Around the World in Reality: San Salvador, El Salvador

Since 2023, we’ve made it a tradition to travel during the week of Valentine’s Day. It’s worked well with both of our schedules and has become something we look forward to each year. Our main criteria for choosing a destination are warm weather and a reasonable flight, which usually leads us to the Caribbean or Central America. When I found a great SkyMiles deal to El Salvador, the decision was easy.

Day 1 – Sunday, February 9

HIGHLIGHTS: Yek Coffee Shop

After a smooth flight, we arrived at the airport, found our driver and made our way to the hotel. About 50 minutes later, we pulled up to the Hyatt Centric. We chose this hotel because we were able to use points to cover all three nights of our stay.

Once we settled in, we headed downstairs and ordered pupusas, El Salvador’s most famous food. We shared the cheese and bean, and cheese and garlic options. Both were delicious, but the cheese and bean pupusas were the clear favorite. They were hearty, flavorful, and surprisingly filling.

After eating, we planned to take a quick power nap and wake up to catch the Super Bowl. Instead, we woke up in the third quarter. Since the hotel was connected to a mall, we decided to head to the grocery store to pick up a few things for our stay. Grocery store visits are one of our favorite things to do while traveling.

Day 2 – Monday, February 10

HIGHLIGHTS: Santa Ana Volcano Hiking + Lake Coatepeque Tour, La Octava Maravilla Restaurante & Bar and Nativo Lounge Bar

We woke up early for our first full-day excursion. Our guide arrived along with three other travelers: a woman from Texas, a man from Singapore, and a woman from Finland. On the way to grab breakfast, we learned a lot about El Salvador.

We arrived at Café Pronto for breakfast, a small café connected to a gas station. Since I’m still working on improving my Spanish, I appreciated our guide supporting me while I placed my order. I think I did pretty well though! We had tamales, rice and beans, and plantains. Everything was absolutely delicious.

After breakfast, we made the short drive to the base of the Santa Ana Volcano. Santa Ana is one of the top 10 most active volcanoes in El Salvador, although it has not erupted since 2005.

To hike to the top, we had to be accompanied by an official guide. We started the trek, and the first ten minutes to the main base were tough. I was a little nervous, but I kept pushing through. We stopped a few times along the way to take breaks and soak in the incredible views. After about two hours, we made it to the top. I was so proud of myself because I had never done a hike like that before. It was tough, but absolutely amazing. We stayed at the top for about 30 minutes, taking it all in.

On the way down, I slipped a couple of times, so I would highly recommend wearing hiking boots instead of trail sneakers. After another two hours getting back down, we headed to Lake Coatepeque, a beautiful volcanic lake.

We had lunch at La Octava Maravilla Restaurante & Bar, right on the waterfront. I had lobster, and Donnell had a different seafood dish. They gave us so much food, and it was delicious. Plus, the view of the lake was stunning.

We made our way back to the hotel, completely exhausted. After showers, we decided to order pizza from Nativo Lounge Bar downstairs since it was 50% off. To our surprise, it was some of the best pizza we have ever had. One was shrimp and the other was four cheese. Both were fantastic.

Day 3 – Tuesday, February 11

HIGHLIGHTS: Cafe Albania and Termales de Santa Teresa and Las Tunas

We woke up semi-early and were picked up for our second excursion of the trip. Our guide for the day was great, and we were joined by a woman from Honduras and a man from the UK. Our first stop was Café Albania, where we decided to get a little adventurous. The park offered a variety of activities, and visitors could either purchase an all-access pass or choose individual experiences. Donnell and I opted to pick our own.

We started with a ride down a beautiful, colorful slide. It turned out to be just the first section, with a second part waiting below. It was so much fun and definitely faster than I expected.

After the slides, Donnell did the bicycle zip line, and when he returned, we both did the surfboard zip line. It was exhilarating. Finally, I finished by swinging on the beautiful butterfly swings, which made me feel like a kid again.

For lunch, we headed to Entre Nubes, a restaurant and coffee farm. We ordered different types of fish and shared them. The food was decent. The fish were good choices but a bit less flavorful than we had expected.

After lunch, I had a cup of Ecuadorian coffee that was absolutely amazing. It was so good that I decided to bring some home. We also took a small tour around the coffee farm, which was a nice experience.

Next, we visited the hot springs. We stopped at the bottom, where we could see how the hot springs are heated naturally. We were lucky because it was especially active that day.

We then made our way to explore the more than 30 pools at the hot springs. It felt wonderful to relax after the intense hike the day before. I also treated myself to a massage while we were there, which was an excellent value. This excursion was the perfect way to spend our last full day in El Salvador. It was truly wonderful.

For dinner, we headed downstairs and ate at Las Tunas. We sat outside because the weather was beautiful. Donnell had the salmon, and I had the octopus. Both were delicious. We finished off our meal by sharing a banana Nutella crumble, which was also very tasty.

Final Thoughts

Though it was a quick trip, we packed in some incredible experiences in just a few days. Hiking Santa Ana was a huge highlight for me. It reminded me that I can still push myself to do challenging things. I also loved the hot springs, especially after the tough hike.

This trip was a wonderful introduction to El Salvador, and I am looking forward to the next time we can explore even more of this beautiful country.