By Nina Karnikowski
Maya people dressed in traditional clothes.Credit: iStock
THE ONE HOTEL
With its soaring volcanoes, candy-coloured Baroque buildings, flourishing organic food scene and multitude of new boutique hotels, Antigua is one of Central America's most tempting cities. Choose Good Hotel, set inside a former colonial-era mansion centred around a tropical courtyard, as your base. The 20 minimalist rooms feature vaulted, pale wood ceilings and furniture, white walls and, in most rooms, a sun-splashed patio with an outdoor shower. All profits also go to NGO Niños de Guatemala, helping underprivileged local kids receive an education.
Downtown Antigua.Credit: iStock
THE ONE TOUR
Guatemala is one of the only countries in the world where a large portion of the population still wears traditional dress daily, including colourful handwoven huipile blouses and full-length skirts. Learn more about this ancient artform by taking a five-day weaving workshop with Thread Caravan, where you'll learn to make and use natural dyes and weave your own creation on a backstrap loom with the help of indigenous instructors. Workshops are held on the shores of Lake Atitlan, a three-hour drive west, but begin and end in Antigua.
THE ONE ART CENTRE
La Nueva Fabrica is Antigua's newest art centre, set opposite the 16th century Santa Ana church in an erstwhile textile factory. The centre hosts contemporary art and photography exhibitions, workshops, lectures, concerts and an artist's residency program.
THE ONE VOLCANO
Hiking up a volcano may sound ludicrous, but it's kind of a must in Guatemala, which is home to 37 of them. For a single-day hike from Antigua, try Pacaya - you can summit the volcano, explore lava fields, eat a picnic lunch and descend, all in a matter of hours. Another option is the overnight Acatenango hike. It's more challenging, but worth it to camp under the stars while watching neighbouring volcano Fuego erupt through the night.
THE ONE RUIN
Las Capuchinas, a striking former convent, was built in 1736 by Guatemalan architect Diego de Porres, who also built Antigua's famous mermaid fountain. Stroll around the structure's sunny courtyard, surrounded by arched porticos and tumbling bougainvillea, and through the 18 cell-like nuns bedrooms out the back, imagining what their cloistered lives must have been like almost two centuries ago.
THE ONE MARKET
Walk through Antigua's cobbled laneways to the outskirts of town and you'll find Caoba Farms, a cafe set in the gardens of an organic farm, which on Saturdays hosts a fantastic farmers market. Local makers and growers sell cacao wine, raw chocolate and kombucha, as well as handmade jewellery, organic garden sprays, body oils made with Guatemalan herbs and more.
See caobafarms.com
THE ONE BAR
A gritty, riotously fun candlelit dive bar, Cafe No Se celebrates the agave-based spirit mezcal and hosts live music every night of the week. There's a two-shot minimum mezcal tasting bar out the back, accessed via a small fridge door, where you can taste as many varieties as you can handle, while learning about the history of mezcal from the affable bartenders.
See cafenose.com
THE ONE RESTAURANT
Set in a stunningly refurbished colonial-era home and led chef Mattia Bellucci, Santo Spirito's organic menu is filled with elegantly executed Italian classics, with all of the pasta, bread and cheese made in-house. Dine in the verdant courtyard, surrounded by art created by Bellucci's wife, Honduran artist Alexa Maithe Henry, and enjoy a post-prandial cocktail in the loveseat set inside a gorgeous old fountain.
THE ONE SHOP
Xibalba sells beautiful handmade jade jewellery and offers workshops in an on-site studio where you can design and create a piece of your own, and learn about the connection the ancient Mayans had to the mineral. Xibalba also sells a lovely collection of locally-made clothing in natural fabrics, vintage embroidered huipile blouses and more.
ONE MORE THING
Before or after your visit to Antigua, soak up Guatemala's natural beauty. Explore the natural mineral pools set in the jungle at Semuc Champey, the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal in the north, magnificent Lake Atitlen and beyond.
Nina Karnikowski travelled with assistance from Thread Caravan.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.