The Pacific Slope - Guatemala - page 356

Around Monterrico

Isleta de Gaia

East down the coast from Monterrico, near Las Lisas, is the Guatemalan Pacific coast's
best-kept secret - Isleta de Gaia (

7885-0044; www.isleta-de-gaia.com ; 2-/4-person bungalow Q740/1360;

) , a bungalow-hotel built on a long island of sand and named for the Greek
earth goddess. Overlooking the Pacific on one side and mangroves on the other, this
small, friendly, ecological, French-owned resort is constructed from natural materials.
There are 12 bungalows, of one and two levels, with sea, lagoon or pool views. Each
has good beds, fan, bathroom, balcony and hammock; decorations are Mexican and Costa
Rican. The seafront restaurant (mains Q60 to Q120) offers Italian, Spanish and French
cuisine, with fresh fish naturally the star. There are boogie boards and kayaks for rent and
a boat for fishing trips. Reserve your stay in this little paradise by email four days in ad-
vance. The staff runs a shuttle service to and from Guatemala City and Antigua. From
Monterrico there is no road east along the coast beyond Parque Hawaii, so you have to
backtrack to Taxisco and take Carretera al Pacífico for about 35km to reach the turnoff for
Las Lisas. From the turnoff it's 20km to Las Lisas, where you take a boat (Q100) to Isleta
de Gaia.

Chiquimulilla & the El Salvador Border

Surfers found in this part of Guatemala will likely be heading to or from La Libertad in El
Salvador. Most people shoot straight through Escuintla and Taxisco to Chiquimulilla and
on to the Salvadoran border at Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado-La Hachadura, from where it is
about 110km along the coast of El Salvador to La Libertad.
Buses leave Taxisco for the border every 15 minutes until 5pm. There are two service-
able hospedajes (guesthouses) in La Hachadura on the El Salvador side of the border, but
the hostales (budget hotels) in Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado on the Guatemalan side are not
recommended. Should you need to stop for the night before crossing the border, you could
do worse than head to the friendly cowboy town of Chiquimulilla (population 15,100), some
12km east of Taxisco. There isn't much going on here, but it's a decent enough place to
take care of errands and regroup. The Hotel San Carlos ( 7885-0817; 2a Calle, Zona 2; s/d Q100/150;
) , a few blocks from the bus terminal, is a family-run setup offering reasonable