I’m no stranger to Latin American beach towns, and frankly, most have left me disappointed. HOWEVER, El Tunco was a truly pleasant surprise. During the week, the town if filled with mostly foreigners, but on the weekends you’ll get a decent amount of people arriving from San Salvador as well. The travelers who are attracted to this beach town tend to have a common interest of surfing, from beginners to professional. And the best view of El Tunco (or El Sunzal to be specific) by far, is sitting on a surfboard out in the water, looking back onto the beach and town. If surfing doesn’t interest you, the town has a really nice relaxed vibe, plenty of restaurants, nightlife especially on the weekends, and some solid day trips to be had. A pristine sand beach, it is not, but the climate is a bit hot and humid to be laying out in the sun anyways. The town has a personality and I believe it to be an asset to almost any El Salvador itinerary.
Where To Stay
There are two popular beaches along the coast of El Salvador, El Tunco and El Zonte. They are about a 20 minute drive from one another. The challenging part is securing an Uber due to availability, but definitely possible to access with taxi or if you have your own vehicle. El Tunco is more lively than El Zonte, but El Zonte has a decent amount of highly recommended restaurants. Something to keep in mind is that El Tunco has better access to beginner friendly waves and nightlife, while El Zonte has a slightly nicer beach.
El Tunco:
Hostel: Papaya Lodge is best place to stay if you’re looking to socialize. The dorms are basic but they have AC and are cleaned regularly. Breakfast is included, and also extremely basic. The location is right in the center of town, a block from the beach. They have both dorms and private rooms
Hotel: Balancé. Clean and super comfortable with a pool and yoga classes. Their health food focused cafe is delicious, it was a shame that they closed at 3 everyday. The only thing missing is a view of the ocean but you’re only steps away.
Surf Camp: La Ola has a perfect location right in front of El Sunzal where you’ll find probably the most popular surf spot, especially for beginner and intermediate surfers. A bit expensive and you have to book in advance.
El Zonte:
Surf Camp: Puro Surf. This camp has great reviews and is more of a holistic wellness retreat with yoga and morning ginger tumeric shots alike. I looked into staying here as a treat and investment in my surf progression. I’ve lived in LA, I know how health and wellness comes with a price tag, but damn, this place is expensive. If it’s within the budget though … seems fun.
Airbnb: There are a ton of impressive airbnb options in both El Tunco, El Zonte and everything in between. If staying for an extended period of time, there may be some deals as well. If you’re far from either town though, I’d make sure to rent a vehicle as public transportation isn’t super convenient.
Where To Eat
El Tunco:
Soya: Small nutrition focused store/cafe. I pretty much had a smoothie from Soya everyday. The people who work there are also lovely
Day Cafe: Nice place for breakfast or lunch
Kombucha: Tons of vegan and veg options
Esquina la Comadre: This place is always busy. They have a bit of everything and will make you a veg friendly plate if you ask.
Point Break Cafe: Really good coffee and chai lattes
Amigos: popular place for pupusas with just about every conceivable option in regards to fillings ($1/pupusa). On the weekends, there is a place on the main road with pupusas for 50 cents that is supposed to be really good.
Makoi Pizza: Where there’s a beach, there is typically a pizza place
El Zonte:
El Vikingo: only open on the weekends, it was suggested that we make a reservation
Covana: The health focused cafe at Puro Surf
AWILDA: Another healthy cafe (catching the theme?)
Canegue Cafe: only open on the weekends, highly recommended for brunch
What To Do
Surf: the obvious activity to partake in and it’s soooo worth it. I took lessons with Slow Motion Surf. They have the best location and a fun group of teachers. Would I call it the best surf education? Maybe not, but was great for making some local friends. Thy have the best location to watch other surfers and hang out before or after classes, the equipment is good quality, and I can’t complain too much because when my arms would start to hurt from paddeling, my instructor would paddle out while I was towed by his leash and pushed me (both emotionally and physically when I was scared) to catch some really great waves. Worth every penny. Private classes were $35 and there’s a guy Juan that hangs out at the school taking pictures daily which you can look at and choose to buy after your session. My lessons were in Spanish which I was fine with. Some instructors do speak English, but make it known if you want or need that. Another surf school that my friend used was El Tunco Surf School. They were a bit more serious which is probably good when developing technique. She bought a package of 5 classes for $25/class which is a great deal.
Day trips: Waterfalls and coffee plantations tours are very popular.
Spear fishing: Apparently it’s a thing. Not my thing. But a thing.
Yoga: Take a class at Balancé, they are open to everyone and cost $12. Really a quality class taught in English
Transportation
Uber from the airport is cheap and easy ~$20 for a 40 minute drive.
Shuttle: Since we were leaving at 4am and we hadn’t planned a taxi, we paid the hotel $30/person for a shuttle to the airport. Yea, this is probably more than we needed to pay. In retrospect, I think it we arranged a ride with a taxi/driver beforehand it would be more like $30 total, so $15 each. But for the convenience and due to our lack of planning, it was fine.