December 2021 Recap

Adios Guatemala

The beginning of December, I closed out my time in Guatemala by moving from one of my favorite places to stay in Antigua (#1 on this list) to a fancy 4-star hotel, set across the street from an 18th-century convent, for two days. I needed a break from hostel life and wanted to treat myself before returning home for the holidays.

Now I know what you might be thinking… holy hell that must have been expensive! And normally it would be. But there were two ways I could book El Convento, without spending any money. First, the hotel is a part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) branding group which means it has a partnership with Hyatt. If you have Hyatt points, you can book for 12,000 points per night.

As part of Hyatt’s deal with SLH, you also receive the following benefits: complimentary breakfast for two, complimentary wifi, early check-in at 12pm (based on availability), late check-out at 2pm (based on availability), and a one category room upgrade (when available). Not bad deals, especially when some hotels don’t include breakfast or some of the other things in their normal room rate.

The second way to book a room at the hotel I stayed, is to take advantage of an recently added benefit of American Express’s Platinum card. AMEX’s top tier card, does not come cheap, but I count it as the most valuable card in my wallet because of the myriad of benefits it provides. If I take advantage of all the included services, I easily get my money’s worth. If you do not own this card, there is currently a signup bonus of 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards points after spending $6000 on the card in the first 6 months of card membership. If used for travel redemptions, those 100k points are worth $2200!

The feature I used to book the gorgeous El Convento was the $200 money-back yearly benefit on AMEX’s Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection hotel groups. I visited AmexTravel.com, found that El Convento qualified (see note below about 2022), then booked the room rate of $100 a night and paid with my American Express Platinum card. Within days, $200 of my booking was credited back to my card. Other killer benefits of the hotel group programs include daily breakfast for two, room upgrade when available, 4pm late checkout, and even resort credit. My booking had $100 of credit to be used on site at their restaurant, so I enjoyed a fancy steak dinner on my last night!

Antigua’s Best Cocktails

After a whirlwind 8.5 weeks in Eastern Europe this past autumn, I was ready for some chill, and Guatemala more than ticked those boxes for me. I closed out my last few days in country revisiting my favorite restaurants, cafes, and bars collected over the 4 weeks there. I am sad that I discovered the best bar in town with only three nights left in Antigua. Ulew cocktail bar is an experience from the moment you walk in the door – which is quite hidden as its entrance is wholly within a completely separate establishment.

To find Ulew, patrons must first head to Antigua Brewing Company, (in my opinion a mediocre beer bar, although it does have a great rooftop), turn left upon entering and look for the red English phone booth. Pass through the door, push past the curtain, and enter the cozy, cavelike cocktail oasis. The bar has no menu, but has a library of cocktail history books, famous mixologists’ lists, and a team of the most experienced cocktail gurus behind the bar.

Take a seat, (if you can find an empty one!), and tell the team what you like. The have some of the world’s best spirits, a plethora of homemade tinctures, bitters, and syrups, fresh herbs and fruit, and even a cocktail smoking set. Each time I was blown away at how perfect my drinks were, exactly matching or exceeding what I was looking for. You can’t go wrong. As this is a premium experience, expect to pay US/European prices. Open daily from 3pm.

Home for the holidays

After my trip to Guatemala came to a close, I briefly popped back to Florida to get my booster COVID shot and exchange my flip flops and shorts for my peacoat, gloves, and wool hat! I headed to Colorado for the first time in two years to visit my mom and see friends. I promptly froze in the sub-freezing temperatures, especially while attempting to continue my pace of running every other day. The 5500ft (1680m) elevation certainly didn’t help either!

Sadly my visit was bittersweet as my mom’s younger sister died suddenly a day after my mom getting word of just how truly ill she was. I am glad I was able to be there for my mom in her time of grief. It is so difficult being far away in times like those, so I am glad I was able to be at home.

I was also able to see a few of my very close friends and catch up on their lives. Two of my friends had just welcomed their first child! And I was able to share porch beers with another couple I have been close friends with for 15+ years.

For the week of Christmas, I returned back to Orlando to spend the days before and after the holiday with my sisters and stepmom to celebrate birthdays and share some nice family time together.

New countries, new adventures

Just before the end of the year, I hit the road again for most likely months this time. I’m starting in Nicaragua and will slowly make my way south through Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and who knows where else. I chose Nicaragua to ring in the New Year as I could use American Airlines miles to fly into Liberia airport for free from my home base of Orlando, then get affordable private shuttle transfer across the border into Nicaragua. It was way too difficult and expensive to fly into the capital, Managua.

Where I’ve Been

COUNTRIES VISITED: 4

Guatemala, United States, Costa Rica, Nicaragua

CITIES VISITED: 6

Antigua, Guatemala City, Orlando, Boulder, Liberia, San Juan Del Sur

Where I’m Going

First, I’m planning to check out San Juan Del Sur, a small surf and backpacker town on the southern coast. After I’ll likely check out Ometepe which is a double volcano island in Nicaragua’s largest lake. Then after the 18th of January, I’ll return to Costa Rica and finish out the month in Tamarindo.

Have you been to Nicaragua or Costa Rica? Any advice on where I absolutely cannot miss?