Tours Rdu
The same concept as Cecocafen see the boxed text, p210 , this coffee cooperative Society of Small Coffee Producers, Exporters amp Buyers 782 2617 www.soppexcca.org en offers a variety of tours throughout the area, as well as homestays, horseback rides and more. The group is consistently recognized for growing some of the highest-quality coffee in the world, and some of its best comes from Cooperative Luis Hernandez r per person incl 3 meals US 20 , with lodging in pastoral San Pedro de...
Playa El Cuco
As you may have gathered by now, most of El Salvador's beaches are of the broad gray-brown variety - not the stuff of Caribbean fantasies, but attractive in their own right. El Cuco is no exception. At low tide it's an impressive 100m wide - a flat expanse of gray sand fringed by palm trees, stretching for miles. San Miguele os flock to Playa El Cuco on weekends, anxious to escape the sometimes bruising inland heat, but on weekdays it's virtually empty. Centro de Internet El Cuco 2619 9229 Main...
Information Ygf
Internet access is available for around US 0.70 per hour at Internet caf s all over the city. Cyber Moag ina per hr US 1 h 9am-8pm More expensive, but has big screens, great coffee and fruity beverages. Downtown Cyber per hr US 0.70 Close to Hotel Apante. BanPro and BanCentro, both with Visa Plus ATMs, are clustered with several other banks two blocks south of Parque Moraz n. BAC With an ATM on both Visa Plus and Cirrus MasterCard networks, half a block east of Parque Moraz n, across from the...
Rosita
With potential as a stand-in for Dodge City - should Hollywood ever want to film a Western really, really cheap - this very multicultural town not only has the late-1800s clapboard architecture with horses tied up out front, and mustachioed, ten-gallon-hatted cowboys with sidearms sauntering around it's got a country music soundtrack, twanging from all sides. The dusty frontier town is stretched along one roughly east-west road running from the hospital east to the police station west , with...
Zona Rosa Colonia Escaln 1
Hotels here have long catered to business-people reservations are recommended during the week but look for specials on weekends. A number of smaller hotels have also opened, all offering independent travelers comfortable accommodations at mid-range prices. Those staying close to Paseo General Escal n have easy access to various city buses others may find using a taxi or car more convenient. Casa de Hu spedes Australia Map p324 2298 6035 1a Calle Pte 3852, Colonia Escal n s d US 15 22, s without...
Orientation Information Fds
Wrapped around a crescent bay, SJDS is easy to explore on foot, and flanked by at least six other cove beaches on a single 40km stretch of coast, all connected by a rough dirt coastal road that can be 4WD-driven mostly in the rainy season, and gets much rougher north of Majagual. If you're walking to the northern beaches, save 2km by walking along the shore instead of the road and taking the tiny boat US 0.12 across the river. BDF Has a 24-hour Visa Plus ATM, but does not do credit-card...
Bonanza
The crown jewel of the Mining Triangle, Bonanza is the wealthiest and most beautiful of the matched set, an architectural gem of brightly painted wooden homes threaded with cobblestone streets, all displayed in one of Central America's most impressive bezels the emerald green mountains of Bosaw s. The whole scene, so perfect and pretty in the right light, may offer the impression of some 'Ye Olde Mining Town' theme-park confection, but note that charming shops sell subsistence goods, not...
Eating Fvo
The best place to eat on the cheap or buy fresh veggies is the beautiful, clean central market 6am-5pm , with several inexpensive eateries serving comida corriente a mixed plate of different foods typical of the region made from whatever's fresh that day. After-hours, two of the best fritangas sidewalk barbecues in town set up right outside, on the corner closest to the cathedral, where you can enjoy a huge meal for around US 2. CocinArte frente Iglesia Labor o mains US 2-4 h 11am-10pm Worth...
Suchitoto
Suchitoto, 47km north of San Salvador, is a great little town, with colonial buildings and cobblestone streets. A cultural capital during the heyday of the indigo trade, it is now experiencing something of an arts revival. An art and food festival is held every weekend, a February arts and culture festival brings in world-class music and dance groups, and there's a concert, performance or art exhibit practically every week. Suchitoto overlooks the Embalse Cerr n Grande, also known as Lago de...
Playa Jiquilillo
This endless pale gray beach pronounced heekeeleeyo frames what you thought existed only in tales that begin 'You should have seen it back when I was first here ' The picture-perfect fishing village fronts a dramatic rocky point, where tide pools reflect the reds and golds of a huge setting sun, Cosiguina's ragged bulk rising hazy and postapocalyptic to the north. The region remains largely undeveloped, despite its beauty and accessibility, because a devastating 1992 tsunami wiped this village...
San Francisco Lempa
This small friendly town is the transit point between Chaletenango and Suchitoto, and the small town of San Luis del Carmen further down the lakeshore. It has a pretty colonial church and many houses made of adobe - geologically stable, it is one of only a few areas in the country where adobe buildings haven't been reduced to rubble by earthquakes. The boat pier is 500m from the center of town, where the buses pass. Restaurante Tao Tao 2399 3118 mains US 3-6 6am-9pm is a restaurant, a watering...
Sleeping Hpy
Very basic budget options abound in the market area you can save money if you don't need a shower or flush toilets. Hospedaje Sacuanjoche 713 2482 Av 1a NE amp Calle 2a SE r per person US 4 Tranquil and an excellent deal on simple but very livable rooms with shelves and personal touches, this clean spot also has a quiet courtyard, paneled TV area and dining room where breakfast US 1.25, including coffee is served. Hotel Nicarao 713 2490 Av Central s d without bathroom US 10 12, s d with...
Word Stress
In general, words ending in vowels or the letters n or s have stress on the next-to-last syllable, while those with other endings have stress on the last syllable. Thus vaca cow and caballos horses both carry stress on the next-to-last syllable, while ciu- dad city and infeliz unhappy are both stressed on the last syllable. Written accents will almost always appear in words that don't follow the rules above, eg s tano basement , Am rica and porci n portion .
La Palma
Surrounded by verdant mountains and bathed in fresh mountain air, La Palma may be 84km north of San Salvador, but it's well worth the climb, and it's a must if you're heading into Honduras via El Poy. Stay here for easy access to the area's hiking and outdoors options, without giving up amenities like Internet access, banking facilities, a grocery store and a variety of restaurants. To get even further away, consider staying in nearby San Ignacio, or one of the several great country lodges...
Sleeping Eating Cme
There are lots of options for staying at the bottom of the crater, or check out Masa-tepe p106 and Catarina p104 if you're more interested in the view. Your dining options are very limited consider bringing groceries. A handful of very basic bar restaurants have been squatting here illegally over cheap beer and fried food for years, but may soon be pushed out by more upscale developments, which are also probably illegal. They're generally deserted except on Sunday afternoon, when half of...
Playa El Majahual Km
The least appealing of the seaside villages, Playa El Majahual's restaurants are crammed too tightly along the jet-black sand. On the upside, your hotel choices include a water park or a pool in the shape of a guitar. Ever wonder what it would be like to have Marine World to yourself Well, Parque Acu tico El Pacifico 2310 6505 hotelelpacifico .com.sv r with without air-con US 25 12-15 gives you the chance to find out. An impressive aquatic park - complete with four pools, two huge slides and...
Oyk- El Salvador
Hotel Panamericano 722 2355 r with without bathroom per person US 10 3 Even if you don't stay here, right on the plaza, staff can arrange guides to the canyon, and there's a solid souvenir shop. There's a range of rooms, from super-simple boxes with shared hot-water bathrooms to spacious, better private rooms, some with refrigerators and or TVs. Hospedaje La Providencia 722 2089 r per person US 3.50 This family-run budget option has lots of doves, a parrot and a cat, plus simple, very clean...
Runas De Tazumal
The ruins of Tazumal 2408 4295 admission US 3 9am-5pm Tue-Sun are the most important and impressive in El Salvador, although they do not compare to the grandeur of sites in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. There's a fine museum, though, and the shops outside the ruins sell some of the country's best clay replicas of Mayan masks, statues and other artifacts. A trip here also can be combined with an even more interesting stop at nearby Casa Blanca p358 both are located on the outskirts of...
Las Salinas de Nagualapa y Playa Guasacate
Home to one of the most storied waves in Nicaragua, the little town of Las Salinas de Nagualapa, named for the salt evaporation ponds you'll pass on the way in, is beginning to feel a bit like a beach town. You'll also see a large barn -it's actually the hot springs admission US 0.30 , where you could soak away surfing-related soreness or wash your clothes. Most people continue 4km past town to Playa Guasacate, where a shallow lagoon and slow river shift through the long sandy beach. It's often...
Playa El Tunco Km
This is the most developed of the beach communities west of La Libertad. The narrow access road has several hotels along its side, and ends in a cluster of beachside restaurants. A broad beach means you can walk to four different breaks El Sunzal, El Sunzalito, La Bocana the locals' wave and La Bocanita. Papaya's Lodge 2389 6231 www.papayasurfing .com Centro El Tunco s US 8, d with without bathroom US 14 12 0 is a small hotel run by Jaime 'Papaya' Delgado, a down-to-earth guy who grew up here...
Sleeping Swd
Los Pipitos 572 1590 d with fan US 15, s d with air-con US 18 25 a About blocks west of the market, this is a good deal on four clean, livable rooms with desks, nice lamps, and discounts for long-term stays. Mini-Hotel Cafet n Central 572 2362 d with bathroom and fan air-con US 12 25 a At the rear of a lively and much loved caf dishes US 2 to US 6, open 8am to 10pm , very neat if cramped rooms come with tiny bathroom, cable TV and phone. Hospedaje Kaorha View 572 0488 r without bathroom and 1 2...
Sleeping Hjn
These are all low-season prices, which at pricier hotels increase around 15 during the high season December to May . Make reservations and expect to pay more around Christmas, Semana Santa, the mid-August fiestas and Independence Day September 15 . Granada was undergoing a time of explosive growth at the time of research, with several hotels under construction. While this sort of overdevelopment can be frustrating for guidebook publishers, it's great for travelers - don't be afraid to bargain....
San Juan de Nicaragua San Juan del Norte
Though it's one of the Americas' oldest European cities, this damp monument to human perseverance has one of its newest names. Until 2003 it was known as San Juan del Norte, which if you look at a map doesn't make much sense unless it was all a conspiracy involving those dastardly Costa Ri-cans see the boxed text, p276 Hence the change. Many visitors to this little-touristed spot will wonder, perhaps out loud, why Costa Rica or anyone else would want it. But when it was founded in 1539, with...
Masachapa Pochomil
Although t he t hree square blocks of restaurants, bars and hotels have largely supplanted the original fishing village of Machapa now located just north , it's still the only organically grown town around. Cyber amp Restaurant GLC Internet per hr US 1 6am-10pm has hamburgers meals US 1 to US 4 and Internet access. There are no banks in Masachapa but Montelimar has an ATM p90 . There's great surfing - a left point break just north of Montelimar, and a hollow right reef break to the south...