Does anyone know of good internet cafes in Guatemala?

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Jose P

I assume you will be staying in Antigua Guatemala (which has the more variety of spanish schools). You dont need to take your laptop with you, it will be uncomfortable for you to carry a laptop, and there will always be the risk of the laptop to be stolen. Its better to use the internet cafes. Most of them are open until 1am in the morning. They are a lot of them in Antigua. Some are located even inside of bars and restaurants.
Prices of internet varies from place to place, but I have heard from tourists that it is inexpensive. Prices ranges between 1 and 3.00 dollars the hour.
For the present for your host family, try to find out first the number of family members and if they have small kids their age and gender. I can assure you that any present will be well received. Dont buy anything expensive, buy something special. If they have kids a small toy will be greatly appreciated by them. Another great gift is a bag of chocolates. Here american chocolates are very expensive.

James P

I studied in Antigua. I did not frequent internet cafe's in other cities. In antigua there was a place called the rainbow cafe that had internet at ~15 quetzals per 30 min. I went there bc it was a nice place to hangout and they had a book exchange with live music at night. I think "La fuente" had a nicer setup with better computers for the same price. Since the city is inundated with students they also offered plans for cheap. The buses in Guatemala are not the same as in Mexico or other Latin American countries. They are old schoolbuses. I don't recommend flashing something worth 6months of their salary on a bus. In my experience Guatemala was very clean and safe outside of the bordertowns and Guatemala city itself. If you tuck it away until you get to your school, I think you will be fine. I did not spend much time in quetzaltenango so I can't tell you much about that if you will be studying there. The internet cafe's closed relatively early from what I remember(1700 or 1800). It may have changed since then. Look at a lonely planet to get specific details. Bring a souvenir from your hometown for your host family if anything. Remember, you are a source of income for them. They will always remember you but you are by no means a unique memory for them. Give them something physical and distinct to differentiate you from the other students they have taken into their house. They will treasure this because of their innate understanding of the transient nature of their friendships. Have a good time. You will never forget it.

nanasse

TRY THIS ONE....http://www.antiguaservices.com

Jess W

I would highly reccommend studying in Quetzaltenango (commonly known as Xela) Guatemala instead of Antigua. You can always visit Antigua (it is truly a pretty colonial city), but if you really want to get the feel for Guatemala, see and meet indigenous people and learn more about the culture of Guatemala, Antigua is the last city you want to spend the majority of your time in. Its very touristy and european. That being said, if what you are looking for is convenience - Antigua is your best bet.

Xela, while being Guatemalas second largest city, is set amongst several volcanos in the highlands and is just as clean and safe (if not safer). It is the best place to start for hikers and it is also well known for spanish schools (check out www.xelapages.com - it has all the info you could possibly want and the the guy that runs it is a very nice, knowlegable american ex-pat that can answer any questions you might have about the country. He also runs an internet cafe in Xela).

Now, another benefit of studying or living in Xela is that everything is cheaper. I paid about 3-5Q max for high speed internet (about 50-75americancents). Food is cheaper, lodging is cheaper, and schools are either about the same as in Antigua, or slightly cheaper (I went to a fantastic school, Eureka Spanish school: www.eurekaxela.com and paid 125/week for 5 hours of spanish a day, 5 days a week, free bread and tea during breaks, free highspeed internet access and family homestay)

I had some friends that brought laptops and while they did not have them stolen, found them unnecessary as inet cafes are everywhere and cheap (I would never have paid 30Q an hour for inet *horrified* ;) Especially if you plan on traveling, Id say leave the laptop home.

Good Luck and enjoy Guatemala - I miss it much!
PS: Feel free to ask me any more questions, Id love to help.

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