Tzam Poc is truly magical, perched above Lake Atitlan, the most beautiful lake in the world (so said Aldous Huxley). The main house and small outbuildings seem to grow organically up the steep hillside, each level with an amazing vista.

As another visitor noted, Tzam Poc was designed and built by owner/architect Lucio Mamberto, originally from Italy, who came to Guatemala many years ago and has adopted this country has his home. He has a welcoming European presence, and his lovely small staff is thoughtful and accommodating.

Rooms at Tzam Poc are comfortable and spacious; there's an infinity pool and jacuzzi where visitors can relax and take in the grandeur of the lake. A lovely breakfast is included.

When we visited my teenage son and I were the only guests. Don Lucio and his staff made us feel completely at home, as though it was our home. They happily arranged transit to the market in Chichicastenango, and a boat tour of the lake, and would have done more if we'd only had the time.

Santa Catarina is a small town not far from Panajachel, with little more for tourists than a dock and a few small hotels in and around the town.

Visit Tzam Poc soon, before too many other travelers make the same discovery.

Tzam Poc Resort is built into the steep hillside above the little village of Santa Catarina Palopo, on the north side of Lake Atitlan. This affords a sensational view of the volcanoes on the other side of the lake, and indeed the entire lake. The small resort was built by the architect Lucio Mamberto, an Italian immigrant to Guatemala, who remains on the premises as owner and impresario, and welcomes guests with an expansive, "Welcome to my home..." The overall look is nautical -- sort of Captain Nemo meets the Isle of Capri -- with lush gardens and uniquely sculpted rooms and suites that feel as if they're organically grown from the hillside. The morning breakfast is taken on a veranda overlooking the lake, and guests are made to feel as if they've been admitted to something of a private retreat. This is not 5-star, cushioned comfort -- if you're staying on the ledge of a dramatic landscape, you shouldn't expect shoe-polishing machines and a phalanx of little Aveda bottles in your bathroom. But if you want to feel a sense of what it means to be in Central America, among those who've chosen to love this country, it would be hard to find a better spot.