Planning a Trip to El Salvador

We have been to El Refugio, El Salvador 3times. When you go you make friends for life. Lived in homes 2 times and stayed in Santa Ana 1 time. Volcanoes, parks, small town festivels, Christian Resort-$15 day to stay, But the best part is the people. No danger, police very friendly and watch out for you. 50% of people speak some English, stores take dollars, Church's are wonderful and friendly. You can hire an interpeter to be with you 100% of the time. Country is poor but the people don't expect more. Americans are respected and special to them.

San Salvador is quite an interesting place and an excellent starting point if you want to travel around El Salvador.  Also, by choosing to go to El Salvador, you have already guaranteed yourself a rather cheep trip.  San Salvador is certainly a third world city, but so long as there's sunlight and you watch your wallet carefully and don't walk down any obviously scary allies, you'll be alright.
San Salvador is the capital of El Salvador and is home of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior (Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador).  The cathedral is an amazing spectacle and is best known for the tragic assassination of the world famous Archbishop Romero.
There is plenty to do in San Salvador and you can travel to anywhere in the country from the capital.  There are many things you can do, whether you want to see the condition in which the majority of the world lives in, go shopping, see Mayan ruins, or go zip-lining, San Salvador will make sure you get there.  San Salvador is also in the area where the location where the airport is located, making it easy to reach the capital.  Just one short taxi ride and you're there.
If you go to San Salvador, then you gotta watch you wallet and so long as you keep your wits about you, you'll be fine.  Oh, and when you cross the street in San Salvador, be careful.  One of our group members nearly got killed because she lacked the common sense that the drivers always have the right of way.  Good thing the driver barely stopped in time, although the car did knock her over.
It may sound intimidating, but it's really not that bad.  When you are looking for a hotel, pick one that has a security guard carrying a shotgun and there'll be no problem.  Also, if you wanna go out at night, there's always a cool club somewhere and the locals are quite friendly.  Oh and the most important thing is the Salvadorian famous pupusa!  They are so delicious!!

calm, quiet and beautiful

Despite all the bad press El Salvador has received in years past, it's a great country to travel in. San Salvador along with Panama City are my favourite Central American capitals. We stayed by the MetroCentro (which is the largest mall in Central America) which had several advantages. The first is being so close to an area that had all the western amenities that I'm used to, it was an easy reference point for cab drivers, walking distance to several sights and that there was some cheap and decent places to stay in the area.

Before you start your trip don't forget to change your pin into a 4 number one!
We tried so many atm's. After a long search we could use only the ones in the mall.

A great place to stay in Santa Ana is the Hotel Libertad. It is a bit run down but for only US$ 12 (in 2007) a night for 2 people and being right next to the main cathedral is a great deal. Santa Ana is El Salvador's second city and is the main city in the west of the country. It is a great base to explore the western portion of the country.

Some very nice places to see, but it can be dangerous, specially if you're not acquainted with the city.