About us
OUR STORY
THE ORIGINS
Founded in 2005 by a young couple with big dreams, Earth Lodge was the first commercial property to be built on this mountain. The original owners put untold amounts of sweat and love into building the property, beginning by forging a road and engineering basic necessities like water and power. The farm resort was built cabin by cabin, avocado tree by avocado tree, continuously evolving into “that famous treehouse resort” in the not-so-far mountains just outside of Antigua Guatemala.
THE TRANSFORMATION
There came a time to pass the torch to a new guardian of this tropical mountain paradise, and in 2023 a family with a passion for supporting the local community, good food, and exceptional travel experiences took on the challenge of caring for the land and the people who make up the Earth Lodge family. Earth Lodge re-emerged with the same heart and same epic views of Antigua’s famous volcanoes, but with a whole new focus and mission: to be a place where everyone can experience wellness and joy in their own way.
Careful attention is given to every detail in order to provide the perfect setting for enjoying the beautiful tropical surroundings of our expansive mountain property; from the clean modern decor locally sourced for the renovated cabins, spa, and lodge, to the organic and eco-friendly soaps and bath products, which are safe and friendly for our greywater system which cycles the water into the surrounding plant life and finca.
With joy and wellness for all as the focus and guiding light for the resort, Earth Lodge is open to the public as well as overnight guests. All are welcome here – come for the day or book a stay.
THE GLOW UP
Under new leadership, women from the local village were educated in wellness trends and farm to table practices, turning The Lodge Restaurant into a world-class dining experience, with a focus on bright tropical flavors, local artisan products and plenty of options for all, whether you’re vegan, gluten-free or a conscientious carnivore. You’ll find avocado featured in many dishes on the menu being that the property is also a working organic avocado farm.
The organic avocado farm at Earth Lodge is home to over 350 organic Haas avocado trees, which are fed compost from the kitchen – one of the many regenerative practices we deploy to live in harmony with the land. Guests can take a tour of the avocado farm or simply enjoy our delicious avocados in one of the many dishes featuring this ingredient on our menu. The main harvest season is typically December through February, so be sure to visit the restaurant during this time for our special seasonal Avocado Harvest Specials if you’re an avocado lover, or a “panza verde” as we say here in Guatemala!
Whether visiting for the day or staying in one of our private accommodations, when you come to Earth Lodge, you are part of our family. We look forward to sharing our zest for life, our passion for all things wellness, and our love of nature with you in our beautiful tropical mountain paradise!
Meet Our Team
More like a family than a team, most Earth Lodge employees live on-site or minutes away, in the small aldea (village) of El Hato. All of the men who work the property farming, landscaping, and doing maintenance work, as well as all of the women who work in the kitchen or cleaning, live in the village along with many generations of their families. Historically the El Hato area was occupied by one large finca with centralized employee housing on-site. After the finca dispersed and parceled off the land to various parties, the area which housed the employees became today’s village of El Hato.
Caitlin Natasha
Owner & CEO
The visionary and heart behind the newest chapter of Earth Lodge, Caitlin Natasha’s background in international marketing in the fitness industry and her personal passion for all things wellness create a recipe for innovation when it comes to Earth Lodge. Caitlin Natasha’s background in wellness is diverse – ask her about her 20+ years of teaching and practicing yoga, aerial arts, martial arts, ecstatic dance, indoor cycle, crossfit, free diving, and more when you meet her!
Jude & Mariana
General Managers
Both of our General Managers are Guatemlatecas (Guatemalans)! With experience managing hotel properties across Guatemala, both of our wonderful Managers have found a home here at Earth Lodge where they enjoy leading our team of workers from the village of El Hato and our international reception team. Ask them about their favorite book or most recent read, or grab one of our tarot card decks and pull a card with them. They love getting to know our amazing guests!
Lorenz
Property Manager
Originally from Germany, Lorenz was first a part time volunteer carpenter, who fell in love with this mountain and never left. Lorenz now manages the team of local men who work tirelessly at Earth Lodge, overseeing the organic avocado farm, landscaping, maintenance, and building of new facilities. Under his management the entire resort was remodeled! Lorenz also leads our Avocado Farm tours, and enjoys sharing about how we care for and harvest our organic avocados.
Lilian
Sous Chef
Lilian is a local who has lived in our village of El Hato her entire life. Mother of two, Lilian aspires to create a better life for her children and elevate their generation. Through hard work and fast learning she has earned the role of Sous Chef with her keen skills in the kitchen and her hard work.
Rosa
Sous Chef
Rosa has been with Earth Lodge for over 10 years, working her way to Sous Chef through hard work and dedication. She and her husband and two children live in our village of El Hato and she aspires to provide her family with a better life and opportunities through her work at Earth Lodge. Rosa sends her children to a private school in Antigua where they are learning english and other skills to help them thrive.
Marta
Head Chef
Marta grew up learning to cook from her mother in their small family home in our village of El Hato. She enjoys learning new recipes and ways of preparing food. To date her favorite new food that she has learned to prepare from her work at Earth Lodge are the various types of homemade hummuses, especially the pumpkin seed hummus. Marta is also very well versed in local herbalism and is a wealth of native and ancestral information regarding local herbs and plants and their medicinal uses!
Based on 900+ reviews
Easily accessible by car, shuttle, or Uber
And over 350 organic avocado trees
Gluten-free, Vegan, & Conscientious Carnivore