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13 Jun 2025
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Details
Description
This project is a dream turned reality for me that I have been building on for the past four years, following on the foundations established by my father.
My vision combines two key aspects of the business:
- Offering quality accommodation in private cabins and houses that give a feeling of living in the beautiful nature of Lake Atitlan, in comfort.
- Building community spirit around a shared love of movement, creative art and wellbeing practices like martial arts, circus skills, yoga and dance.
I currently have an accommodation space with several cabins and houses to rent, and a training space with a weekly schedule of several movement and fun classes, that resident guests can access with a class package, and non-residents can attend with drop-ins. I have been consistently renovating, improving and expanding these spaces and our offerings over the past few years, building a name for our business and establishing the Unicorn ethos and community.
Currently I have a small staff team of seven locally paid employees working here with me supporting management, housekeeping, maintenance, gardening, building and financial advice, and three international employees supporting the running of the business. I am now looking for a work exchange volunteer to join us and support the continued expansion of our dreams!
We have created these spaces for guests to immerse themselves in the peaceful atmosphere of our centrally-located haven in San Marcos, where nature and community come together. Just steps from the lake, the Unicorn offers a restful escape for travelers looking to recharge, explore, and experience the unique spirit of this village.
The philosophy is rooted in harmony, movement, and genuine connection. Whether clients come for a short stay or an extended visit, our serene environment invites them to unwind and embrace the essence of life by the lake.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Hospitality/Tourism
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Interests
Videography
Sustainability
Culture
Self development
Movies & TV
Plant care
Music
History
Books
Art & design
Architecture
Cooking & food
Gardening
Languages
Photography
Writing
Performing arts
Drawing & painting
Dancing
Beach
Yoga / Wellness
Team sports
Nature
Fitness
Camping
Mountain
Water sports
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Adventure sports
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Living on Lake Atitlan you will have excellent opportunities to learn more about Guatemalan culture and the culture of this magical Lake. I am a local Guatemalan, born at the Lake and have lived most of my life here, seeing the progression of this area through the past few decades of a growing tourism industry. All my primary workers at present are locals who are also my own extended family, and I would love any workawayer coming to volunteer with me to take an interest in learning more about our culture.
I require any applicant to have a basic conversational understanding of Spanish, however this would be a perfect opportunity for you to advance your fluency of the language. If you wish, you would also have the chance to learn the local language which most of my workers speak, kaqchikel.
Help
As the business has grown I am now looking for a volunteer who can support me with small daily tasks that help the smooth running of the business, including:
- Overseeing client bookings via our management platform Cloudbeds
- Checking in guests
- Hospitality and making guests feel welcome
- Assistance coordinating housekeeping tasks
- Supporting coordination of teachers and smooth running of classes in movement space
I’m looking for a workaway volunteer who can commit to living and helping here for a MINIMUM TWO MONTHS, who shares my passion for building community around movement and wellbeing.
In exchange for your time and energy you will have comfortable accommodation in your own private cabin in our little oasis here, benefit from all housekeeping services that guests have (cleaning, towels etc), food provisions, AND have a free pass to all our Kefi movement classes – up to 25 a week! - which are usually charged at 100-150GTQ per class.
The exchange will likely involve a maximum of 4 hours work per day, 5 days a week, however since certain times are busier than others (eg. when we have multiple guest check-ins, property maintenance requirements or wellbeing class teacher changeovers/inductions) - we would meet at the beginning of each week to discuss what is needed and how best to distribute your time across that week, also taking into consideration other commitments or interests you have.
Good communication, commitment and reliability is essential for me in a volunteer. In return, as a host I would also like to support anyone working with me in their own aspirations and projects for their stay on the lake. If you are a teacher or facilitator of any movement or wellbeing practices, there will be the opportunity to discuss you offering your services here which could also support you to earn extra cash. You will have two days off a week where you would be free to explore the local area or other villages - the Lake has so much to offer!
We are very centrally located in San Marcos, only a few minutes walk from all the main hubs for hanging out. The lake itself is a couple of minutes walk, as is the local nature reserve, and we are very blessed that it is safe to swim in the water here (not always the case in other villages around the lake!). You will love this little paradise!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Accommodation
Private cabin with single bed in a beautiful quiet and enclosed community living/retreat space (can be accessed only with keycode). Shared bathroom. Shared common areas including hammocks and chill out spaces. Access to yoga/movement/training space with shared equipment.
Shared kitchen with food storage space and all facilities needed for cooking. Some prepared meals will be provided during working hours, and I will also provide additional groceries/food supplies for other meals.
What else ...
*PLEASE READ BEFORE APPLYING!*
Please ONLY apply if you can commit to a minimum of two months. We will not consider applicants who cannot commit to this.
Please only apply if you can communicate with basic Spanish - this is essential to be able to speak with the workers. You don't need to be fluent and will likely learn on the job, but being able to communicate with them (with the support of google translate if needed) is a must.
In your application please answer the following:
1) In a short paragraph, please summarise why you would like to workaway with me at Unicorn.
2) What skills and qualities do you think you could bring to this workaway?
3) How would you describe your attitude towards managing a healthy work life balance?
Shortlisted applicants will have a videocall intro meeting with me to discuss further details and agree whether we think this will be a good fit.
I look forward to hearing from you!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
For workawayers who have other work commitments online or in person, I require you to be flexible for us to find a fit that works for us both, and good communication around working hours and availability. The times I will need most help can vary week to week depending on our bookings and projects at the time, therefore we would meet at the start of every week to agree on required availability and distribution of working time for the week ahead.
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
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