Visiting Panama Legal, S.A. In Guatemala

Introduction – We are happy to meet potential clients in our offices in Guatemala City, Guatemala. This page will explain how we do the consultations, what hotels and airlines to use, food, tourism, drivers, taxis, etc.

The Consultation Appointment & Retainer – We schedule at least two hours for the consultation with at least one of our lawyers present. Sometimes more than one lawyer is present depending on the complexity of the matter. We ask for a retainer of $500 for consultation appointments. The retainer needs to be paid in advance before coming. It can be paid by Western Union for privacy and speed or by conventional bank wire transfer. We do not accept credit cards. You can schedule a tentative consultation appointment, which is not finalized until the retainer is received. The $500 retainer will be applied in full towards any goods or services obtained from us for a 90-day period of time. The retainer does serve to solidify the attorney client privilege, which is most important. We can only see people with an appointment made in advance. It is not fair to the clients who have made appointments to inconvenience them for people who have not booked an appointment in advance. If you just show up in Guatemala without an appointment made several days in advance, we will not be able to see you even if you offer to pay the consultation fee at that time. So we work by appointment only, please.

The Consultation Itself – When you arrive at the hotel call us at one of our local phone numbers. 4434-9992 or 4645-7402. You can also use any other phone number on our home page if your phone is set to roaming and this might be cheaper. You could also call us on Skype (panamalaw.org is our Skype name). We will dispatch one of our staff to the hotel. They will transport you to our offices for the consultation.

Recommended Hotels – We are strongly suggesting that you use one of these three major chain hotels in Guatemala City (see below). This is for security, privacy and convenience due to its central location. This location is called Zone 10 or Zona Viva. This is the neighborhood, which contains the better tourist hotels, restaurants, clubs, malls, casinos and is centrally located. It is very safe and patrolled intensively by the police. The hotels we recommend have extremely tight security. List of hotels follows:

Westin Camino Real - This is the number one choice according to our clients. The Guatemala rating is *****. Their website is here:

Westin Camino Real

Their phone is: 011 or 001 then 502 2333-3000 (502 is Guatemala Country Code)

They will send a shuttle bus to the airport to meet your flight. We urge you to take advantage of this avoiding strange taxis. This hotel has two restaurants. One is a buffet type restaurant, which also has a menu to order from. It is an enjoyable restaurant. They have a higher-class French restaurant off the lobby by the main entrance as well, which is excellent. The hotel does have 24-hour room service. They have hi-speed wireless Internet. They do offer suites as well but for the most part they are smaller suites, like mini-suites. Regular rooms should run about $140-$160 a night. Clients in general love this hotel and use it every time they return to Guatemala.

Intercontinental Hotel – This is the second choice in hotels according to the clients. The Guatemala rating gives it *****. Their website is here:

Intercontinental Hotel

Their phone is: 011 or 001 then 502 2413-4444 (502 is Guatemala Country Code).

We urge you to have this hotel send a shuttle bus to the airport to meet your flight avoiding strange taxis. They have two restaurants. One is a buffet style restaurant, which is most very nice and they do allow ordering from a menu as well. The other is a high class Japanese sushi type restaurant that is excellent. They also have a sidewalk café for lighter fare. The hotel has 24-hour room service. They do offer suites but you will find most of them to be on the smaller side, like mini-suites. The hotel has excellent security. They have hi-speed wireless Internet. Regular rooms will run about $140 to $160 a night. This is an enjoyable hotel with all the services.

Clarion Suites – This is a third and final option. The Guatemala rating is ****. Their website is here:

Clarion Suites

It is a name brand suite hotel located in the same district; in fact all three hotels are within 250 meters of each other. This hotel only offers two room suites. The suites are about 400 sq. feet in size. They have some services at this hotel but you will find them limited. They have a restaurant but again it is limited. They do offer hi-speed Internet. Their security is acceptable. This is a more basic hotel but we list it because some people prefer the larger suites. They do not have an airport shuttle but will arrange a third party shuttle for you at extra cost. Avoid taking strange taxis. The suites will run about $100 a night.

Other Hotels – We do not use other hotels for privacy and security reasons. These are the only hotels we suggest you use, most strongly.

Airlines – The name of the airport in Guatemala City is La Aurora International Airport. It is 15 minutes from downtown Guatemala City. For travel from North America, Central America or South America we suggest you use COPA or TACA airlines.

COPA Website: COPA

TACA Website: TACA

The airport in Guatemala City is very modern and has a large amount of international flights. From Europe you can fly non-stop on Iberia.

Iberia website: Iberia

If your flight does not originate form the USA we suggest avoiding any USA connections due to their latest security measures. Now during the last hour of the flight you cannot leave your seat or have any items on your lap. The new security screening procedures for international flights going into the USA are causing long delays and flight cancellations. Some suggestions for connecting flights would be Mexico City, Mexico and Panama City, Panama. Both of these cities offer short direct flights to Guatemala City and these connection points be accessed from many nations around the world.

Food In Guatemala – The food is going to be surprisingly good. The chicken and steaks are excellent frequently cooked over a wood grill. There is fast food of the common variety for those so inclined (Mac Donalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc). Our fresh tropical fruits and juices are superb. The local beers are excellent. There is an abundance of bargain priced wines from Chile that do not suffer in quality. A full steak dinner at a five star restaurant will run $18 to $25 for a very large steak. The local cuisine is not Mexican and not Tex-Mex. It is Guatemalan food. Lots of rice and beans. Some like it more than others but everyone who eats it finds it at least interesting. North American and European style food is readily available. You can find French Food, German Food, Chinese Food, Japanese Food, Argentinean Food (Beef), Columbian Food, Mexican Food and more. The breads and pastries are excellent. You do not have to be afraid of the food in any decent restaurant.

Do You like Mariachi Bands with Dinner – Many of the restaurants have a three to five piece band that will come to your table and sing with guitars accompanying. Some restaurants have a Marimba playing. This is an xylophone that requires nine people to play. The marimba is very soothing to hear.

Coffee – Guatemala has award-winning coffees, seriously our coffee wins international contests. If you are a coffee drinker you will enjoy the many varieties we have to offer. Many clients take several pounds of coffee beans home with them it is so good.

Water – We do not suggest drinking tap water. Use only bottled water. The reaction to tap water here is nowhere near as severe as it would be in Mexico for a traveler, but still it should be avoided. The high-end restaurants only use purified water in ice and for drinking water. The better hotels deliver purified water from the tap but again stay with the bottled water.

Casinos – Gambling is legal in Guatemala. There are a fair amount of casinos, many within walking distance of the three hotels in fact the Westin Camino Real and the Intercontinental each have their own casino attached to the hotel.

Cell Phones – Pre-paid cell phones are easily obtained. The concierge of the hotel can help here. Expect to spend $60 to $75 for a prepaid phone and a decent supply of local minutes. These phones do call foreign countries but rates are up there and you need to buy a lot of minutes. Have the phone vendor or the Concierge at the hotel load the minutes into the phone for you. Can be confusing first few times, especially if your Spanish is not so good.

Security Concerns – The country is fairly safe. Many parts of the USA are much more dangerous. The real key to personal security is to keep a low profile. The crime is usually in certain neighborhoods, which you will be avoiding. Do not flash wads of cash when out in public? Do not wear any Rolexes, or other expensive watches especially made out of gold. Stainless steel high-end watches are ok. Women should leave the flashy jewelry home. The average wage here is $200 a month and you could make a temptation with a watch or ring worth ten years wages to a poor person.

Avoid taking strange taxis. Never take a taxi that solicits you on the street here or in any other country. The hotel taxis are fine but getting back can be a problem. If you get the drivers phone number you can call him to pick you up but then again he has to be on duty, near you and free. The hotels can arrange drivers with cars by the day for tourism trips. Our driver resources are limited and spread thin so we will not be able to supply drivers except for conducting business like going to a bank to open an account for instance. We are available for tourism advice.

Tourism – Guatemala offers a number of tourism options. We receive 125 cruise ships per year. Most of the tourism attractions are several hours away by car or bus from Guatemala City, which is the downside. The main tourist attraction that is local to Guatemala City is Antigua. This is an old colonial city that used to be the capital of Guatemala. The streets are cobblestone. There are a lot of horse and horse drawn carriages in Antigua. You will see three wheeled Vespa scooters with canvas walls and roof. There is a rear platform seat and driver uses the handlebars to steer. Trying a ride in these scooters is fun. They are called a “Tuk Tuk”. The city is very safe with its own tourist police force on almost every corner. There are a massive amount of shops and restaurants.

The Antigua restaurants are mostly good to very good, not as fine as what can be found in the city but still fun to eat in. The shops mostly sell handmade goods – leather, and artistic products. Guatemala is the worlds second largest exporter of Jade in the world so expect to see a lot of jade jewelry being sold and cheap too (20% of North American prices). They have special lavender jade jewelry, which is uncommon. You will also see a lot of sea coral jewelry being sold inexpensively as well. Sea coral is mostly red or black, sometimes in other colors as well. Antigua has a lot of clubs for those who like to go clubbing and enjoy the nightlife. There are hotels in Antigua but it can take 2 hours to travel to the city in heavy traffic, the trip is 45 minutes without the rush hour traffic. The Mayan Ruins, the Rain Forest, the beaches on the Pacific, Deep Sea Fishing and Lake Attitlan (Volcanic Lake) are the other main tourist attractions. The hotels can assist you with a driver and a car to act as a tour guide for you. You can also take helicopter tours of the volcanoes at a fairly reasonable cost.

Santo Domingo Hotel in Antigua – This is a scenic hotel in Antigua. Staying in Antigua is good for those clients expecting to be with us over a weekend. It is inconvenient for weekday use. This hotel is built by the ruins of a 300-year-old monastery. The monastery ruins are still intact and very interesting to see. There is a wedding chapel in the ruins as well that is too magnificent for words. The grounds of the hotel have large tropical birds wandering about. The restaurant is run by a certified five start European chef and you can see all of his medals and awards. The food is fantastic and so is the wine list. The rooms are unique and very plush. This is a full five star hotel that Bill Clinton stayed in when he came to Guatemala. Their website is here:

http://www.casasantodomingo.com.gt/

Rooms are generally $250 and up.

For an almost as nice hotel in Antigua check out the Porta Hotel. It is quaint, has excellent food and lovely grounds. It is extremely kid friendly. Rooms there run about $160.

http://www.portahotels.com/

Please bear in mind Antigua is only suggested for the weekends.

Climate – Guatemala City is 4900 feet high. The temperature is 55 to 75 degrees all year round. Antigua is at a similar altitude. We have beaches on the Pacific and Atlantic that will be hot and humid. They have white sand beaches, tan sand beaches and black sand beaches. Black sand glimmers and glistens in the sunlight as you walk but it sure gets hot. It is a good idea to bring a light jacket for the evenings and early mornings.

Shopping – The city is way more modern than most would expect. The roads are good. The traffic is heavy most of the time. There are 20 shopping malls where just about anything can be found. Prices are higher than North America for imported good, local goods are cheap. There are local artesian markets for local handmade goods. Malls are located in close proximity to the hotels.

What is a VIP Movie Theatre – This is a theatre where the seats are reserved. There is steep stadium seating with a fairly large screen. Usually there are around 100 seats. The seats resemble those found in First Class on an airline but nicer and larger. They fully recline and a footrest comes up. There is a table with a lamp next to the seat. You can order food and have it delivered to your seat. You can have sushi, sandwiches, French fries, candy, popcorn, gourmet coffee drinks, popcorn, beer and mixed drinks. The popcorn comes plain, buttered and coated with caramel similar to cracker jacks but fresher. The movies are mostly in English with Spanish subtitles. Movies here are about 2-3 weeks behind North America. We also have theatres with I-Max screens, special Disney screens and they play 3-D movies as well. The VIP theatre costs about $6.50 a ticket and is very close to where the hotels are inside the Oakland mall, which is a designer mall.

Medical – Most pharmacies will sell a large amount of medicines requiring a prescription in North America without a prescription. Exceptions would be strong pain medicines, psychiatric drugs, and sleeping pills. Antibiotics are freely available. Pharmacies sell drugs for about 40% of the North American price. The concierge can arrange for a pharmacy to deliver to your hotel room and put it on your bill. You do need to know the name of the drug and you may have to look it up on the Internet to get the name in Spanish. The Doctors, Dentists and Hospitals you will find are better and cheaper than what is in North America. Doctors will make house calls.

Currency – We have a local currency called the Quetzal. It converts at roughly 8.41 to one US Dollar. Many restaurants and shops will accept US Dollars. The hotels and banks will convert from US Dollars to local currency. Euros are a lot harder to convert but most hotels and some banks will convert them. All the shops and restaurants accept Mastercard and Visa. The numerous ATM machines should present to problem for cash but they will give you the local currency.

English – The better hotels and restaurants have staffs that speak good English. Most of the tourist-oriented shops will have English speakers. Practically every doctor speaks English. Not all pharmacies speak English.

Questions – Feel free to ask. We will try to make your visit as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.