One of my biggest pet peeves is reading a blog which claims every destination as a hidden gem with vibrant culture, how you should get yourself lost in the magic while exploring every nook and cranny, and the author’s lives are now forever changed due to this destination. You know those? While there are some cities where I can get on board with this narrative, Santa Ana is unfortunately not one of those.
Anyways, keeping it real here, Santa Ana is a base city. It’s a convenient location to access Volcán Santa Ana, Lago Coatepeque, and Ruta de las Flores. There’s not a whole lot to do in the city itself but it is an important component of a thorough El Salvador itinerary due to the surrounding attractions. A cultural hub may be stretching it, but I did find culture, actually my own culture, with a Papa Johns or Pizza Hut always within walking distance. It’s by no means a bad place, but not a place that I’d recommend visiting for the city itself.
Where To Stay:
La Casa Verde: If looking for a reliable , this is your place. The reviews note that this hostel was the reason for people extending their stays in Santa Ana. After staying here, I can totally see why. They have a seriously good included breakfast which we almost skipped. Luckily the owner, who deserves his own 5 star review, basically forced us to stay and eat.
If looking for more of a hotel or airbnb experience, the most important thing is to be within walking distance from parque libertad and the bus station if you’re planning on taking the bus to Volcán Santa Ana
Where To Eat:
Simmer Down: Conveniently located with a large menu and fun vibe. There was local music when we went and many locals, especially attracting families it seemed. In classic El Salvador fashion, there are many pizza options. A self proclaimed pizza snob … it’s not NY pizza. I’ll leave it at that. The drinks were really good though.
Street Food: This is an experience. As a vegetarian, I had the honor of watching my friend try the street food, as there aren’t many vegetarian options apart from french fries. This is for sure a bang for your buck activity. You can get a huge sandwich with about 10 ingredients (what those ingredients are – I do not know even after watching them prepare it), for $1-2. The rice drink also looked good, but I don’t like cow’s milk, especially cow’s milk from a bucket on the street in the sun. Maybe I’m a bad judge, go check it out for yourself and let me know what you think 🙂
Bon Bon: Popular bakery. I asked what the most popular pastry is and the nice lady directed me towards something called Borrachos. Which means drunks. As the name implies, it’s an alcohol soaked cake. It wasn’t my cup of tea but their food and pastries overall look fresh.
Quattro Estaciones: I was disappointed that this place was closed when I was there as it was a Sunday I believe. It looks like high really high quality italian food and it has great reviews
Pupusas: As always, you can find pupusas in Santa Ana as well
Pizza: Santa Ana seems to love pizza, and you know what, I can think of worse things. There is an obvious popularity with fast food pizza like Papa Johns and Pizza Hut, but most restaurants will make their own renditions as well. Is it Italy? No. But it’s bread, sauce and cheese so I was content
Transportation:
Uber: I actually found there to be plenty of drivers operating out of Santa Ana. The catch though – they will call you to ask if you’re paying with card or cash and there is in fact a correct answer. If you say card they will say ok, hang up, and cancel. So save yourself some time, stress, and awkward conversations and just change your payment method to cash. It will also help out the driver
Public Bus: Santa Ana is an urban city and accessible by chicken bus
Scooter or Car Rental: It’s possible to rent a scooter from Santa Ana, and then you can independently reach Volcán Santa Ana, Lake Coatepeque, or Ruta de las Flores
What To do:
Santa Ana Volcano: Visit Volcán Santa Ana. If you’re in Santa Ana, this is a must do. Read more about what to expect from this excursion here
Lago Coatepeque: We chose to spend a night at the lake in a very nice, possibly overpriced, yet enjoyable hotel. It had a beautiful view, a pool, lounge chairs, restaurant, and attentive staff. The lake can also be visited for the day which is easy to do with a tour that goes to both the volcano and the lake, or by purchasing a day pass at one of the hostels/hotels. Read my post here for more information
Take a stroll: There are the occasional markets, though the ones we passed were more everyday items such as underwear and batteries vs touristic markets. Walk to the main plaza (parque libertad) to see typical life in Santa Ana, along with many street food carts
Architecture: There’s a few beautiful buildings, especically surrounding parque libertad. A theatre, church, and town hall. There’s a nice view of the church from Simmer Down’s second floor
Coffee Tour: There are coffee farms in the surrounding area that you can visit, or head to La Ruta de las Flores next. Read my blog here