We spend on the Pacific coast a few days. There are basically two destinations to choose El Paradon and Montericco. Our choice was the first one. To get to El Paradon we took a bus from Antigua. The distance was about 100 kilometres. There are several accommodation in El Paradon. Unfortunately, on weekends and holidays it can be difficult to find accommodation. El Paradon or Montericco are very popular with the residents of the Guatemalan capital.
The hostels are dominated by young people from different countries. They like to party and stay up late. For older people I would not recommend spending the night in a hostel. We stayed in thatched cottage with hammocks outside and very well-kept garden. The accommodation was run by Italian. There was also a small swimming pool on the premises. It was about a 10 minute walk to the sea. We paid Q350 per night for the cottage. The conditions were great. However, there were lots of mosquitoes and puri puri flies. It is necessary to choose accommodation with a mosquito net and take mosquito repellent with at least 50% Deet.
There are quite a few restaurants in El Paradon. However, it is not easy to find a seafood or fish restaurant. Hamburgers are a lot easier to find. Prices start at Q30 for breakfast and Q80 for lunch. I highly recommend the coconuts, which can be bought very cheaply (from Q7).
El Paradon is a surfing mecca. The waves are huge. I had a lot of fun swimming between the waves. Unfortunately the currents are very strong and it is better not to go into the deep water as it can be very difficult or even impossible to get back to the shore. But with caution, the fun of the waves is great. If you want to try your hand at surfing, there are a number of schools that offer affordable surfing lessons. Experienced surfers can easily rent a board.
The beach at El Paradon has black sand. During the day you should wear flip-flops as the black sand gets very hot in the sun. You can burn your feet.
Don’t forget to apply plenty of sunscreen.
Leave a Reply