seek to relax and forget the world for a few days while lying in a hammock will find that our romantic garden with tropical palms, centennial trees, and exuberant flowers, our comfortable and quaint rooms, and particularly the kind attention of our staff make Hotel Bambú the perfect choice.
Restaurant
The restaurant's impressive traditional straw roof and large studio windows provide an impressive view of the lake and volcanoes. Inside, a beautiful bar made out of wood and carved stone, a large fireplace and comfortable sofas around it, and several tables covered with checked tablecloths; all of it overlooking the lake and volcanoes, the gardens, and our green orchard where we organically cultivate all the vegetables that we serve. The chef cooks have been trained and certified by the well-known Spanish chef Ernest Monter, from Barcelona, Spain, who regularly trains our kitchen staff. Open from 8.00 am to 10. 00 p.m., they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have a wide international menu that includes samples from the Spanish nouvelle cuisine. Among the specialities: Organic salads with their particular dressings, beef carbonara, bass on its own sauce, and garlic chicken. The desserts are an eclectic and delicious selection, including: tocinillo de cielo, brazo de gitano, apfelstrudel, and chocolate mousse. The restaurant has a well-supplied wine cellar and a wide selection of national and international spirits.
