Hello,
I am an expat originally from the SF Bay Area and now living in Suchitoto, El Salvador I came to El Salvador in 1994 and started working in this area in 1997. I have tried to provided below, general information about Suchitoto and am more than happy to provide information about other parts of El Salvador so feel free to pick my brain and if you do come be sure to look me up. I am known here as El Gringo Roberto, my name is Robert Broz Moran. I hope the information is useful.
General information: Suchitoto is located in the central part of El Salvador in the state/department of Cuscatlán. Although considered legally a city by national decree the population is about 30,000 with only about 8,000 living in the town center. Suchitoto has and is considered the center of art and culture of El Salvador and over the years 5 past presidents have lived here and many artists; writers and intellectuals have come from or lived in Suchitoto. Today in Suchitoto one can find an abundance of art throughout the city, in gallerias, stores, restaurants and hotels. Cultural activities are also quite common and can be enjoyed in the center plaza, tourist center at the lake, the theater of the ruins (Teatro de las Ruinas), Art center for Peace and the San Martin Park. The Permanent Festival of Art and Cultural in February brings national and international artists from around the world with activities every weekend throughout the month. Other cultural activities are common in November and December to celebrate our city fair and patron saint, July and August celebrating the aniversary and august vacations and in April for the Easter vacation.
When arriving in Suchitoto look for the municipal tourism office about 1 block from the bus stop (next door to the Telecom office), there you can get a small map and good unbiased information about where to stay, where to eat and what to do in and around Suchitoto. You can also visit the MiTur (Ministry of Tourism) office on the corner of the main square where similar information can be obtained for Suchitoto as well as for the rest of El Salvador.
A new trend in El Salvador is to make a home base for exploring the rest of the country, this goes for Suchitoto as well as it make a good centrally located spot to explore the nearby towns of La Palma and San Ignacio, Cinquera, Ilobasco, San Sebastian and the archeological site at Cihuatan.
Lodging: Suchitoto has accommodations for all tastes and budgets. There are currently 3 hostels that cost less that $10/night, several hotels that range in price from $20-$50/room and four very nice hotels that vary in price from $65-$100/night. The most popular places for each price range high to low are:
Los Almendros a small 6 room boutique hotel owned by a Frenchman. The hotel and restaurant is located just 1 block from the main square, next to the police station. For the $80-$100 is considered a deal by any standards.
La Posada de Suchitlan, the first and oldest hotel/restaurant in Suchitoto has mini suites with and incredible lake view and private terrace. For a little over $80/night including a full breakfast most consider their stay well worth it.
Hotel Las Puertas the newest hotel/restaurant located on the main square offers 6 mini suites with terrace over looking the plaza and church. Rooms here run $65-$85 depending on weekday or weekend.
El Tejado Hotel and Restaurant is a favorite to many with it`s beautiful pool, view of lake restaurant and large gardens. The hotel now has 11 rooms, singles start at $55/night including a full breakfast. El Tejado restaurant offers a large variety of local dishes ranging in price from $7-$11.
La Pasada del Sol a family owned hotel and restaurant offers singles from $35. The
hotel Altavista offers nice clean rooms with or without A/C rooms start at $20/night. The hotel is located just ˝ block form the plaza.
El Obraje hostel and restaurant has very small rooms with A/C prices vary depending on weekday or weekend. One plus is the nice garden area reserved for guests.
El Patio hostel in front of the San Martin Park has simple rooms with private bath and a fan. Rooms cost $12/person, $10/person in double a good option for the budget traveler. If you’re a partier the hostel is connected to El Necio Bar the only true bar in town and a good place to meet the locals as well as other travelers.
Hostel El Gringo Suchitoto’s newest hostel is located just 1.5 blocks west of the city hall (on the same street) under the restaurant of the same name. The mini hostel currently has only two rooms, each with one single and one double bed, but a dormitory is planned in the future. Rooms run $10/person and include a full breakfast. Extras include, free coffee, free purified water and 1 hour free internet at El Gringo internet café (1 block away). The owner Roberto El Gringo (author of this article and local expert) is very involved in local tourism and a good source of information not only for Suchitoto but the rest of the country as well.
Hotel/hostel La Blanca Luna 1 block from the main square has rooms with private bath, TV and a fan. Rooms here run $7.00/person. Fernando the owner is happy to provide tourism information for things to do in and around town.
Hostel Vista al Lago offers small rooms in an artsy atmosphere. Rooms cost $7/person. The hostel has a small patio wit a nice view of the lake.
El Cerrito Guest house, a small 2 bedroom house, has four double beds and can sleep up to 8 people. They currently charge $5/person; first to arrive gets the whole house including a small living room with TV and fan. The guest house is located in the ally that runs in front of the disco.
Eating: In Suchitoto you can enjoy typical Salvadoran foods for very little money in the small pupusarias located throughout Suchitoto, pupusas are tortillas filled with cheese, been and chicharron or a combination of these ingredients. They range in price from about $0.30-$0.60 depending on the size and quality. A normal meal might include 3-4 pupusas and a soda. There are also a couple of local eateries where one can eat for as little as $1.50, good quality food in steam trays a kind of point and pick option. There are also several restaurants which vary in price and quality with the most expensive being the restaurants in the 4 nicer hotels. For vegetarian’s cheese and bean pupusas are a good option for something more substantial check out the veggie tacos, burritos, quesadillas or chimichagas at El Rincon del Gringo or the Eggplant at El Harlequin. Many of the other restaurants offer other options for vegetarians but generally you have to ask.
Things to do in and around town: Suchitoto is well known for its art galleries and handicraft stores a tour of the city can be arranged at the municipal tourist office. Every weekend enjoy the Art fair Asi es mi Pueblo located in the central plaza. Here you can enjoy local foods and see and purchase handicrafts from around El Salvador. Free movies are shown every Saturday evening at 5:30 pm in El Centro Arte para la Paz, following the movie there is a discussion and refreshments. The lake and the new tourist center are in walking distance less than 1 kilometer and all downhill for the trip back you cake take the small bus that runs every 15 minutes. Boat rides, lunch or just relaxing are options at the lake. The boat ride to the bird reserve island is by far the most popular. The current price is $30/boat the boats can fit up to 12 people, many back packers form their groups in town and then split the cost. Walking to Los Tercio waterfall is best done in the early morning or late afternoon, local guides can be arranged at the tourist office if desired. There are now several groups offering eco-touristic hikes and horseback rides on or and around the Guazapa mountain. The most popular are the horseback rides out of the community of La Mora, The hikes from El Sitio Zapotal and boat ride and hike in El Sitio Cenizero. Trips must be arranged in advance and this can be done at the tourist office, El Gringo hostel, Blanca Luna hostel and Vista Conga restaurant. Prices vary depending on group size.
Nightlife, the nightlife in Suchitoto is somewhat limited; but the Bar El Necio a local gathering point for both locals and travelers offers drinks and beers, good music, videos and is open every night except Monday from 6:00 pm and on, if things are slow they close early. The disco open only on Friday and Saturday is definitely worth a visit if you want to dance. Things pick up at about 10:00 pm and the music and fun continue till around 1:30 am. The restaurant and bar El Harlequin is a good option if you want to combine your dinner with good music and drinks. They sometimes have live activities and karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights.
Getting here, From San Salvador take the 129 bus from the eastern terminal (Terminal de Oriente). It leaves every 30 minutes and takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. The buses run every hour on Sundays. From the border at El Poy take any bus going to San Salvador and get off in Aguilares. From the bus station in Aguilares take the 163 bus to Suchitoto. If arriving at the international airport, pick up can be arranged by private companies or through the larger hotels. Price for a taxi or private driver from the airport runs $60-$75. If driving there are 2 options the most common coming from San Salvador take the Pan-American south to San Martin, follow the signs through the city to get to the highway that connects to Suchitoto. Another option is to take the Northern Highway (El Troncal del Norte) towards Honduras then turn right at highway that connects Aguilares to Suchitoto. Both routes take about the same time although the highway from Aguilares is in somewhat worse condition than the highway form San Martin. Once in Suchitoto local and national transportation can be arranged for day trips around the country and there are currently 2 local tour companies operation in town, Vista Conga Tours and Gringo Tours.
Useful information: Telephone number of municipal tourist office, (503) 2335-1782, Office of Mitur in Suchitoto (503) 2335-1835. Official Tourism site for Suchitoto
www.suchitoto-el-salvador.com Business association tourism site
www.gaesuchitoto.com You can find contact information and more useful information on both sites. If you want specific details or my personal recomendation fell free to ask here on the forum or write to me directly.
Saludos from Suchitoto, El Salvador
Robert
Suchitoto, El Salvador FAQ and Starter Kit, General travel information for Colonial Suchitoto, El Salvador
Aug 26 2008, 07:46 PM
