A place with room to breathe.
Nearly 5,000 m² of gardens, architecture and nature on Lake Atitlán.
Casa Verapaz is a collection of independent luxury vacation rentals set within one private property in Santa Catarina Palopó. The residences rise through the hillside at different levels, surrounded by gardens, Lake Atitlán and views toward the volcanoes.
There are places to gather and places to disappear for a while. Wake to birds outside your window. Swim. Soak in the heated jacuzzi. Walk down to the lake. Or simply enjoy having nowhere you need to be.
A transformation that began in 2020.
When we began transforming Verapaz in March 2020, the property looked very different. There was a small main cabin and an older apartment building dating from the 1970s. We saw the possibility of creating contemporary spaces that could coexist with the hillside rather than overwhelm it.
Casa Verapaz welcomed its first guests in March 2024, and the property continues to evolve today.
Built around the view.
Travel and design have shaped the way Casa Verapaz was imagined. After decades of experiencing accommodations around the world, we became interested in the small things that make a space comfortable: how a room relates to a view, where natural light enters, whether a space gives you privacy and whether you genuinely want to spend time there.
The architecture draws particularly from Scandinavian simplicity and Brutalist forms—clean lines, honest materials and restrained interiors set against the richness of Guatemala's vegetation. The goal was never to compete with the landscape. It was to frame it.
Every residence has a name.
Carina and Vela take their names from constellations that once formed part of Argo Navis, the great ship of the southern sky. Pablo carries a piece of the property's own history: in the 1990s, a Spanish doctor lived for a year in the original apartment at Verapaz, and his son Pablo was born during that time.
Argos takes its name from the loyal dog of Odysseus in The Odyssey—a name connected to loyalty, waiting and coming home.
Living within nature.
Nature was here before us. The gardens are alive throughout the day with birds, changing light and the sounds of the surrounding landscape. Life at Casa Verapaz naturally slows down—a place to disconnect from some of the noise outside and reconnect with the people, landscape and moments immediately around you.
Some of us live here full time.
Casa Verapaz is also our home. Julio and William currently live on the property, along with a small group of animals who are part of daily life here.
The two members of our welcoming committee guests are most likely to meet are Günchen, our golden retriever, and Ichimei, our fluffy grey cat. Paco, our parrot, has been part of our family for 23 years.
Luna and her three children—Julinho, Moniquita and Willy—came to Casa Verapaz after Luna gave birth near the pier in Panajachel. We brought them here when the puppies were only three days old. The plan was to foster them. That plan did not last very long. They became part of the family instead and now have their own comfortable area away from guest spaces. You may also spot our chickens wandering the grounds.
Still becoming.
Casa Verapaz was never conceived as something that would be finished all at once. Argos is the next step, targeted to open in November 2026. We continue improving the gardens, architecture and details while preserving what matters most: space, nature, simplicity and the extraordinary landscape around us.
Create a beautiful place where people have space to be together, space to be alone and time to appreciate where they are.