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5.0
#1 of 3 small hotels in El Zonte
Location
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Welcome to Puro Surf Hotel and Academy, premier destination for an unforgettable stay in El Zonte, El Salvador. As a boutique hotel and surf academy, we offer a unique blend of comfort, and surf expertise. Our establishment includes the renowned Puro Surf Academy, the first professional surf academy in El Salvador. The academy embraces a comprehensive approach and methodology, catering to surfers any level. Nestled right in front of El Zonte point, our hotel provides an unrivaled setting with world-class waves and breathtaking ocean views throughout the year. For those seeking a transformative surf experience, explore our Surfcamp—a week-long immersive training program designed for individuals eager to unlock their full surfing potential. Don't miss the chance to dine at Covana Kitchen, our on-site restaurant offering international cuisine with a local twist. It's the perfect complement to your stay, ensuring a culinary journey that mirrors the richness of the surrounding culture.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Quaint
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Km 52, Carretera Del Litoral, Lote 14, El Zonte 1101 El Salvador
Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
193 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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My wife and I stayed at Puro for one week in March 2022. I have surfing experience and wanted a technical foundation so I did 7 day Surf Camp. My wife did the Yoga Package and we included all meals.
Everything was perfect! The hotel is in a magical location, perched above El Zonte with a view of the surf break and with easy walking access to "town" or the main beach. The rooms are spacious, clean, and designed for a beach vacation. All our meals were in Covana and we enjoyed every single one. The atmosphere, combined with fresh ingredients, friendly staff, and a wide variety of options was just what we wanted.
The main draw of the trip was the options perfectly suited for any type of traveler. Families can hang out by the pool/beach, take surf lessons, and roam the grounds safely. Yoga and gym classes are for everyone. However, the Surf Academy is best in the hemisphere! The program is built to connect your mind, body, and skills from the ground up. The coaches are superb, with gym sessions, surf sessions, and video analysis to support every detail of your progress. I went from a beginner to the big waves in just four days!
The staff is attentive to all needs, scheduling, and the entire process was easy. We will be back next year!
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Date of stay: March 2022
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Â All rooms have an ocean view and are perfectly set up close to amenities and with a spacious...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Puro Surf Academy, Marketing at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 2 Apr 2022
Dear Will, First of all thank you for letting us be part of your experience while visiting the beautiful beach of El Zonte. We are so happy to hear that you and Eloise had such a great time with us, and that we could create such a good impression in you! Thank you for taking the time to write such a detail and wonderful review about our establishment, it make all of us proud of our work and it make us want to keep improving our guests experience. We really hope to see you next year! Best regards, Front Desk Team
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The one week yoga package is the perfect vacation for someone who is looking for a mix of physical activity and relaxation! Included in the package is: professional airport pick up and drop off in a comfortable van, three meals per day (plus dessert every day!), juices and smoothies, two massages, a half day hiking trip to a beautiful waterfall, four private yoga classes, and two private surf classes. All equipment you need are provided too. The hotel is gorgeous, comfortable, clean, and safe, and the reception staff Roberto and Naomi are very welcoming. I appreciated their friendly and attentive communication in booking my stay as well as throughout the week. The food in the restaurant is consistently delicious, and the waiters are always eager to provide anything for you. I really appreciated that the water was purified and filtered so I didn’t have to purchase plastic bottles all week. And oh my gosh that infinity pool is fabulous. It is the perfect temperature and you can watch the local pros surf in the ocean while you lounge in the pool. Fiona’s yoga classes were excellent - I really appreciated her tips on how to improve my poses and I left each class feeling like a brand new person. She is very talented and offers great life advice too! Yannis is such a great surf instructor - I had never surfed before but he had me standing up by the end of the first lesson! He is patient and really takes his time to explain the foundations of surfing. He also has a super positive attitude and is really encouraging. I loved his surf classes so much that I added an additional class on top of the two that came included in the package! Sandra’s massages were phenomenal - which was a great treat after all that yoga and surfing. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Puro Surf and would definitely come back again for the surf academy to continue to improve my surfing!
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from FrontDesk Puro Surf, Atención al cliente/recepción at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 7 Oct 2023
Dear Tova, Thank you for sharing your experience with our one week yoga package at Puro Surf! We're thrilled to hear that it was the perfect vacation for you and that you enjoyed the mix of physical activity and relaxation. We appreciate your kind words about our package inclusions such as the professional airport pick up and drop off, three meals per day (with dessert!), juices and smoothies, hiking trip, private yoga and surf classes, and massages. It's great to know that you found the equipment provided to be sufficient and that the hotel was gorgeous, comfortable, clean, and safe. We're glad that our reception staff, Roberto and Naomi, were welcoming and that you appreciated their friendly and attentive communication throughout your stay. We're pleased that you enjoyed our restaurant's consistently delicious food and that our waiters were always eager to provide anything for you. We take pride in offering purified and filtered water to reduce plastic waste. And yes, the infinity pool is fabulous! It's wonderful to know that you enjoyed the perfect temperature while watching the local pros surf in the ocean. It's great to hear that Fiona's yoga classes were excellent and that you left each class feeling like a brand new person. We're glad that she was able to provide tips on how to improve your poses and offer great life advice too! We're thrilled that Yannis was such a great surf instructor and that his positive attitude and patience were encouraging to you. It's amazing that you loved his classes so much that you added an additional one on top of the two included in the package. We're glad that Sandra's massages were phenomenal and provided a great treat after all the yoga and surfing. Thank you for thoroughly enjoying your stay at Puro Surf and for considering returning to continue improving your surfing skills. We would love to welcome you back again soon!
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Expensive compared to other hotels in the area, but I do think you get what you pay for: beautiful hotel grounds, great service, quiet/smartly decorated rooms, and access to high quality surf instructors/classes.
Beach is rocky but excellent for intermediate to advanced surfers. I was taking my first surf class ever so was transported to a sandy beach about 20 minutes away with more beginner friendly waves. Richie was a fantastic teacher and had me catching waves way faster than I thought I would. Fun conversation too. Definitely the highlight of my stay.
Do take the time to wander the streets outside of the hotel if you want something approaching a more authentic Salvadoran experience and hit up Pupuseria Geisy (delicious, cheap, and you can seriously pay them in Bitcoin), El Teco, and other little restaurants/hostels in the area.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Puro Surf Academy, Marketing at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 1 Jul 2021
Hello! We are thrilled to hear you got to visit and enjoy the Puro Surf Experience! Also we are happy to hear you also got to visit nearby areas and taste the delicious Pupusas! You went to the right place to taste them for sure! You should come visit us during a different time of year you will be surprise of how the scenery changes completely during part of the year the rock disappear and we have sand on the beach! Lesson are imparted right in front of the hotel! A great option to continue with your surf progression! Hope to see you soon!
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Ideal location, incredible accommodation s and attentive service make this a great spot for your next surf trip. You can surf out back, or easily drive to other top breaks. Covana is really best restaurant on the coast, with a wide variety of selections so you can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Make sure you try their ceviches!!! Staff is super friendly and gets to know you. They also can help arrange for your Covid testing before departure.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Puro Surf Academy, Promocionar at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 10 May 2022
Hello thank you for review! We are happy that you enjoyed your stay with us! It was our pleasure to have you and to help out with any request that makes your visit great! Glad you like the menu offer at our Covana Kitchen Restaurant! We will be waiting for your next visit!
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Stayed in the treehouse for 1 week for a relaxing getaway. We throughly enjoyed the pool and beach. The grounds were meticulous and you could really see how hard the staff works to keep the grounds as such. The views were stunning and the treehouse had comfortable beds, cold AC, and a beautiful view from the balcony. The food and service was among the best we’ve ever had. The food was DELICIOUS and consistent.. we tried almost everything on the menu and everything was spot on and beautifully presented by the talented chefs. The waiters and food staff were extremely hospitable and kind and went above and beyond constantly, especially while we ordered food and drinks from the pool. We’d especially like to thank Jorge, Alex, and Jeremiah for being so kind, thoughtful, and so hardworking and making our stay memorable. We didn’t do any surfing this trip but would love to come back and try it!
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Date of stay: December 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from FrontDesk Puro Surf, Atención al cliente/recepción at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 7 Oct 2023
Dear guest, Thank you for your kind review of Puro Surf Hotel & Performance Academy. We're thrilled to hear that you had a relaxing getaway in the treehouse and thoroughly enjoyed the pool and beach. It's great to know that our staff's hard work in maintaining the meticulous grounds did not go unnoticed. We're delighted to hear that the food and service exceeded your expectations and ranked among the best you've ever had. It's fantastic that you had the opportunity to try almost everything on the menu and found each dish to be delicious and beautifully presented by our talented chefs. We're glad our waiters and food staff went above and beyond to make your dining experience memorable, especially while you were ordering from the pool. We will pass along your gratitude to Jorge, Alex, and Jeremiah for their kind, thoughtful, and hardworking service during your stay. We're glad they contributed to making your stay memorable. We hope to welcome you back in the future for a visit that might include some exciting surfing adventures. Thank you for choosing to stay with us.
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For $250 a night you would expect at least a working air conditioner and some hot/warm water. Our first night our ac broke not even 2 hours into our stay. We immediately let the front desk know and the response was awful. "Because we're located on the beach this is bound to happen" but if this is bound to happen why was your staff so horribly unprepared? Reception said and did nothing to help the situation or ease our discomfort. We had been coming down from stomach bugs and were looking forward to the ac so this was the worst case scenario for us. They sent maintenance guys to install a mini ac for the night and they had absolutely no idea what they were doing. They were in our room for about an hour attempting to put together the ac with ductape after they had told us the process would only be 15 minutes. In the end we were left with a half open door and a taped together ac. Never heard another word from reception. The next day, after maintenance installed a new unit, no one from management/reception checked in to see if it was fixed or even apologized for the situation. There are 11 rooms in this hotel, you're telling me no one could check in? We stayed for 5 nights. We had been eating a special diet because of our stomach bugs and could not eat any dairy, etc. and had asked for no cheese, no sauce, etc. Half of the times our food came out wrong. Servers (definitely not all) seemed to not want to be there. Ok. Now the pool and views are beautiful and the food is delicious but you could find that anywhere now! We had friends staying in nearby hotels, $60-$160 a night with 0 issues. Definitely do your research before picking a hotel. Our first stay at Puro Surf was in 2019 and this last stay did not meet the expectations we had after our first trip. There are now many other beautiful places (right in El Tunco!) with better experience. It's time to better the experience for the price your clients are paying! Sad to say we're likely to not come back. There's definitely more places now!
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from FrontDesk Puro Surf, Atención al cliente/recepción at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 29 Jun 2023
Dear Samantha, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback regarding your recent stay with us. We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences you experienced with the air conditioner and hot water during your visit. We understand how frustrating it can be to face these issues. We deeply regret that it took us longer than expected to resolve the issue, and we would like to clarify that this was due to the fact that our front desk office and maintenance staff had already completed their service hours. However, as soon as we were notified of the problem, we sent a maintenance staff member to your room with a temporary AC unit to alleviate the situation as much as possible. Early in the morning, our front desk staff contacted you via WhatsApp, to check on the issue and to ask for your authorization in order for maintenance staff could enter the room to fix the problem as fast as we could. Regarding the issues with the food orders and the lackluster service from some of our servers, we apologize for the inconsistencies and any frustration caused. We will use your feedback to address these concerns with our kitchen and service staff to prevent similar incidents in the future. We appreciate your comments about the beauty of our pool, views, and the delicious food. However, we understand that these positives do not excuse the shortcomings and frustrations you experienced during your stay. We value your patronage and genuinely regret that we did not meet your expectations this time. We are committed to continuously improving our services, and we appreciate your feedback as it helps us identify areas for growth and enhancement. We hope that you will reconsider and give us another chance to provide you with the exceptional experience you deserve.
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Stayed here for a couple of nights with friends, we found this a great relaxing escape with stunning views of the beach. The rooms have good facilities but not very private as you can't lounge in bed with the curtains open without people seeing directly into your room which is a shame. Staff are all very friendly and facilities are good (with exception of hot water for showers not very reliable!). Breakfast is nice, although the including breakfast limited and they will charge you for anything not in the 'house' menu such as non-filter coffee and even an extra banana! Overall a nice hotel for a short stay or activity break.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Brightonbeachboy We're glad you enjoyed your stay with friends and the stunning beach views! Our staff aims to provide a friendly atmosphere. We apologize for any inconvenience with room privacy and hot water reliability. Your feedback is noted for improvement. Thank you for sharing your experience, and we hope to welcome you back soon! 🌴🌊
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Only stay here if you want to be disrespected by upper management. 1 rude staff member can ruin your stay. Natalia was rude to several members of our big group. She is disrespectful in many ways and talks to people in a disrespectful manor. We had people in our group from North, Central and South America and were all disappointed by her and her alone. We arrived in a mini bus with our personal driver. When we went inside the lobby to check in we were treated badly. We had rented more than enough rooms for our group and even had extra beds but I guess that didn’t matter to Natalia. Other than that the hotel is great. All the other staff members were amazing. The food in the restaurant was what is to be expected of hotel food. Great place to stay, minus bringing treated badly by Natalia.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from FrontDesk Puro Surf, Guest Services / Front Office at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 3 weeks ago
Hi Nick! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and discomfort you experienced during your stay, particularly in relation to your interactions with our staff. This is certainly not the level of service we aim to provide. We are grateful for your comments, and we want to assure you that we have made significant improvements since your visit, including enhancing our staff training and overall guest experience. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us continue to refine our service. We would be delighted to welcome you back for a more memorable experience. For your next visit, please feel free to contact us directly via email or WhatsApp, and we will be more than happy to assist with any arrangements to ensure your stay is exceptional. Thank you once again for your review, and we hope to have the pleasure of serving you again soon. Best regards, John Castro P.
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A great technical approach to teaching surf set in a great hotel with great service and food. The location is quiet and let you rest and enjoy a perfect surf vacation, while close enough to other locations. Very recommended!
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Date of stay: April 2022
Value
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Service
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Response from Puro Surf Academy, Marketing at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 10 May 2022
Dear guest, Thank you for taking the time to write a review about your recent stay with us! We are stoked to hear that you enjoyed your surf camp and all of our facilities and services. Thank you for recommending us and we really hope to see you back soon! Best regards, Front Desk Team.
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We loved our stay. We simply lounged by the pool all day enjoying the great food and drinks. The staff is very attentive and make sure you have everything you need and more. We didn't participate in any of the "activities" like surfing or skating but thought it was so cool that they offer so much. You'll definitely not get bored if you're looking for a more active stay. We got a couples massage and thought it was such a beautiful experience with the sound of the waves and the overall energy of the place. Would definitely go back over and over again!!
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Date of stay: March 2021
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
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Response from Puro Surf Academy, Marketing at Puro Surf Hotel And Performance Academy
Responded 1 Jul 2021
Hello!!! We want you back for sure! We are glad you got to have fun and that you enjoy the food and the pool! Maybe next time you are in for all the other activities we have to offer! If not massages are always a great idea and reason to come back! Hope to see you back soon!
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El Zonte, El Salvador127 contributions1 helpful vote
Hello Ericka,
Thank you for your interest in Puro Surf Hotel & Performance Academy. We do have a reliable wifi connection that works throughout the hotel facilities, the internet speed is 15MB (fiber optics) . There is no extra charge for the wifi access.
Hope this helps!
El Zonte, El Salvador127 contributions1 helpful vote
Hello! According to CDC, the US does not require a PCR covid test, it can be an antigen Test, PCR or even a rapid test taken by an authorized laboratory. We work with a LAB that comes and thake the antigen test. We can help arrange the appointment for sure. The cost of the test is $120 and they only take cash.
El Zonte, El Salvador127 contributions1 helpful vote
Good afternoon Dylan, thank you for your interest in Puro Surf.
None of or services or packages include flights, you can take a closer look at our accommodations and packages at our website or feel free to contact us via email as well .
Looking forward to hearing from you!
There are more places to choose from in the El Zonte area.
PRICE RANGE
$372 - $448 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
El SalvadorLa Libertad DepartmentEl Zonte
NUMBER OF ROOMS
15
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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