Registration is open but filling up fast! Our airline rates are only guaranteed through November 19th so please book today.  Please follow these easy steps to reserve and pay your HBA-NJ registration, tours, hotel and airfare: 

1) Itinerary:  Below is a summary of the itinerary of our trip so that you can decide if you want to join us for 7 nights or 4 nights.  

Sunday 2/24/19:  Early airfare recommended from Newark (EWR) to arrive in Guatemala (GUA) by 12:30/1:30 pm.  We will be picked up by Antigua Tours shuttles (private buses) to arrive in Antigua around 2 pm. Arrival, check in at hotel and various options for dinner and other evening activities. 

Monday 2/25/19: Antigua Tour shuttle from Antigua to Guatemala Airport (GUA) at 4:00 am for 6:30 a.m. flight to Flores, Guatemala (Tikal).  Shuttle and private tour guide to take the group to Tikal National Park. Guided day tour with lunch in park at the end of tour.  Shuttle to boat to transfer group to Bolontiku Hotel on private island in jungle, and Hotel Isla de Flores on the island of Flores, Guatemala.  Evening group activities. 

Tuesday 2/26/19:  Wake up in Tikal, have breakfast, and enjoy a day at Lake Peten Itza or hotel pool. Shuttle pick up around 4:00 pm back to airport to fly back to Guatemala airport (GUA).  Antigua Tour shuttles will take the group back to Antigua for dinner and other evening group activities.  

Wednesday 2/27/19:  Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy the day before the conference begins in the evening.  Try the spa facilities, take a free shuttle to Tenedor del Cerro for breakfast and breathtaking views (ziplining also available), enjoy breakfast/lunch at a local restaurant, and/or take a private tour with Antigua Tours (cooking class, chocolate tour, ziplining, walking tour of Antigua).  Evening Welcome Reception at Casa Santo Domingo's capilla and museums.  Evening group activities.  

Thursday 2/28/19:  Group buffet breakfast.  CLEs.  After the CLEs, we will take a quick ride over to Filadelfia Plantation for a coffee plantation tour and late lunch/dinner.  Evening group activities.  

Friday 3/1/19:  Group buffet breakfast.  CLEs.  After the CLEs, group closing luncheon at the hotel courtyard.  Evening group activities. 

Saturday 3/2/19:  Group day trip to Lake Atitlan.  Antigua tours will drive us to and from Lake Atitlan, where we will have breakfast at the lake.  Boat ride to visit 1 or 2 Mayan villages surrounding majestic lake.  Party boat with snacks and beverages to a private house for a private BBQ and swimming.  Shuttle to Antigua. Our last night in town will include evening group activities.  

Sunday 3/3/19:  Morning free time.  Antigua shuttles back to Guatemala for flights home.  We recommend 1:30/2:30 pm airfare, but if you book other times, Antigua Tours will arrange your shuttle.  

2)  HBA-NJ Registration:  HBA-NJ Registration is required and includes all SSS events (welcome reception, some breakfasts, Thursday luncheon or dinner/tour, closing luncheon, Saturday day-trip with all meals to Lake Atitlan) and CLE panels and credits. Early-bird Attorney Rate on or before Nov. 29, 2018 is $350 ($450 after this date), and $150 for Guests not seeking CLEs ($200 after this date). Registration fees must be received on or before February 15, 2019, but please register as soon as possible to add you to our SSS guest list.  Please click here to sign up and pay for your registration dues.  

3) Hotel:  Our group will be staying at a 17th century Church and Convent turned into a 5-Star Hotel-Museum-Spa, Casa Santo Domingo, which is a recognized treasure in the UNESCO colonial city of Antigua, Guatemala. Discounted room rates, including wifi, starting at $117/night (traditional rooms) to $320/night (luxury suites) plus 22% tax for single or double occupancy are available only through the following link:  http://bit.ly/HISPANIC_BAR_ASSOCIATION.  The deadline to submit your hotel reservation is January 15, 2019.  After the cut-off date of January 15, 2019, reservations are accepted on a space and rate availability basis and cannot be guaranteed at the conference rates.  All reservations require a credit card guarantee at the time of booking to hold the room. Payment, however, will be processed at the time of checkout, but the reservation may not be canceled or modified once booked.  

Availability of rooms is not guaranteed up to the cut-off date and room types and suites are on a first-come, first-served basis. Traditional rooms may have double beds or a king size bed.  Conventual rooms mostly have king beds but some have double beds.  Deluxe rooms are larger and have a separate living room/dining area.  Suites and Executives have king size beds (one suite has double beds).  Rooms with spa living add a fee for daily access to the spa facilities.  You can also purchase daily pass to the spa facilities at the hotel.   We have a variety of unique rooms, deluxe rooms, and suites available from February 27-March 3, 2019.  If you are booking the 4 nights/5 days from February 27-March 3, 2019, please visit the hotel link above and reserve your preferred room. Subject to availability, you will have the option to make requests on the last page when registering including preferred view, double beds or king size, jacuzzi, etc.   

If you plan to travel to Tikal and extend your stay for 7 days at the second hotel option, Hotel Isla de Flores, please contact Julia Lopez at jalopez@reedsmith.com or 609-524-2022, and she will help you make your hotel reservation.  We only have a reserved, limited number of traditional deluxe rooms, conventual rooms, and conventual deluxe rooms for the 7 days, but other rooms may also be available.  To view all rooms, please select 2/27-3/3 as your travel dates.  During your one night stay in Tikal, you can also choose to (a) check out of Casa Santo Domingo for one night on 2/25/19 and allow the hotel to hold your larger bags, or (b) keep your room and enjoy the convenience of keeping your belongings in your room for the night in Casa Santo Domingo. 

If you have any questions about the hotel, please feel free to email Roselena Alvarado at Casa Santo Domingo at ralvarado@casasantodomingo.com.gt and let her know your are a guest of the HBA-NJ for its Sun, Surf & Seminars.  

4) Tours/Shuttles:  We have partnered with Antigua Tours for our shuttles to/from the airport, as well as all tours.  Please visit the following link to register for (a) a private airport shuttles $15 each way, (b) the free tour to Filadelfia Coffee Plantation, and (c) free tour to Lake Atitlan:  https://antiguatours.net/corp/hispanic-bar-association-of-new-jersey/.  Additional paid tours are available during your stay and available at this link including a cooking tour, a walking tour of Antigua, a chocolate tour, and a ziplining tour.  You can also book any additional tours with Antigua Tours at the hotel.  

For those who plan to arrive on February 24th for a 7-day stay, you can also register for the pre-conference package to another UNESCO site and largest Mayan city, Tikal (Tikal Tour). Tikal is an ancient Mayan city in the rainforests of northern Guatemala, which date back to the 1st century A.D. We will be traveling to Tikal on Monday, February 25 and returning on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.  The Tikal Tour package includes all shuttles, a private tour guide, luxurious accommodations for one night at Bolontiku Hotel (http://www.bolontikuhotel.com) or Hotel Isla De Flores (http://www.hotelisladeflores.com), airfare, and several meals.  Bolontiku is sold out, but we have limited rooms at Hotel Isla De Flores.  Prices range from $425-$495 for single occupancy for the excursion package, but you must reach out to Julia Lopez at jalopez@reedsmith.com or (609) 524-2022 to reserve your spot and book the 7-day package.  

Once you are booked on Antigua Tours, they will contact you for your passport information to book your flights to and from Tikal (Flores, Guatemala) and to confirm your arrival and departure information for your airport transfers.  We will try to coordinate party buses for those who book their airfare with Albert Paz (see below) or who arrive on Sunday between 12:30-1:30 or Wednesday 12:30-1:30.

5) Airfare:  We have negotiated and locked in preferred Delta flights with a layover in Atlanta for $665 from February 27-March 3, 2019. Our preferred flying times are:  2/27/18 EWR to ATL 7:00 am - 9:40 am, ATL to GUA 10:55 am - 1:26 pm; and 3/3/18 GUA to ATL 2:34 pm - 7:00 pm, ATL to EWR 9:09 pm - 11:25 pm.  To book your airfare, please contact Albert Paz at albert@gabrieltravel.com or (973) 345-5767.  Other dates, including for February 24, 2019, can also be booked through Albert Paz.  First deposit required to reserve space and final payment is due no later than November 19, 2018.  Albert Paz is available to answer any questions. 

6) Passports:  Please make sure to check your passports and ensure that they are not expired. Visas are not required to enter Guatemala.  Passports must be valid for six months after the date of your return.

For more information or to sponsor this conference, please contact Julia Lopez at (609) 524-2022 or jalopez@reedsmith.com. Please do not hesitate to contact Julia Lopez if you have any questions.  For CLE or conference information, please contact Co-Chairs, Rey Lambert at (973) 597-6340 or Ada Nunez at (973) 936-8519.  You may also visit https://njhba.org.

We look forward to hosting you in Antigua, Guatemala!