General Info

[Artisttyp]

Is el salvador someplace I can easily change the sim card in my phone if I have the unlock code or would be wiser to buy a pre paid cheapo phone to leave behind? Are there any cheap $30 pre paid phones available and if so what company do I look for?


As always thank you.

[Jaimito Cartero]

I contacted Alex the week before I came. Now, I very rarely use any type of monger tour, or tour services, but decided to give it a try.

Alex charged $12 to pick me up at the airport. He arrived within 5 minutes of me exiting customs, and I got through very quickly. He helped with my luggage, and we went through the parking lot. He speaks some english, enough to communicate with most guys.

I don't know how old Alex is, but I'd guess 19 or so. He looks about 15, though, so he definitely got carded at some mongering places we went into. I think he was using a family members car that night, a 1983 or so Toyota. It has seen better days.

We exited, and he paid for the parking (A bit over $1). I got the impression that he hasn't been driving a long time, I'd guess 1-2 years. He stuck to the fast lane going to San Salvador, driving 25-35 mph much of the time, even as cars were racing around him in the slow lane. It started to rain hard, and he has no AC or heater, so the windows got fogged up. Quite exciting.

He took me to the Hilton, but because of some road construction, he had to turn around a number of times until he figured out which way to go.

The $12 seems very reasonable, as I'm sure that after paying for gas and parking, that would take up at least 1/2 the $12.

He came the next day to pick me up at the Hilton to take me to Villa Serena, and then to an Artisan market. This time he showed up in his own car, a 1973 VW Bug. The upholstery is coming off, and I caught and ripped my shirt on a metal molding where the door panel used to be. Just a small rip, and no problem. The front passenger seat is out of the car, so you sit, taxi-style in the back. You can also see the ground when the door is closed. Not sure if the door is rusted, or just warped. The car starts most of the time.

Personally, this didn't freak me out too much, it was a bit different, though. I respect someone who is trying to get into a business, and try not to judge them harshly when they're young and trying very hard.

We went through the horrible traffic downtown, only to find the market was closed on Sunday. I think he'd be much better off *not* going down the main drag, but what do I know.

We headed off to Casa Keyson, which I detailed in a report on the main board. We then went to MetroCentro and went to a grocery store for some stuff.

Alex charges $10 an hour. I think he has a 3 hour minimum. He charged me $30 for this day.

I had him come the next day, for the Artisan market again. Decent quality, I bought a few things, and an oil painting, but nothing really jumped out for me. Many similar things to the last time I was in Managua (Painted feathers, etc).

We then head off eat. I wanted something typical, and he took me to Mr. Donut at MetroCentro. Not quite what I had in mind, but the food was okay.

Then off to Kiss Fresh, for a nice session. Coming back, we were stuck in some rush hour traffic, some of it due to the construction. Alex decided to get creative, and turn on a side street a block away from Villa Serena. The only problem was that it was blocked, so it took 45 minutes to go out, make a u-turn, and then get back to where we were originally. Smelling diesel fumes for an extra 45 minutes is not my idea of fun.

We got back to the hotel, and he charged me $40. I don't think he charged me for the traffic time and such.

Overall, Alex is knowledgeable about mongering places. He does seem hesitant in his driving, and not totally knowledgeable driving about San Salvador. He is a nice guy, and I'd say knowledgeable about places to go. Given that his pricing is the same as independent taxi drivers, I don't know if it makes sense to take a 33 year old car compared to one much newer that the other guys drive.

[Jaimito Cartero]

i stayed the first night at the hilton, since i'm a hilton buff and like to check out ones i haven't been to before. the other 6 nights, i booked the villa serena escalon.

http://www.hotelvillaserena.com.sv/

it's a mid sized place, catering to business folk and perhaps some families. the staff was mostly quite good, except for a couple of exceptions, which i'll note later on in the report.

it's located about 100 meters up from the main street, (dell and telefonica building), near where paseo escalon breaks off. here's the details from the website:

tel. (503) 2257-1937/ (503) 2257-1938 /
(503) 2210-2268
65 av. norte # 152.
col. escalón, san salvador.
( zona centro finanaciero salvador del mundo )

i made my reservations via email, and got prompt a prompt response. check in/out is 11am. they do give a $30 discount for a weekly stay for single beds, but not double occupancy. double rooms are $10 more per night. i only stayed 6 nights, but they still gave me approx 10% off, without asking. total was $219.

when i checked in, they asked how i was going to pay, and i said credit card. they said no problem, and never even took an imprint or authorized the card.

i had thought about calling a chica to the room, but the place seemed a bit uptight for that. i tried casually asking the desk guy about bringing an "amiga" over, and he says no guest are allowed. i don't know if you just need to book a double room to get around this. i know there was another report where someone brought a chica there, but it may have been his girlfriend.

they have pretty decent wireless here. they have 4-5 different networks here, with good speed. they also have two computers in a side room you can use. the wireless was better here, than what i paid big bucks for at the hilton.

they have a free breakfast every morning from 6:30am-9am. they call it continental, but will cook you some eggs, or whatever the special is that day. very nice ladies in there, and you get juice, coffee, bread and maybe some other goodies. my only problem is that i was usually out late, and only got breakfast a couple of times!

the first negative on the room, is that it has no safe. the desk also has no safe deposit boxes, but they will give you a large envelope to put stuff in, and have you sign the flap. this made me a bit nervous. i let them hold onto for a couple of days, then took it back when i needed more money. i kept in a drawer in the room, and knew how much was in it (only $200 or so), and all amounts were always the same when i returned.

they have medium sized tv, ac and a small fridge in the room. the bed is of good quality, and they have a closet and shelves to put your clothing on. they have a desk, but no receptacles nearby to plug in. i had to unplug either the tv or the fridge. i could have asked for a plug in strip, but didn't.

the desk staff was generally helpful. they found a chinese restaurant that was open late (9pm). i believe the english level at this hotel is low. no one ever attempted to speak english to me, but since my spanish was decent, it was never a problem. other than the hilton and at the airport, i found very little english spoken in el salvador.

they have reasonably priced laundry. $1 for shirts/pants, .50 cents for underwear and t-shirts. you do have to put your stuff in the bag, and tell them you want it done. they have a hamper in the room, but didn't take stuff out, even when i told the desk guy about it. they did overcharge me by $1 on it, but then didn't add any of it to the bill.

negative things: it can get a little noisy during the day here. even with the glass shutters closed, you can hear the other guests and cleaning staff. the building is block, but some sounds seem to bounce through the halls. my neighbor called the desk to complain about my tv being on after midnight. i only had it up to medium volume though.

biggest problem: i asked for a 5:15am wakeup call the day i was leaving to the airport, and a 6:45am taxi. i can generally program my brain to wake me up, but it's much better to be sure. luckily, this time i woke up at 5:00am. i never got a call from the desk. i went and had some toast for breakfast (since i was expecting the taxi at any moment). i asked the desk guy about it and he said he threw the paper away and had only paid attention to the time for the taxi.

as i waited in the breakfast room, it was now getting late. i mentioned it to the cook/waitress lady, and she went into action, talking to the desk guy, and then 5 minutes later, roping in one of the independent taxi guys outside.

i don't know if the desk guy didn't call the taxi, or if they were just late.

villa serena has two other properties in san salvador. they're $50 and $30 a night.

i would recommend this place, but i'd try to clarify with the desk about bringing chicas in. i don't know if you just need a double, or to have the chica registered when you come in or what. it's definitely not a hot sheet place. they also list that they have some apartments to rent. that might be better for some heavy duty mongering.

the room staff is very nice. no constant knocking on the door asking if you want it cleaned. if you don't leave by 2pm or so, they'll call and ask if you want it cleaned or not. they also turn down your bed, and leave a wrapped bedtime cookie for you.

[Jaimito Cartero]

Now ... how do we get him to just "shut the f... up?"

Stuff some cheap, big titties in his face, and that'll keep him quiet for awhile. You can always add him to your ignore list, and you'll never hear from him again. Sometimes when I'm bored and want to walk on the crazy side, I'll read some of his forums.

[Noguera]

Now ... how do we get him to just "shut the f... up?"

[Noguera]

Jaimito

LMAO ... what a great line! Kudos.

[Jaimito Cartero]

Please do NOT visit...yes...it's all that bad...worse, even. STAY AWAY!!

All you have to do is tell Nibu that all the women have small tits, and he'll stay away.

[Cpteasy]

Please do NOT visit...yes...it's all that bad...worse, even. STAY AWAY!!

Cpt. Easy

Is El Salvador still wrecked very bad with SalvaMaraTruchas and M 16 Gangs? Last I heard lot of them are stoners and listen to Metal. I doubt it they look like Scumbags to Me. I see to much stuff about Violence by them in the Spanish Media. Any updates on The Crime Situation now in El Salvador?

[Cpteasy]

Also American Airlines and the agreement w/ United iAirline is a "code share". Best wishes and I hope you enjoy our infamous "Pulgarcito". I have for something like 25 years!

The Cpt. Easy


QUOTE=Jaimito Cartero]There didn't seem to be a ton of info on going to San Salvador. I'll post a few reports here, as I have time, on coming to SAL, getting around the city, and some other things I observed while I was there for a week in late October.

How to get there:

You can fly in on Taca, Continental, Mexicana, Delta, United Airlines, and more. While not a large airport, it is nice, and has some good shops in it. Even a Radio Shack! You can also buy your favorite alboroto's at the Diana gift shop.

You can often find fare sales in the $300-$500 range. I came across a bit of a fare mistake from Taca, and flew in FC/Biz class for only $219. The Taca plane out of Dallas was only half full in coach, and only 1/3 full in Biz class. Nothing fancy service wise (sandwich, big cookie, free booze), but decent. I didn't see any "typical" tourists on the plane. None.

You can also take http://www.ticabus.com/ingles.html from many Central American countries. They have an express service that goes from San Jose, Costa Rica, that takes just 18 or 19 hours. This one does not overnight in Nicaragua. About $43 one way.

El Salvador uses the US dollar. Bring lots of small bills. You will have problems changing anything larger than a 20. They also use US coins.

As an American coming into the airport, I had to pay a $10 fee for a sticker in my passport. I paid no other extra fees on departing. Customs is a "push the button" type thing if you don't declare anything. If it flashes red, they'll search your stuff, otherwise you just go outside.

Once you hit outside, you'll see the teeming masses waiting for relatives. The taxi people will yell at you and try to get you to take their taxi. I had CloudAlex pick me up, so I just had to wait until I found him.

I've read that Taxi's cost $18 from the airport, but have no confirmation of this.

Returning to the airport I paid a private taxi $25, since my taxi service didn't show up. I think that is a little above normal, but there wasn't much I could do.[/QUOTE]

[Cpteasy]

Hello everybody!

I am going to salvador in three months and I would like to know how and where to have fun in the beach area. I will be in a hotel club next to a beach?

Thank you very much.

Ps: si quieres responderme en espanol es posible yo lo hablo perfectamente! gracias.

Cual "Hotel-Club" Por La Playa...this can mean ANYTHING!?? Cpt. Easy

[Noguera]

Pretty much any taxi from the airport to downtown, or downtown to the airport ...... will be happy at $20. They won't even try to bargain you up. Just offer $20, and away you go.

Nibs ... you are sounding totally paranoid with your safety issues in Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador. These are totally safe places. They don't burn buses outside the El Salvador airport. Just don't walk the streets of downtown Guatemala at 3:00 a.m. And don't venture into barrios you don't know in the middle of the night in San Salvador. Duhh!!!!!

[Jaimito Cartero]

There didn't seem to be a ton of info on going to San Salvador. I'll post a few reports here, as I have time, on coming to SAL, getting around the city, and some other things I observed while I was there for a week in late October.

How to get there:

You can fly in on Taca, Continental, Mexicana, Delta, United Airlines, and more. While not a large airport, it is nice, and has some good shops in it. Even a Radio Shack! You can also buy your favorite alboroto's at the Diana gift shop.

You can often find fare sales in the $300-$500 range. I came across a bit of a fare mistake from Taca, and flew in FC/Biz class for only $219. The Taca plane out of Dallas was only half full in coach, and only 1/3 full in Biz class. Nothing fancy service wise (sandwich, big cookie, free booze), but decent. I didn't see any "typical" tourists on the plane. None.

You can also take http://www.ticabus.com/ingles.html from many Central American countries. They have an express service that goes from San Jose, Costa Rica, that takes just 18 or 19 hours. This one does not overnight in Nicaragua. About $43 one way.

El Salvador uses the US dollar. Bring lots of small bills. You will have problems changing anything larger than a 20. They also use US coins.

As an American coming into the airport, I had to pay a $10 fee for a sticker in my passport. I paid no other extra fees on departing. Customs is a "push the button" type thing if you don't declare anything. If it flashes red, they'll search your stuff, otherwise you just go outside.

Once you hit outside, you'll see the teeming masses waiting for relatives. The taxi people will yell at you and try to get you to take their taxi. I had CloudAlex pick me up, so I just had to wait until I found him.

I've read that Taxi's cost $18 from the airport, but have no confirmation of this.

Returning to the airport I paid a private taxi $25, since my taxi service didn't show up. I think that is a little above normal, but there wasn't much I could do.

[Marcor]

Hi JP Matinez,

I hope you can help me.

I am planning a trip to ES in 3 weeks

Do you have any advice.

What about local hangouts.

[Jp Martinez]

Hello everybody!

I am going to salvador in three months and I would like to know how and where to have fun in the beach area. I will be in a hotel club next to a beach?

Thank you very much.

Ps: si quieres responderme en espanol es posible yo lo hablo perfectamente! gracias.

[Nibu Raphael]

Is El Salvador still wrecked very bad with SalvaMaraTruchas and M 16 Gangs? Last I heard lot of them are stoners and listen to Metal. I doubt it they look like Scumbags to Me. I see to much stuff about Violence by them in the Spanish Media. Any updates on The Crime Situation now in El Salvador?