Roca Sunzal - Weekend on the beach in El Salvador

While Beth headed off to Santiago for a girls-only yoga retreat this past weekend (she'll provide a recap), I went with a group of 19 others to a tucked away surfing community in El Salvador. We rented two 12-person vans and loaded up directly after school Friday afternoon. I volunteered to drive for the first part in my van, and as we left the city, a storm began to roll in. We first had to climb up in elevation as we left Guate, which put us amongst some low clouds for a stint. It was somewhat nerve-wracking driving a slow van with a manual transmission in bad weather and being responsible for everyone's lives. Thankfully the rain never picked up and the traffic thinned as we got out of the city. After about an hour in the van, the clouds started breaking and it turned out to be a gorgeous drive, with sweeping views of the land perfectly lit up by the setting sun. It was hard keeping my eyes on the road!

I was under the impression that it would only take three-to-four hours to get to our destination. That time frame is doable in a car, but not in a slow van with a lot of people and different bladder needs. All the pit stops slowed us down, but everyone has having a lot of fun and we weren't in any big hurry to get there. The border crossing only took about 10 minutes and consisted of an official reviewing our passports. I ended up driving the whole way, and we finally made it to our hotel/hostel, Roca Sunzal, around 9:30, making it a six-hour trip.

We were near the city, La Libertad, and close to the capital, San Salvador

The kitchen was nice enough to stay open for us so we could have dinner there. We all gathered in the outdoor dining area (it's all outdoor, really) and enjoyed drinks and food until midnight or so when everyone surprisingly called it a day. My neighbor, Matt, and I split a two-bed room in a hostel for only $21 a night. The room was very basic and didn't have a.c., but it did have it's own bathroom. The first night was pretty warm (daytime temp's in the upper 80s) and I slept OK, but the following nights I slept like a baby after being exhausted by the sun all day. Staying in the hostel is the way to go as it's right across the street from the hotel and you can access all of the hotel's amenities, like their pool, cabanas with hammocks, bar, pool table, and restaurant.

Inside the hotel grounds going towards the dining area and ocean

Some of the guys playing a game in the evening

The pool

The Sunzal beach we were staying on was a unique spot. It felt remote, yet there were a number of small hotels, restaurants, and surf shops. It was really a surfing community and you don't see too many locals selling their wares, just younger kids on the beach trying to sell shell jewelry. There were quite a few people in the area and a lot of seemingly full time surfer ex-pats. It was a young crowd and a lot of fun for all of us.

And then there's the beach and ocean! It was black sand, minimally built up (no high rises), and had the biggest waves I've ever encountered. I had so much fun in the water body-surfing and boogie boarding. The waves could carry you on the board easily 50ft. and 25ft. or so without. I played a lot of frisbee with people, some Scrabble on the beach, read my book and soaked up the sun, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the surfers. I've never seen surfing in action before, and I'm planning to try it when we go back in two weeks.




The big landmark of the area is the gigantic rock formation jutting out of the ocean just 30ft. or so off shore, hence the name "Roca," which means "rock."


A unique resident of Roca Sunzal is the cat/rabbit hybrid running around. The rumor goes that a frisky rabbit and cat got together and this creature came of it. It's even famous enough that a reporter came from the U.S. to do a piece on it and there's an article about it hanging up in the bar. I'm pretty sure it just has a deformation, but there's no denying it looks 100% rabbit from the waist down. Most everyone in our group was creeped out by it, but not me. I tried my best to befriend it and get some lap time, but it was more interested in getting table scraps and chasing off stray dogs, which it does quite well as I witnessed (those back legs don't make it any slower).

The cat/rabbit, or 'cabbit'

Sunday morning we were up early to get breakfast and spend as much time on the beach before leaving around 1 p.m. I was completely packed up and hanging around waiting to leave when another working spouse, Jen (who came on Saturday with her husband and two girls), approached me and asked if I wanted to stay an extra night and drive back with her and the girls on Monday. I had no reason to be back early as I'm still waiting on work, so it was an easy decision for me. I booked my same room for another night and had another full day to spend on the beach! That night I had dinner with her and the girls and spent the evening to myself reading and lounging. Monday morning I enjoyed more time on the beach and then we headed out a little before noon.

It was sad not sharing this wonderful weekend with Beth, but fortunately we're heading back to El Salvador in two weeks for a three-day weekend with a few other friends. We're not staying at Roca Sunzal, but we are going to an area that looks just as nice and we'll be able to go fishing, snorkeling, and diving. This weekend ranks in my top tier of favorite get-away spots. It's also easy to get to, so I'm suggesting to my parents we spend a couple days there when they come visit. I think it may become a regular weekend get-away...

*More pictures on our Picasa page*