The Views Resort

I came back because my first visit had been good, and now I regret it. On Sunday I arrived around 3 p.m. with my girlfriend and dog. At first the food was good and service seemed normal. Then, when I went to head down to the beach, the waitress stopped me and insisted I pay the bill first. My car and all my things were still on their property, so there was no reason to act as though I might leave without paying. What made it feel unmistakable was seeing white tourists go to and from the beach without being stopped or reminded to pay. It felt like they assumed the darker or local guests might run off, while foreign, light-skinned visitors got to come and go freely. That's discrimination. After I agreed to pay, it took the waitress more than 20 minutes to bring the bill. The sun had set by then, and the beach time I'd come for was gone. For their prices, I expected professional and equal treatment. Instead, I got the opposite. The beach itself also isn't special, with rocks and debris. For more natural beauty, I'd go to eastern El Salvador. The beaches in La Libertad feel overrated for the prices they present as “resort level.” Because of how I was treated and what I saw, I won't return. Salvadorans, especially those with darker skin, should be prepared for different treatment from foreign tourists.

The staff treated us very well, but management needs to improve a lot. We had liked our first visit, so we came back, and this time the building work noise was constant. Nobody had warned us. Running water was on and off, and music played through the day, while the rooms let all the sound through. When we left, they charged us for an orange juice and a complimentary birthday cake they'd offered one of our children. We'd spent a lot at the restaurant, so that left a bad feeling. It may seem like a small detail, but those things matter.

The restaurant and bar teams worked hard and were excellent, and the location was fine. The trouble was at the front desk. On my first day, I asked if I could extend my stay by a couple of days and was told that would be no problem. The next morning they said they had booked the room overnight and I needed to leave. I had to take a smaller room above reception, where a sewage smell from the shower, water, or drain was overwhelming. I can't recommend staying there.

It's a lovely new hotel, clean, with really friendly staff and good food in the restaurant. The prices are fair, and there's hot water. The hotel sits right beside a small river, and Playa Palmercito is a two-minute walk away. Hard to ask for much more.