Casa en la Piedra (main house)

This amazing lakeside home has a spectacular view of the volcanoes at Lake Atitlán. Situated just west of the Jaibalito dock, the main house at Casa en la Piedra is about 75 feet up from the water's edge, with beautiful gardens and landscaping. The main house at Casa en la Piedra is quiet, private, and ruggedly remote. The surroundings are lush and green all year around. This house is unique! It is located lakeside on a mountain just west of the small village of Jaibalito. The house gets its name from the fact that it is literally built into rocks. It is located high above the lake-shore with spectacular views of three volcanoes, and all the activities on the lake, with beautiful sunrises and romantic sunsets. It has two levels with the main living area on the first floor and a cozy bedroom and wonderful patio below. It has queen size bed. The house is fully equipped for comfortable living and includes regular housekeeping services. It is much quieter than being in the village itself. There are spiders and other insects common to the region. Please be advised that you might be seeing them inside the house. There is a private dock for swimming, and a terrace just above the dock for sunbathing (shared with the guests of the guest house). Hosts may or may not be on the property at the time of your visit, but there is a caretaker ("guardian") who lives on the property. The residents of Jaibalito are mainly Mayan with a population of 800-900 people. There is a small friendly community of foreigners who reside there year around. It is one of the smallest communities on Lake Atitlán. Residents speak Kakchiqel with some Spanish. The women still dress in traditional Guatemalan traje. Jaibalito is only accessible by "lancha" (water taxi), with no roads leading in or out of the village. So there are no cars in the village, just one tuk-tuk (auto-ricksaw). There are four restaurants, and one small locally-owned café. The lake is the deepest in Central America, and is cool but wonderful for swimming. Kayaks are available for rent in the neighboring village of Santa Cruz, a 30-minute hike over the mountain east of Jaibalito, or a short boat ride. Getting to Jaibalito: At the Panajachel dock, ask for a "publico" lancha to Jaibalito. When you arrive at the Jaibalito dock, simply ask the captain of the lancha to bring you to Casa en la Piedra, just one minute to the west. There are orange flags on the dock itself so it is easily recognized. You can tell the captain "Casa en la Piedra" and/or "las banderas naranja", and point west towards our dock, which you can see from the Jaibalito dock. There is a scale for lancha prices. Locals pay the least, expat residents pay a little more, and tourists pay the most. Approximate lancha prices: Panajachel to Jaibalito: Q10-20 Jaibalito to our dock: Q5 Jaibalito to Santa Cruz: Q10 Jaibalito to San Marcos: Q20 Jaibalito to San Juan: Q20-25 Jaibalito to San Pedro: Q20-25 Getting around: It is a 10-minute walk to the village. It is a somewhat challenging but short hike up 100+ stairs and then down over the side of the mountain. Just continue going up the stairs past the caretaker's home until you reach the gate to the path above, turn right, and go east into the village. If you travel west on the path, you will reach the village of Tzununa in about 30 minutes. Hike another 3 hours and you will reach San Marcos, a mecca for yoga/massage/meditation enthusiasts. These villages can be reached by lanchas from the dock. Private lanchas are also available. To visit the village of Jaibalito from Casa en la Piedra, it is a one-minute boat ride. The orange flags on our dock can be removed and used to flag down a lancha. They come at least every 20 minutes. If the lancha arrives from the right of our dock, it will then go to Jaibalito and eventually back to Panajachel. If the lancha is coming from the left (after having stopped at the Jaibalito dock), it will go on to Tzununa, San Marcos, etc. until it gets to San Pedro, and then it will return via the same route back to Panajachel. Please note: Because we have many, many stairs, this house is best suited for able-bodied people who enjoy a bit of a physical challenge. :) We provide your drinking water (agua pura), as the tap water is not drinkable. Complimentary locally grown and roasted coffee is provided. Housecleaning is provided weekly. This includes a changing of bed linens and towels. Personal laundry service is available by the caretaker. Garbage and recycling is removed for guests. The oven in the stove does not work and cannot be repaired. However, a large toaster oven is provided. CLEANUP AFTER YOUR STAY: We ask that guests do their dishes following their stay. Please note: the internet is not 100% reliable in Jaibalito, so trying to stream Netflix is not recommended, and (SENSITIVE CONTENTS HIDDEN)ing can be challenging at times.