Rating Everywhere I went in El Salvador - A First Timers Guide + Safety
the perfect pool to rot in front of all day :)
looking for any excuse to stay here forever
our private little black sand beach airbnb :)
Everyone knows that my life’s goal is to rot on as many beaches as possible, so I made it my mission to stay at a few different beaches along the coast of El Salvador during my 12-day adventure along the coast. We went to Mizata, El Zonte, and El Tunco where drank a ton of beer, ate dozens of pupusas, made friends with people and feral dogs alike, and I surfed 0 times.
And since I’m a woman and by default assume all men want to murder me*, I thought it would be helpful to create a guide of all the places I went and how safe I felt in each location. Also, I love rating and reviewing things.
*this is an assumption that’s probably supported by MANY studies & statistics
VAMANOS!
Quick Helpful Tips:
Trusted Driver - CheroTours (airport pickup, tours around El Salvador, etc.) - They were recommended to me by my Airbnb host and we scheduled our airport pickups and drop offs as well as longer taxi rides with this group. They have a handful of drivers and they were trustworthy, on time, and super friendly. Pay in cash and tip the drivers well!
Currency - USD or Bitcoin (?) weirdly. Most restaurants, bars, shops, etc. take card but it’s helpful to have cash on hand as well for taxis and tips for service workers.
Outlet - US outlets work, no need for a converter
Beaches - Gorgeous sunsets over black sand and some rocky beaches. I found the water isn’t as calm in the areas we went to, but there are other beaches with calmer waters along the coast, such as Los Cobanos (according to reddit)
Safety - To get this out of the way, I felt extremely safe traveling to and from all of the tourist areas and the beaches of El Salvador. More details below!
Google Map Guide - HERE! - A list of everywhere we stayed, where we ate/drank, shopped, beaches, etc.
Mizata, El Salvador
our private little black sand beach airbnb - sihua surf house
only $50/person/night!! insanity
Mizata is a pretty small beach town about 3 hours from the airport. We wanted to start here and move closer to the airport as our trip continued and I was very happy with this choice. We were here for 4 nights which was just the right amount of time.
Where to Stay in Mizata, El Salvador
I won’t lie, I was initially drawn to this location because I’d been dying to stay at the Mizata by Antiresort Hotel and after seeing them on my Instagram one time, I was correctly added into their prospective client retargeting pool so I saw videos and ads of their hotel for about it a year. I’m not sure it would have been on my map otherwise.
And while I was THIIIIIIIIS CLOSE to pulling the trigger on that hotel, I ended up staying at Sihua Surf House, a beach front surf house nearby that I found on Airbnb, and found out later that a friend on TikTok had actually recommended it to me! The internet is wild, people. At only $50/person/night, this place was a paradise. Highlights below:
a shot of our house, taken before i forgot to take my drone off of airplane mode and crashed it into a palm tree :(
The beach house was absolutely AMAZING and one of the highlights of my trip to El Salvador. The main house had glass doors and windows on both sides, giving it an open-air feeling all day. The second house had 3 bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and large shower. It should be noted that only the front room had an ocean view, however, so we all took turns using that large shower. The toilet also faced the sea – nothing like an ocean-view poop!!
this is how man was meant to poop
golden hour here was great and so is my new fujifilm xt30ii camera (all settings on auto, baby!)
The main attraction, however, was definitely the private pool and the semi-private black sand beach. This beach is great if you want some privacy and serenity vs the other more popular beaches. The ocean here is a bit rough, so it’s good for more experienced surfers, but in terms of swimming, it’s recommended you really only go up to your knees. But that’s all you’ll need when you have your own private pool!
I’m extremely happy I was able to scrounge up a group of friends to fly in from all over the states (Denver, Savannah, Detroit) and meet in El Salvador for 5 days to hang by the beach in the butt of winter. This spot reminded me why I love group trips so much — new friends meeting and bonding and befriending feral beach dogs.
My childhood best friend, Abbey, later told me that she specifically got a passport because she knew I’d invite her on a trip some day and she wanted to be ready to go. She was the first to buy a ticket, it was her first time in Central America, and she went on to make tons of new friends and run into our glass doors two times. I love her so much.
Here’s the link to book on Airbnb – tell Patricia I sent you!
our favorite feral beach dog who we named critter
gave my camera to my friends to try out
abbye + melissa (my first time meeting her was here lol)
a yooper, two yoga instructors from detroit, and one of my fave new yorkers
ashley somehow worked from this pool??
What to do in Mizata, El Salvador
Surf
Listen, I’m not even going to try to pretend I know what I’m talking about when it comes to surfing. But from what I experienced, the waves here were less crowded than other parts of the coast. So, if you are a surfer, this could be a great place for you. If you’re a beginner, I’d recommend taking lessons in El Tunco, El Zonte, or other, more chill beaches first.
Hike the Santa Ana Volcano
In addition to not being able to surf, I also hate hiking. So, I chose to stay back and have a chill day by the pool while my friends did a half day hike of this volcano. While they did enjoy the experience, they all noted that it was harder than they expected. But the views were great! We set up a tour with CheroTours (our taxi drivers I listed earlier).
after they hiked this volcano they all said “alex would have hated this”
Get Lunch or Dinner at Restaurante Dos Alas
After hiking Santa Ana, go to this restaurant for lunch so you can view another enormous volcano. The views are insane. You have to pay a small fee per person to enter the grounds where the restaurant is, but that goes towards your bill.
view from the restaurant!
Eat, Drink, Dance, & Join the Pool Party at Mizata by Antiresort
We found that the perfect combination is staying at this house and then eating dinner at Nawi (the restaurant at Mizata) and doing a beach day pass there as well so you can use the facilities. You get the best of both worlds – enjoying that fun resort but escaping to your perfect little beach house when you want to. They have tons of activities — a little meditation yurt, horseback riding, a pool overlooking the ocean that def turns into a party by 2pm, and lots of great cocktails and food. It does get a bit crowded, so make sure you get there early for beach chairs. My video review below:
My only annoyance with Nawi was that we booked a 6-person omakase tasting with Ishwi Omakase a day in advance, at the resaturant, and when we went back the next day, they didn’t have our reservation / weren’t prepared and we never got to go because the next day the chef had to go to the hospital for cutting himself but not before sending me this hilarious text that I hope didn’t translate correctly:
did the chef want to hurt me with a knife?! vote now in the comments below!!
our second home in mizata
we got there early and got some beach chairs hehehe
the beach service was honestly great — you get a free welcome drink too!
we tried every drink on their menu i stg
Plus, you can take these little Fischer Price Adult Taxis to and from the resort for only $10 each way. I can’t believe these are legally vehicles, but they work, and they were so much fun.
we had to get two each time lmfao
i may start this business in the states
MIZATA RATING
OVERALL RATING: 9/10 - Mostly because of Sihua Surf House, I wish I could live there. But, if you’re not a surfer, or if you get bored by just beach rotting for days, you could run out of activities.
SAFETY: 10/10 - The only dangerous part of Mizata is getting too deep in the water if you’re a weak swimmer!
this was us every sunset on that beach, we never put on shoes
our little outdoor shower
friends in the ocean!! we didn’t go much past this
El Tunco, El Salvador
in case you forgot where you were
El Tunco is definitely one of the most popular surf towns in El Salvador. I had multiple people reach out to me and tell me this is where they learned how to surf! We ended up staying here for 3 nights, which was a perfect introduction to the town. While it is one of the more popular spots, you can still walk the entire area, so it still feels pretty small.
Where to Stay in El Tunco, El Salvador
view of the pool at balancé
so calm and rarely anyone was by the pool
Balancé Surf & Yoga - We found this room on Airbnb and got the last room that had an open air shower and it was waaayyyy cooler in person. The boutique hotel is located at the end of the main drag of hotels & bars, making it a quiet place to stay, but convenient enough to where you can walk anywhere. They have surf lessons, daily yoga lessons, a very chill pool, and a cafe that made some of the best food we had in El Salvador.
you ever get a tan while taking a shower??
the most beautiful cafe
What to do in El Tunco, El Salvador
Surf
Again, while I don’t surf, this seems to be the perfect spot to learn for beginners. I’ve had lots of friends tell me that this is where they learned how to surf. My friend just took lessons with the school associated with the hotel and had great lessons all week. Her surf instructor was Alejandro Castillo and she liked him so much she requested him at the next hotel we stayed at as well!
Spend the day and Catch the Sunset at La Playa El Tunco
Even if you’re not surfing, you can spend the day lounging on the beach here. A lot of it is rocky, but there are still sandy parts as well. The beach is long and there’s a boardwalk you can stroll for most of it and there beach bars, little shops, and beach clubs along the way. Bonita Beach Club was a fave!
Check out the Shops in Town
we’re suckers for a little trinket
we looovveeedd the shop coconut company!
go spend money!!
i bought at least 2 shirts from here
There’s nothing better than getting a coffee and aimlessly wandering around a new town buying random things you probably don’t need. El Tunco is great for that! There’s tons of surf shops, little boutique clothing stores, and souvenir shops, most of which you can probably hit up in 1-2 hours. Our favorite shop was Coconut Company, which featured tons of Salvadorian artists.
Where to Eat in El Tunco, El Salvador
this burrito, like everything we ate at balancé, was beautiful and delicious
alyson matches her drink to her shirt and ariel loooved the daily coconut drinks!
fresh smoothies
There are TONS of places to eat in El Tunco and you’ll be able to find almost any cuisine you want. Here’s where we ate:
Balancé - We ate most of our meals where we were staying, the cafe there is SO good and healthy, tons of vegan options
Pupusería El Sol - An awesome spot to get cheap pupusas to go, you watch them make it on the grill in front of you
Bao House - Great bowls
Mopelia - Italian food, for when you’re craving pasta and pizza in the heat
Garage Burgers – Get the smash burger
All of these spots & more on my Google Map Guide!Where to Drink in El Tunco
Since El Tunco is one of the bigger towns on the coast, you’re going to find lots of beach bars, regular bars, and little dance bars here vs. other areas.
Since I am in my 30’s, I mostly went to bed every night so didn’t experience a ton. However, you can just essentially follow the sounds of music around the town at night to figure out where you should drink. Since everyone goes to the beach for sunset, I recommend going to Bonita Beach, a beach club right off the boardwalk that has DJs and great drinks. Catch the sunset here and then meander from there.
ariel looking stunning at bonita beach club
the sunset we were watching
El Tunco Ratings
OVERALL RATING: 7/10 — I loved all the food, drinks, and shopping options in El Tunco. It’s definitely more lively than other parts of El Salvador that I visited. However, the crowd was a bitttt more young/hostel-vibes than I typically would like at this time in my life. If you’re younger, you’ll love it here.
OVERALL SAFETY RATING: 10/10 — There were legit armed guards in the entrances to the town. I also saw cops around the town but in a very chill way. I felt VERY safe walking back to my hotel at night.
El Zonte, El Salvador
where i belong — in a pool with minimal sunscreen
Another great town to learn how to surf. There’s not a ton there, but the beaches are a bit more sandy and spacious. It’s only a 20 minute drive to El Tunco so it’s easy to go to both towns during your trip to El Salvador. There’s even a bus that will bring you between the two towns.
Where to Stay in El Zonte
morning beach walks here were the beessstttt
in the mornings the restaurant at puro surf has all of these lounge chairs
Puro Surf – This hotel is well known for being a high-end surf camp, a sports academy, and for having an incredible infinity pool overlooking the ocean. We loved that the rooms were spacious, clean, and had everything we needed for 3 people. Puro offers tons of classes daily in addition to surf lessons, like skateboarding, defense classes, yoga, etc. I did none of them but I DID finish a book by the pool!!
an active person’s dream schedule
We definitely went for the gorgeous infinity pool, but since it is popular, I recommend getting there early so you can get some loungers to rot on all day. Heads up that this is a spot for families as well, so you will see kids around. If this isn’t your vibe, there are more adults-only hotels along the beach.
where sachi and i would watch ariel swim
look at us, the best spotters
Also, the restaurant is HUGE! And the food was delicious. Another heads up is that the pool service was a bit on the slow side when we were there, but once we made friends with the staff, we had towels and beers and food coming all day. Also when we were there, the local hotel cat had given birth to some kitties near a tree in the restaurant so you could also say this doubles as a veterinary clinic.
ocean view from the restaurant
most days we had the restaurant to ourselves
i hate that i’m like this
Where to Eat in El Zonte
Covana Seaside Kitchen - This is the restaurant inside Puro Surf and honestly I ate most of my meals here. It is definitely a hot spot at night – tons of people from around the town come for date nights. We looked very gross next to dressed up people in the evening but we loved it there. Get there early for the seats closest to the beach for sunset views.
La Cajita Kitchen – Best burgers on the beach! We had multiple people recommend this spot. They make them all fresh and serve them to you over the bar. Perfect beach day lunch.
PALMA – Super healthy and delicious bowls and smoothies. They take a minute to prepare but they are WORTH IT.
i’m telling you these burgers at la cajita burger were the type where you don’t put them down the entire time you’re eating them
not sure why i thought the .5 lens was necessary
El Zonte Ratings
OVERALL RATING - 8/10: I found El Zonte to be much more relaxed than El Tunco, which is exactly what my aging body needed. However, if you’re younger and looking for more things to do, El Tunco may be your vibe. If you’re not surfing, you could get bored here after a few days.
OVERALL SAFETY RATING - 10/10: Just like El Tunco, I felt safe in El Zonte the entire time. While there wasn’t a police presence here, the community is small and caters to tourists and surfers from all over the world. I would feel safe walking home alone at night here.
El Salvador exceeded my expectations and was definitely worth going for over a week. Next time, I would love to explore more beaches along the coast and def stay at Sihua Surf House again.
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idk this felt like a fitting ending photo
