Avoid The Crowds And Cost Of Como At The 'World's Most Beautiful Lake' In Central America

What lake is widely praised by discerning international travelers as the most beautiful in the world? Surprise! It's not the famous Lake Como in Italy where George Clooney, Madonna, and Sylvester Stallone have villas. Guatemala's Lake Atitlán is Central America's answer to Lake Como and then some, but with fewer crowds, lower prices, and just as much culture, local color, and natural beauty. The deep, blue-green lake is a pristine jewel, ringed by volcanoes and ancient Mayan ruins. Throw in a flourishing ecotourism industry, and you may find yourself feeling a lot more clued-in than the Clooneys when it comes to fabulous vacationing.

With a growing reputation among in-the-know travelers at every price point, you'll find both backpacker hostels and resorts to sate your appetite for luxury here, and plenty of Lake Como-style private villas that won't break even the smallest piggy bank. The average daily cost of a vacation in Lake Como's Varenna, one of Rick Steves' favorite European destinations, is around three times the cost of a vacation in Lake Atitlán's Santiago. The differences become even sharper the more you move upscale, with lakefront villas in Varenna renting at around 10 times the nightly rate of similarly-styled properties on Lake Atitlán, where listings range from a cliff-side glass A-frame suspended over the water, to a storybook lakefront cottage built out of volcanic stone with a pool, jacuzzi, and wood-fired sauna — the latter rents for less per night than a room at a Motel 6 in San Diego.

Guatemala's scenic Lake Atitlán is continents away from the bustling celebrity culture of Lake Como, but it's a fast-growing celebrity haunt in its own right. You may not be able to swing a reservation at the Lake Como villa Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce stayed in, but you can readily book a room at the exclusive Casa Palopó on Lake Atitlán, where Padma Lakshmi and Charlize Theron have sojourned. This 15-suite hotel's indoor-outdoor architecture takes advantage of the lake's reputation as the "land of eternal spring" with year-round temperatures of 70-80 degrees, and you'll have access to kayaks and boat trips during your stay.

While you may not be as spoiled for fine dining choices here as you'd be in Italy, one thing you can find is an authentic Neapolitan-style pizza. Pizzeria el Callejon in San Pedro La Laguna fires up pies with chewy, blistered crusts that gets universal raves. Other dining options favor the adventurous. Hike up, up, up to the Eagle's Nest for breakfast and a yoga class in an outdoor studio with a sweeping lake view. One Tripadvisor visitor praised it as "the most magical place on earth." Then, instead of evening cocktails, why not try a traditional Mayan cacao ceremony on the beach?

Lake Atitlán has a growing reputation for its developing focus on ecotourism and outdoorsy activities. The best ecotouring options on Lake Atitlán are human-powered: hiking, paddling, and on-foot adventuring. At Atitlán Natural Reserve, you can ride a zip line, look for monkeys in the forest canopy while crossing a rope hamaca bridge, and even try your hand at rappelling down a cliff with mountaineering gear. Three volcanoes stand sentinel around the lake, and you can hike them all. The most popular (and shortest) one to scale is Volcán San Pedro, a steep, all-day excursion to an incredible view. (For another volcano where you can hike through a whimsical forest is in Chile's Villarrica National Park)

Italy's Lake Como might be well known for its legendary sunsets, but Atitlán's sunsets are next-level gorgeous as well, with perfect vantage points all around the area. And you definitely can't ignore Atitlán's sunrises, either. How about a sunrise paddleboard tour, where guides provide steaming cups of Guatemalan coffee while you watch the sun rise over plumes of smoke floating out of the cone of a distant volcano? For one of the most memorable Lake Atitlán adventures, you'll have to set your alarm to rise in the dark for the mile-long hike to Rostro Maya, which affords a sunrise view that will be stoking your memory banks for decades to come — a treasured experience at any price.