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City in Sonsonate Department, El Salvador
Photo: Roberto Alas, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Acajutla is a small Pacific coast city in Western El Salvador. It is the main port for El Salvador, is a regionally important transportation hub, and is increasingly popular among tourists who come for the mellow vibe of the town and for the beautiful beaches known for calmer waters than most Pacific coast beaches in Central America.
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Muelle Artesanal
Pier for local fishing boats and while many tourists come for the amazing sunsets and the ocean views, the most popular attraction is a colony of hundreds of raccoons who occupy the crevices of the rocky pier foundation. The raccoons find it to be an excellent place to catch a fresh seafood dinner and they have no real predators so the colony has become quite large. (The best time to see raccoons is around sunset.) Fishermen sell fresh caught fish right off the boat.
Oceanfront restaurant serving fresh seafood. The lobster gratinada is outstanding. Slow service.
Beautiful beachfront restaurant serving traditional Salvadoran style seafood. Good food, but service tends to be slow.
Fun, friendly beachside restaurant with decks providing spectacular sunset views. Fresh seafood dinners include fried whole fish, lobster tails in garlic, shrimp tacos and more. Great cocktails! The frozen maracuya, flavored with passion fruit, was excellent.
Large corporate-owned all-inclusive resort hotel with huge swimming pools, exercise rooms, spa services, beachfront with beachside lounge chairs and more. Several on-site restaurants serving various international cuisines. Day pass available.
Moderate beach resort on the same beach as the Decameron, with somewhat small rooms and occasional problems with maintenance. Good swimming pool with plenty of deck chairs. Friendly service. On-site restaurants.
Inexpensive "hostel" right on the point - mainly a restaurant and hangout area for day visitors ($3 day pass in August 2024), but the very basic dorm (standing fans, saltwater shower) is probably the cheapest accommodation for solo travelers in the whole area. Includes an only-moderatedly-dirty plunge pool, and direct access to the beach. Around 5-6pm the wifi is shut off and the gates to the road and the beach are both padlocked (despite various claims that the desk is open until 7pm), but overnight guests are encouraged to clamber around the car gate, and the wall to the beach is easy to climb over. Closed Sunday and Monday nights, unless arranged prior.
Clean, comfortable, modern hostel with private rooms, shared kitchen and lounge, and access to garden area with hammocks. Laundry service available.
The town's traditional marketplace sells a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, household items and seafood (though you can often buy fresher fish by going to the Muelle Artesanal and buying it off the boat).
Taxis are readily available throughout the city and are the most convenient way to get around. There are also pedi-cabs in the downtown area.
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San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) · International · SAL
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