I’m here to tell you, friends, that you can survive any imaginable type of hotel disaster because in the last two years I’ve lived through them all. Names of hotels have been changed to protect the innocent — me.

German businessman Herman Hecht arrived in El Salvador in 1880 and soon set his eyes on the fertile lands just outside Izalco. Sprinkled with freshwater springs and tropical vegetation, this place was named Nacimientos de Cuayuncúat by the indigenous. A Cuayuncúat is a mythological animal, half-snake, half-toad that, according to legend, lived here because of the abundance of water.

A volcanic eruption in the western region of El Salvador thousands of years ago created a deep blue and seemingly bottomless lake known today as Lago Coatepeque.

text & photos by Lena Johannessen

Fishermen in dugout canoes

Barra de Santiago is a protected wilderness area in western El Salvador consisting of a 2,200-hectare mangrove forest (one of the best-preserved in the country) and an estuary bearing the same name. The local population is mainly fishermen, many of whom still use the traditional ways of fishing by casting nets from the beach and dug-out canoes.

text and photos by Jose Roberto Suarez

Each time I visit the cove and community of Los Cóbanos, I fall more and more in love with its inhabitants, most of them fishermen. From their homes in front of the coral white beach, they offer us delicious plates of fresh seafood. On the quiet waters of their cove, their fishing boats await the next departure to obtain the day’s catch, and the gentle waves make perfect conditions for sea kayaking.

The valley north of Sonsonate is surrounded by impressive volcanoes and blanketed in coffee groves; the bean was introduced to the area in 1838, and today the region produces a large part of the coffee exported from El Salvador. Beautiful indigenous villages, striking arts and crafts combined with a fresh climate and natural beauty have made this region a favorite among tourists. Ruta de las Flores, as this area stretching all the way from Sonsonate to Ataco in the north has become known, recently experienced a tourism revival in the form of several new hotels and restaurants.

Napoleon should have invaded Guatemala instead of Russia in the winter of 1812. He would not have had to battle the phenomenon historians and meteorologists call “General Winter” — the impersonal “strategist” that has won more wars for Russia than any other. With every invader — Mongols, Swedes, Poles, French, Germans — the Russians slowed the pace of engagement until “the General” mobilized his weapons: snowstorms, freezing gales, chill factors and temperatures so low that cannonballs stuck to the enemies’ hands like lodestones soaked in crazy glue.

I made a wonderful discovery recently — the Photo Café. From the outside it looks like an ordinary coffee shop but the minute you walk inside you know you are in a special place. Amazing photographs cover the walls, there are stacks of excellent magazines and current newspapers to read, and the bar area feels more like you are in a friend’s living room. The coffee menu offers something for everyone, from ice coffee to espresso!

At the foot of dormant Volcán de Izalco, in the hills above the ancient village of Izalco, horse trekking has become a popular pastime. Thanks to Ricardo Salazar from the hotel/restaurant El Chele in Izalco and Oscar Godínez, who arranges equestrian excursions, visitors are able to travel through impressive landscapes in relative ease.

Business travelers need both comfortable accommodations and good work facilities; now boutique hotels are a competitive option from the larger, internationally-known chains. This new kind of luxury hotel appeals to those who want quality and a personal touch. As important, boutique hotels specialize in accommodating the most elaborate needs of the business traveler, such as a direct internet connection, fax and private telephones. A luxurious atmosphere and attention to details are important considerations, as is the close proximity to restaurants and down-time activities.