Less than two hours from El Salvador’s capital city San Salvador, you will find Suchitoto, a colonial town that has become a vibrant artists’ community. The cobblestone lanes surrounding the central church are filled with cafés, art galleries, craft shops and small independent hotels.
The best of these is Los Almendros de San Lorenzo, a historic hacienda centered around a courtyard. The property has been painstakingly restored by Pascal Lebailly and his partners, who also own La Galeria de Pascal across the street. The gallery hosts many exhibitions and events, and also has a quite good shop with well-priced and high quality items.
Los Almendros offers seven double rooms with private baths; three suites including a honeymoon suite; and two apartment suites. The rooms offer all amenities and rates ($85-150) include a wonderful breakfast. In fact, during your stay at Los Almendros be sure and treat yourself to dinner at least once, as its restaurant is one of the best in town.
The hotel combines antique materials with modern comfort, adding up to an atmosphere of authenticity and distinction. Lebailly, who is from France, describes his move to El Salvador and restoration of Los Almendros as a love affair. “There is no casuality in life…so I arrived one day in Suchitoto in El Salvador and that was love at first sight: for the small city, the people and for this old colonial house that was waiting for 200 years to be restored.”
Suchitoto is a beautiful colonial city which has been entirely preserved and that overlooks the biggest lake of El Salvador: el lago Suchitlan. Its colonial church, paved streets and old houses with white facades well aligned make of Suchitoto a unique and autentic colonial city in El Salvador.
Begin your exploration of Suchitoto at the main square, with its courtyard vendors and quaint architecture throughout. After a stroll through the church, relax with a cup of coffee or lunch at Casa de la Abuela, a cozy spot with an adjoining shop. Several other shops line the surrounding streets, as well as small stalls. For dinner the restaurant at Hotel Las Puertas, directly across the plaza from the church, is one of the best in town. Keep in mind that most restaurants serve (and close) very early here, so try to arrive by 6:30.
Other spots well worth checking out include the home and museum of Alejandro Cotto, a filmmaker and artist who nearly single-handedly saved the town during the war by convincing both sides of its value and beauty, and that it must be protected from destruction. The Theater of the Ruins and Arte Center for Peace are both great places to take in a culture or dance show, and afterwards you can check out the cool El Necio, a revolutionary bar with cheap drinks, posters and artifacts everywhere, and a decidedly leftist vibe.
A great day trip from Suchitoto is to take the ferry across Lake Suchitlan to the more northern artisan towns of La Palma, where nearly every wall is covered in murals, and San Ignacio, near the highest point in El Salvador, El Pital mountain. To the east of Suchitoto lies San Sebastian, a town where weavers still create their beautiful textiles using traditional wooden handlooms, and Ilobasco which is known for its fine clay and ceramic works. Lebailly is a wealth of information about Suchitoto and the surrounding artisan towns, and will arrange guest tours, or even take you himself!