Monterrico
7/18/2009 - 7/24/2009
Monterrico is a popular beach retreat for residents of Guatemala City, Esquintla and surrounding areas. The town is located on the black sandy beaches of the Pacific where the waves swell, and the heat swelters. While fairly quiet during the week, the weekends are bustling with local tourists. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon to find many of the accommodations completely booked so we settled in at Las Palmas for the evening. This small bed and breakfast is owned by an Italian couple and situated just a few blocks from the beach in the center of town. It is an exception to otherwise noisy Saturday nights in Monterrico in that they are selective in their guests; generally refusing groups, kids, and preferring women travelers who maintain the peace. We spent the evening exploring a few of the hot spots on the lively beach and the next day transferred to Utz Tzaba Beach Hotel, located a few kilometers outside of town.
Black Sand Beaches of Monterrico
Utz Tzaba is situated directly on the beach with an excellent swimming pool, several jacuzzis, a hammock area, pool bar, restaurant and impeccable service. We took full advantage of the shaded, paved parking area and did some major “spring” cleaning of the van. We thoroughly enjoyed several days pool and beach side while sorting through our accumulated belongings.
Utz Tzaba Beach Hotel
Poolside at Utz Tzaba
View from the Hammocks
We departed Monterrico on Friday morning heading for El Salvador. Consistent with our policy of not back tracking along roads already travelled, we decided to take the “ferry” out of town, through the Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii Nature Reserve, and try the more direct route to border. Boating the van, on really just a large lancha, through the mangroves was perhaps the most rudimentary ferry to date. Rebekah showcased her driving skills once again with flawless embarking and disembarking!
The Ferry?!?!
Monterrico is a popular beach retreat for residents of Guatemala City, Esquintla and surrounding areas. The town is located on the black sandy beaches of the Pacific where the waves swell, and the heat swelters. While fairly quiet during the week, the weekends are bustling with local tourists. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon to find many of the accommodations completely booked so we settled in at Las Palmas for the evening. This small bed and breakfast is owned by an Italian couple and situated just a few blocks from the beach in the center of town. It is an exception to otherwise noisy Saturday nights in Monterrico in that they are selective in their guests; generally refusing groups, kids, and preferring women travelers who maintain the peace. We spent the evening exploring a few of the hot spots on the lively beach and the next day transferred to Utz Tzaba Beach Hotel, located a few kilometers outside of town.
Black Sand Beaches of Monterrico
Utz Tzaba is situated directly on the beach with an excellent swimming pool, several jacuzzis, a hammock area, pool bar, restaurant and impeccable service. We took full advantage of the shaded, paved parking area and did some major “spring” cleaning of the van. We thoroughly enjoyed several days pool and beach side while sorting through our accumulated belongings.
Utz Tzaba Beach Hotel
Poolside at Utz Tzaba
View from the Hammocks
We departed Monterrico on Friday morning heading for El Salvador. Consistent with our policy of not back tracking along roads already travelled, we decided to take the “ferry” out of town, through the Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii Nature Reserve, and try the more direct route to border. Boating the van, on really just a large lancha, through the mangroves was perhaps the most rudimentary ferry to date. Rebekah showcased her driving skills once again with flawless embarking and disembarking!
The Ferry?!?!
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