This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Playa El Tunco.
Playa El Tunco is arguably one of the most popular surfing destinations in Central America. Hordes of people come here both to learn how to surf and to live the surfing lifestyle everyday with El Tunco's amazing waves. You can hire surfboards and have surfing lessons here for a cheap price, or just hang out on the beautiful black sands of the Pacific Coast.
The town itself is small and has one main street that heads down to the beach, with majority of the convenience stores, restaurants and bars along the street. There are no supermarkets here so you will need to catch a chicken bus for a very minimal amount of money to the town of La Libertad down the road for most supermarket and medical supplies. The ATM in El Tunco only operates with a VISA; if you have Mastercard, you will need to go to La Libertad for extra money. The majority of the bars in town are along the beachfront and are fairly happening on the weekends but quieter during the weeks, as locals from the capital city come to visit on the weekends. The Jaguar also has an open mic night on Tuesdays where people can get up and share music.
As well as side trips to La Libertad, day trips are also plentiful from this area -- the capital city of San Salvador is also close and you can visit the Tamanique waterfalls with a guide if you want to explore further beyond the walls of the town of El Tunco.
Hostels in El Tunco are scattered throughout the main road in the town. As the town itself is not very big, all of the hostels are easy to get to and within close proximity to anything that you might want or need during your stay in El Tunco and, of course, to the beach.
Written by local enthusiast for Playa El Tunco hostels
Globetrotter
