Eat, drink, sleep & be merry at Los Portones de Ataco, a cafe-hotel located on the Ruta de las Flores – find out why it’s the perfect hub for exploring this beautiful region of El Salvador.
Los Portones de Ataco is located on Avenida 2, the main street in Ataco – it’s close to the market, supermarket, main plaza, restaurants & everywhere you may need to go in this small town.
Whether you’re a tourist or local, Ataco is a lovely place to spend the weekend & one of the highlights of El Salvador.
It’s at the start of the Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador’s Flower Route. From Ataco, you can easily visit all the attractions of the region, by car or bus.
The entrance to Los Portones de Ataco is cool & quirky, decorated with coffee drawings & more – but don’t be deceived, this cafe is also a very nice hotel.
Let us here at DIY Travel HQ show you around! 🙂
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Our Room at Los Portones de Ataco
We stayed in Room 2 at the back of the hostal – this was great for us, as it was away from the music of the café, but we still had a perfect wifi connection to the Internet.
Our room was very clean, compact & comfortable. The bedding & mattress were of excellent quality, we certainly slept well all 3 nights.
The décor is simple with blue & beige walls, a patterned curtain & a vibrant African painting.
There was also a LCD TV on a table in the corner, with Spanish cable channels. Other features included:
- side table
- large floor lamp
- floor fan
- hooks & hangers on the back of the bathroom door
Speaking of which, the bathroom was very clean & tastefully decorated. Bath & hand towels are provided, along with soap & shampoo.
The shower is electric, with excellent hot water & water pressure.
La Estancia Café & Restaurant
Los Portones de Ataco also hosts a fantastic café & restaurant called “La Estancia”.
There are 6-7 tables, it can easily seat 20 people at a time.
There’s also a small bar if you want to pull up a stool & watch tv or read the paper.
We love the exposed brick walls & quirky, rustic décor such as painted doors, “fruit boxes” & a whimsical, large red mural.
The restaurant offers a menu of local & Western dishes including meat, seafood, pasta, paninis & desserts for breakfast, lunch & dinner.
We didn’t eat there but the coffee was excellent.
The owner, Julio, also works in the coffee trade so he knows how to make a great brew. The coffee bar is separate from the restaurant & there are also comfy couches to relax in.
There are also tables & chairs in an upstairs loft area, that overlooks the restaurant on one side & the main street of Ataco on the other – this is a great place to hang out & watch local life passing by on the cobblestone streets.
Features of Los Portones de Ataco
Here’s a re-cap of some of the features of Los Portones de Ataco:
- Hostal with 7 rooms
- Café-restaurant
- Coffee bar
- Wifi
Los Portones de Ataco also features a cool lounge area with large sofas & couches, as well as a book exchange & travel information for the region.
Behind this, there’s another seating area in a small indoor courtyard.
We loved chilling out here, amongst the plants & vines in the natural sunlight.
Things to See & Do in Ataco
The best thing about Ataco is simply wandering its cobblestone streets & checking out the handicraft stalls & artisan shops such as Diconte & Axul and Artesanias Madre Tierra.
It hosts a vibrant artistic community, whose works grace the beautiful large murals on many of the buildings around the village.
Ataco is the perfect base from which to explore the Ruta de las Flores – it’s the most picturesque town with the widest variety in accommodation, food & drink.
It’s easy to travel by car or bus along El Salvador’s most famous route, exploring the attractions & towns along the way:
- Visit crater lakes in Apaneca
- Taste regional cuisine at the famous weekly food fair in Juayua
- Attend the candlelit night market at Nahuizalco
- Check out the geothermal mud pits at Los Ausoles in Ahuachapan
From Ataco, it’s also easy to reach Parque Imposible for hiking and to see sea turtles laying eggs at Barra de Santiago.
Los Portones de Ataco Wrap-Up
With quality food & accommodation, Los Portones de Ataco is the best value-for-money in town.
The rooms have everything you need, all of which come with private bathrooms. And if you want a snack, meal or drink, the café-restaurant is always open & ready to serve.
There are also many awesome spaces where you can relax with a good book & coffee.
Julio & all the staff members are very hospitable – they’re happy to offer recommendations & advice on traveling in the region & elsewhere in El Salvador.
From the décor to the staff, there’s a wonderful, friendly atmosphere at Los Portones de Ataco, especially on the livelier weekends. During the week, it is quiet & peaceful.
If you’re after affordable comfort, cleanliness & convenience in accommodation & dining on the Ruta de las Flores, look no further than Los Portones de Ataco.
* Top tip: book ahead on weekends!
We recommend Booking.com as a trustworthy source of accommodation in El Salvador. Make a booking with our link for 10% off your stay.
In a Nutshell
Location: 2da. Avenida sur, Numero 2, Ataco
Price: from $30.00
Website: Los Portones de Ataco
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*** The Final Word – Los Portones de Ataco is the best-value accommodation on Ruta de las Flores! ***
Have you visited Ataco or travelled along the Ruta de las Flores?
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* Thank you to Los Portones de Ataco for hosting us!
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Visited in October 2016
Comments
Looks like a cutre place. And it seems like a good base of operations for exploring the area
Yep, it was indeed both cute & a fantastic base from which to explore the Ruta de las Flores, El Salvador’s Flower Route 🙂
Sweet little inn and I love all the different places to sit and chill. Looks like a great stop on the Ruta.
So much so that we stayed for 3 nights! 🙂
What an incredible value! I love the style of the attached restaurant/cafe, and the rooms themselves are well-stocked for the price. The surrounding area is very picturesque. I know I’d love to stumble across some sea turtles and walk the colorful streets. I have never stayed in a hostel because I value my space and privacy, so seeing places like this with single private rooms makes me more willing to branch out and try a hostel for myself. Thank you for the post!
Hostels in El Salvador are more like small, or even boutique, hotels. Many hostels around the world have private rooms if you prefer having privacy as well as social, shared spaces – hope you try one out on your next holiday 🙂
The outdoor courtyard and the restaurant are great at the hostel. Quite classic of South and Latin American hostels from my experience – and my favorite places to spend time when staying in hostels! Thanks for the tip!
Yes, I have been noticing that many accommodation options in El Salvador also have cafes & restaurants. I think it’s great 🙂
I would absolutely stay (and eat) here – it looks very charming. Great photos and post, thanks for sharing. Happy travels 🙂
Thanks, same to you – I love following your travels 🙂
I haven’t been to Salvador, but I’ve eaten some great Salvadoran food–especially pupusas! This place looks really nice on the inside–great nooks and crannies for sitting and for people-watching. Love that sunlit courtyard! And the cobblestoned streets…
I love that it’s really more like a hotel with private rooms and insuite bathrooms.
Ahhh pupusas… it’s hard not to eat them everyday, especially when you’re travelling on a budget! Los Portones de Ataco was great for us as it combined the finer aspects of a hotel with the quirky, social feel of a hostel 🙂
Los Portones de Ataco looks like a great base of operations for explorations of El Salvador. Great wifi and cleanliness are so important and they seem to have nailed that.
They’re really important for us too, especially the wifi as we spend a lot of time blogging on our travels. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Although not a fancy place it looks very cleaning taken care of, and with lovely nooks to sit and relax. Reminds me of Brazilian houses the have that same architecture and colors.Thank you for sharing your experience.