Which Is the Best Beach in El Salvador?

The two most popular beaches in El Salvador, favoured by surfers, are a stone’s throw away from each other but worlds apart in the minds of other travellers. We asked ourselves the age-old question: Which one should we stay at?

We were going to stay in El Tunco but decided against it. Some people we met had complained that it was too busy, and they recommended the quieter, more peaceful El Zonte.

At first glance, El Zonte was beautiful, particularly watching dogs run across the sand at sunset from our balcony. The sunsets were special; one night we even saw a bright candy pink sun in the sky.

It’s a lovely, nice beach to walk along, particularly to see the sea caves at the far end.

But peaceful and quiet was quite an understatement. It was dead! Nothing was going on. There were hardly any restaurants. We walked around in circles, past closed places and building sites, just trying to find something, anything! Even the ones that were open closed early, and then there were no bars to visit afterwards. It left us with no choice but to head back to our room at 8:30 pm and rely on our trusty deck of cards for entertainment.

We both wondered, why did we nod our heads and say, “Oh yes, quiet, that sounds lovely; that’s what we want.”? When really, quiet isn’t what we want. We like lively, we like busy, we like variety and options, and we like hustle and bustle. To quote the little mermaid, “I want to be where the people are.” It seems like we’d completely forgotten what we like just to agree with random strangers.

We made the choice to move to El Tunco. El Tunco had the atmosphere, a cool vibe, stuff going on, and, most importantly for us foodies, nice restaurants to choose from. We enjoyed the town, but the beach left something to be desired…

The tide would come in the full way with the beach completely underwater for half of the day.

I could only last about 5 minutes swimming because it was so rough, and the battle with the water was exhausting.

Once the tide went back out, we found some freaky fish washed up, one with too many teeth for their jaw that looked like they’d be more at home in a documentary about the deepest, dark depths of the ocean. It made me suddenly even more aware that I could not see what was there with me in the water.

It wasn’t even relaxing to lie on the hot, wet, black sand as there was no shade, and it felt like being a lowly ant under the vengeful rays of a cruel kid’s magnifying glass. (Although this was also true for El Zonte)

So El Tunco or El Zonte? What’s the answer?

Both or neither!

If you are already exploring El Salvador, I would add both to your trip. Visit El Zonte for the pretty chill beach and El Tunco for the restaurants and nightlife. You only need a day or two at each.

If you are looking for a standalone beach destination, unless you are an avid surfer, I’d give El Salvador a miss. There are better beach destinations in Central America that have the best of both, places where you do not have to choose between the beach and the atmosphere.

Thank you for reading! Hearts and tips are always welcome, and your support is very much appreciated.

This story was originally published on Medium

If you enjoyed this, you may also like 👇