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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If you have vacationed in El Salvador recently, what were your impressions? Thinking of going there, Puerto Rico, or Costa Rica for spring break. The properties in El Salvador are lovely but I am less familiar with how safe it might be. Considering area near El Zonte. Thanks![/quote]

We went to El Zonte about five years ago.  We had already been all over Central America, and finally went to El Salvador because flights were cheap and we wanted to check the country off of our list.

El Salvador is a [i]world[/i] away from either Costa Rica or Puerto Rico.  It's much, much poorer, much dirtier, has nowhere near the same tourist infrastructure, and -- whether accurate or not -- feels far less safe.  Also, the beaches are not pretty, very remote, mostly rocky and dark and often difficult to walk on -- and generally better for surfing than swimming.

Don't expect to be sitting under a umbrella at a ocean side bar sipping a tropical drink.  Don't expect to see a single North American either, especially during spring break, when the locals arrive in droves.  Expect to see are lots and lots of Salvadoran families  swimming in their cut off jean shorts and t-shirts -- even in their under wear.  Many can't afford or don't bother with bathing suits. 
 
We loved our visit to El Salvador, but we are fluent in Spanish and are very seasoned Latin American travelers.  We went there knowing that you don't go there for the beaches.  I wouldn't recommend it at all to any North American with that kind of vacation in mind.[/quote]

This is absolutely ridiculous advice. El Salvador is wonderful, and the beaches are nice. Try San Marcelino nearest to San Salvador. Broad beach like California and great seafood. The mountain coffee route (Zona Cafetera) is also nice, as is Suchitoto. Also some interesting sites around the capital. Don’t listen to this person PP. It’s not exactly Club Med, but it’s hardly Mogadishu either. I think some people like this PP just get off on how interesting and worldly they are. Quite sad really. [/quote]

I'm the poster who wrote this.  I went to the areas that you've described.  Suchitoto in particular was lovely -- small, but lovely.  And, as I said, we had a great time.

I'm certainly not "getting off on how interesting and worldly" I am.  I'm just trying to give honest feedback to someone who says they're choosing between Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and El Salvador for "spring break."  You do realize that it's possible to both love El Salvador AND think that someone who is choosing between Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and El Salvador for "spring break" might benefit from knowing that the experience in the latter would be far different than in the others.

And I'm sorry, but why mislead someone by saying the beaches are "nice" when you know that they're really not?  They're largely dark volcanic rock and sand.  The country isn't clean either.  Unlike Costa Rica, which has a highly developed green tourism industry and places a protecting the environment, views from roads and highways throughout El Salvador are spoiled by trash and litter.  It's sad.  We could barely snap a photo from a vehicle that didn't have visible trash or garbage in it.  That's the reality.  
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