Best places for expat to relocate in Guate

Tigerfan,
Well I have two sons 14 and 11. Both are enrolled in private schools since public schools are atrocious to say the least. My boys attend a school in Guatemala City that is bilingual, but next year starting in Janaury (school year here is January-October) they will attend Colegio Boston in Antigua.

In my humble opinion the top four places to live in Guatemala are
1. Antigua
2. Quetzaltenango (Xela)
3. San Lucas
4. Panajachel

Antigua is the jewel of the Americas. A colonial town with centuries old ruins, convents, monasteries and more. Cobblestone streets througout. Even though it is just a town of 50,000 it has everthing you need - a huge market, supermarkets, a cinema, schools, restaurants and more... it is only a 40 ride from Guatemala City.

Xela as locals call it, is in the western highlands and can get cold for latin america at times the temperature falls below freezing in January or February, but only for a short period of the day. This city is the second largest in Guate, has a large indigenous population around the entire city. Has everything you need a mall, supermarkets, cinema, markets, etc etc

San Lucas is between Antigua and Guatemala City. Its climate is cooler than both Antigua and Guate City as it is higher in elevation. A brand new shopping center was just built there. Schools are plentiful and bilingua and we are building a home there.

Panajachel is on Lake Atitlan in the highlands. There are one or two private schools there but I do not know their qualities. I love to visit but could not live there personally as its too far off the beaten path.

I did not mention any where on the coast since the infrastructure in Guatemala is not as strong on the coast. The Pacific coast is beautiful, especially Monterrico, but more to visit for weekend or a vacation than to live, in my opinion.

Well, that is all for now, if you have any questions please send my a personal message and I can talk about specifics about schooling etc, etc

Salduos,
GG

Guategringo,

Thanks so much for the information.  I may be picking your brain later on as we get closer to the time to come.

Hi there,
I, too, am planning a stay in Guatemala, probably in Antigua. I will enroll my daughter into 10th grade for half a year.

Guategringo, I would love to hear more about Colegio Boston, I've been looking into that school. I guess I just want to touch base with others doing something similar.

Cheers,
Jules