We landed on Guatemala for a number of reasons, not least because of our various parameters (see above!) but in the end, it won because it has a bit of everything:

it has warm weather. It has beaches (if you really want them - not the nicest in the world but hey). (t’s got incredible outdoorsy activities (kayaking, SUP, horseback riding, hiking, camping atop an active volcano, anyone?) incredibly rich vibrant history and culture that’s well preserved to this day, see how coffee/chocolate is made, go to a market in a small local village and admire the handiwork or just the daily life; enjoy the jungles and rainforest and all the animals that come with it, the mountains, the desert, various lakes, tons of volcanoes, and of course the wealth of Mayan ruins, a tiny fraction of which have been uncovered.