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Member since 19 August 2013

JenaMcDMember21 August 2013 16:01:39

Hello, I am new to this forum. My husband and I are looking to move to Guatemala for a year. We have very close friends (family) living in Tiquisate. My husband cannot handle the heat, so we are looking to move to the Lake Atitlan area.

We both work from home, so it is vital that we have good Internet and telephone connections. I am interested in any advice/tips anyone can provide. I see many people use MagicJack. Does this work reliably?

Right now, we are planning on coming down for the month of November to see if it is feasible to work from Lake Atitlan. We have found a rental we like in San Pedro La Laguna, but I am having issues getting the Realtor to communicate with me. Again, any advice from someone local is appreciated. She says she speaks English, but maybe I speak too fast? So far, the only thing I do know is that the house we are interested in is available for the month of November. We are just wanting to test it out for a month and make sure we like the house, area, etc before committing to a one-year lease.

I have lots of questions, so I am looking forward to interacting with those of you that live there on a daily basis. Here's just a few more of my questions:
- I would like to have a house cleaner/helper in November. Is this easy to hire once we get there? I would like someone that speaks at least a little English since my husband speaks no Spanish and will be learning.
- When we come for a year, is it better for us to ship our vehicle over, or sell it in the US, and use the money to buy one in Guatemala?
- Anything good or bad about living in San Pedro La Laguna? Would we be better off finding a rental in Panajachel?

Thank you in advance for your advice!
~ Jena

armandatitlan Active member

Member since 23 March 2010

armandatitlanActive member22 August 2013 01:58:42

HI Jena,

If you need strong phone connection and internet I would recommend to find a house with a hard line phone. This will give you the best stable internet.. I personally use more skype than magic jack.. I have a premium susbcription with skype so all my call to the US a free...
Now locally for intenet it will depends where you will be staying.. you can find rentals with hard phone line and get a good connection. Now in San Pedro I know they have installed a wireless network .. how good it is ? it depends of the use you have. For phone you can also use Tigo it is the cheapest rate to call the US..
Regarding your others questions..
A person to clean the house.. it is easy to get just make sure it is somebody recommended..
I provide this service for some of my clients but don't know anybody in San Pedro.
And to find some body who speaks English might be harder.. But San Pedro has a better educated population so it might be easier..
Regarding your car.. it depends the model you have if it is a very specific car that you like maybe worth to drive it down.. if not just sell it and get one locally if you think you will need a car during your stay..
San Pedro is a quiet town.. not much crime to report except the usual robbery.. so be careful with your belongings. Panajachel has more expat community and more active.. San Pedro work a lot with tourism but mostly back packer..Send me a private message if you have more specific question
And welcome to Lake Atitlan a great place to live and be..

LaFille1 Member

Member since 02 June 2013

LaFille1Member24 August 2013 21:51:31

Hi Jena,

I am too originally from Tiquisate, but grew up in the States. I just moved back to Guatemala, but like you said, I am planning staying downhere probably for only a year if all goes well. I just wanted to say that, when hiring domestic help here in Guatemala, 1- make sure is referred to you by someone who knows her WELL. 2- even though, she´s being referred to you by someone who knows her, stay home while she´s cleaning! I found a small apartment in Antigua, and I am moving-in next week. If you´d need some advise, please feel free to write. I wish you the best!

Estella Lewis

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