Best digital nomad cafes in Antigua Guatemala (2021)

As a digital nomad for the last 6 years, there are certain places that come up again and again in discussions with friends and other travelers about places that you must visit. For me, Antigua, Guatemala was one that I heard about more and more.

A serene, colorful, vibrant, and safe city, Antigua is the top spot in Guatemala for tourists and digital nomads alike. When I started researching the city as a possible home base for a month, I did some searching and reading on working options. When I travel, I like to have cafes and co-working spots available to work from beyond where I stay. I appreciate the change in scenery and find that I am most productive outside of my accommodation.

Before arriving in Antigua, I had bookmarked and pinned on Google Maps a whole bunch of cafes that I’d read about or had been recommended by friends. Unfortunately I found that many have closed permanently, are not currently open, or had abysmal wifi speeds. So I decided I would write an up-to-date (as of December 2021) guide to the best of Antigua.

Of note, top recommendations that I have decided not to include here are Selina Antigua (closed to co-working until January 2022 at the earliest), Fat Cat Coffee House (tiny space, very slow internet), Y Tú Piña, (mediocre food/coffee, very slow internet), and Unión Cafe (great food, but it had the slowest internet of anywhere I tested).

Ojalá Hotel

Wifi Speed

• 106.3
• 102.7

Averaged from 3 tests. Speeds in MBps.

Ojalá Hotel opened in 2019 just a few months before the pandemic began and nearly didn’t make it. But the work and perseverance of owners Chris and Emily is starting to pay off. This hotel/hostel/cafe combo is the second property for the team after their award-winning Maya Papaya (more on that below). This Spanish colonial mansion conversion is tranquil, filled with greenery, and hands-down the fastest internet in town (and faster than much I’ve encountered in my home country of the US!). I stayed here off and on for 2 weeks and highly recommend it. Chris tells me that they are planning to add more seating and work spaces for nomadic workers in the coming months.

• Beautiful, tranquil gardens
• Power plugs in some of the areas
• Great terrace, but no power up there, I spoke with the owner and he mentioned that they plan to add them!
• They have a tiny cafe/bar that you could get a coffee at to use their network, but your available seating would be limited
• To have full access, you need to be a guest

Book on Hostelworld

Maya Papaya

Wifi Speed

• 35.27
• 24.52

Averaged from 3 tests. Speeds in MBps.

Maya Papaya was awarded best hostel in Central America for both 2019 and 2020 and it shows. The space is welcoming, richly decorated, filled with lush greenery, and plenty of spaces for lounging or working. From the same team as Ojalá, they also provide a great home base in Antigua. I stayed in a private room here for a week and enjoyed the space. For nomads, this would be a great alternative if Ojalá is full. Internet isn’t quite as fast, but it’s still more than double anything else in town. Only downside here is there is no public space for non-guests to use.

• Need to be a guest
• Feels like a home 
• Lots of seating options
• Power plugs in most locations
• Owner has told me that Wifi should be similar speeds to Ojala, will get that fixed

Book on Hostelworld

Artista de Cafe

Wifi Speed

• 19.23
• 9.16

Averaged from 3 tests. Speeds in MBps.

Artista de Cafe quickly became my favorite non-hotel work location. The venue is comfortable, has a variety of seating, isn’t overly noisy, and has nice food and drink options. It seems to be a popular spot for laptop work and is welcoming to those of us who want to sit for a while. Their wifi is also the fastest after the Ojalá/Maya Papaya team, with more than enough bandwidth for zoom calls or uploaded large files like I do when processing my images.

• Many plugs indoors
• Nice outdoor terrace, no power though
• Very good wifi
• Space is a bit on the sterile/modern side compared to others in Antigua
• Limited but tasty food menu

Visit their Instagram

Impact Hub

Wifi Speed

• 12.38
• 5.61

Averaged from 3 tests. Speeds in MBps.

Impact Hub is the sole co-working facility currently open in Antigua. Situated in a classic colonial-style courtyard, they have 30+ desks and tables set up. As a co-working facility, there is an access fee required. The fee includes desk space, tea/coffee, water, and discounted access to events (though none are running as of late 2021). I really was expecting their internet to be the fastest in town, but was disappointed to see it was not. If you need a guaranteed quiet place then this is probably the best you will find in Antigua.

• Have to pay day rate for access Q50 ($6.50/day) or Q300 ($38.75/6 days)
• Lots of seating options
• Proper office chairs, plenty of plugs
• Several on site food/drink options

Visit their Website

Cafe Boheme

Wifi Speed

• 10.01
• 5.34

Averaged from 3 tests. Speeds in MBps.

Cafe Boheme is well-known in town as a nice cafe with a great terrace. They have 20+ different tables, both outdoors and inside on their large, expansive rooftop. Don’t be fooled by the underwhelming entryway, just ask to sit upstairs! They also have a pretty extensive drink and desserts menu. One thing to note is I did experience internet issues on both times I visited there. It was pretty fast when it worked, but I found I had less issues if I sat in one of the two “inside” areas.

• Wifi speed was all over the place depending on where I sat
• Terrace only seating, but still a variety of options including group tables, indoor space, couches, etc
• Large menu
• Chill vibe, with several others working on laptops

Visit their Facebook

Cafe Estudio

Wifi Speed

• 4.88
• 0.29

Averaged from 3 tests. Speeds in MBps.

Cafe Estudio is what I envisioned all cafes would look like in Antigua before I arrived. It exudes charm in its greenery filled courtyard and terracotta tiled roof. It has less seating than entries above and while it appeared in several “top nomad cafes” I found online, it was the slowest of those that made my cut. On clearer days than when I visited, you should have a view of all three of the nearby volcanos.

• Rooftop space and courtyard
• Volcano views
• Lush garden space
• Extensive coffee menu
• No power plugs on the terrace

Visit their Facebook