Flores, Guatemala, is said to be a backpacker haven and sure enough we saw a lot of them about, ourselves (somewhat) included. Flores is an interesting little town full of colorful buildings and cobblestone streets. It is an island in the middle of the large Petén Itzá Lake (Lago Petén Itzá) with just a single road connecting it to the mainland. There is a lot to do in the area with Tikal being one of the most popular and only 70 km (90 minute drive) away. I had wanted to stay in Flores when I came to Tikal the year before, I even booked a hotel there but in the end I didn’t have enough time to stop by. See what we to up to in Tikal here.
Hector and I had Flores as our starting and ending ground for El Mirador. The tour starts and stops in Flores (in regards to driving). We arrived the day before the tour started so didn’t have much time to explore – especially since we were dealing with trying to pay and set up the tour. Read about that here. However, after the tour we had about a day and a half to explore.
We mainly just walked around the island (once across to the mainland) and ate. There is a lot to do in the area but we didn’t have enough time to really book anything. Plus we did want to experience just the town itself. If I had had more time here are a few things I would have wanted to do:
- Yaxha Ruins
- Jorge’s Rope Swing
- Kayak on the lake
- Hike to the San Miguel Lookout Tower
The two hotels we stayed at on the island were: Hotel Villa Del Lago and Hotel y Restaurante Case Amelia. Both were nice and centrally located (hard not to be). If I had to choose my favourite it would be: Casa Amelia
The first day (before the tour) when we walked over to the mainland where we checked out the Maya Mall. There are some Mayan estelas replicas there that are intesting to see. The originals can be found in Copan. We stopped at the food stall half way across the Santa Elena-Flores bridge and each picked up a fruit juice.
At the Mall we wanted to see if the cinema there had anything in English or with subtitles so we could go see a movie that evening. We didn’t have any luck so we stopped to get some ice cream to eat while we watched the entertainment going on in the open area outside the mall. It was mainly for the children as there was a clown setting up games and competitions. That night we ate at Raices and while the view was pretty, it looked over the lake, the food was just ok.
By the time we arrived back to Flores, after the hike and long (bumpy) drive, it was already early afternoon. Plus it was pouring with rain so we didn’t venture out till a little before dinner. That evening we went to La Danta Restaurante for dinner and I will say this place was probably my favourite!
We each got fruit smoothie/juices and they we soooo tasty! One was the green lantern (which is basically Peruvian lemonade) and I can’t remember the name of the other. I have already tried to recreate the Green Lantern at home (I needed to add more sugar). I got enchiladas with green sauce and Hector got shrimp (surprise surprise). Both I would recommend both! For dessert we shared a Nutella crepe! There is always room for dessert (plus we had just hike nearly 100km!).
The next day was our full day in Flores. We decided just to walk around the entire town and see what they had, plus we had some souvenirs to buy! It only takes about 25 minutes to walk around the entire island! We checked out the shops, got iced coffees (I didn’t like mine), and found a spot for breakfast.
Breakfast was at Restaurante Dona Goya and it looks out over the lake. From where we were sitting you could see a tiny island not far off and on it was a sign (it was too small to read). I really wanted to find out what the island was so I did some research and found out it is a museum. Along the shore of Flores there are lots of boats that will take you to the mainland or to some of the islands dotted about. We thought about trying to go to the island with the sign but decided instead to set off and book our bus back to Belize for the next day.
There are lots of little business that arrange tours and buses for you so we stopped at the one closest to our hotel. It took just a few minutes to book two seats back to Belize. After that we walked over to where the bus would leave from in the morning so we knew exactly where to go. The bus left very early and we didn’t want to chance missing it.
For the last evening in Flores we ate at the Hotel Restaurant (Casa Amelia). We both had pretty much the same thing we had at La Danta – enchiladas and shrimp. We also shared some French fries. I would also recommend this restaurant as I think it was just as delicious as La Danta! I remember looking at the menu for breakfast and thinking it looked good! Check it out if you find yourself in Flores for a meal!
The next day it was back to Belize and the end of my El Mirador trekking holiday! Thanks for stopping by!
