The Pacific Region | Porta Hotels

The Pacific Coast

South of Quetzaltenango you can descend a sinuous highway, and begin to feel, little by little, the temperature rise. Finally you reach the Pacific coast, with its beautiful black sand beaches, cheerful ports and warm climate, always willing to welcome its visitors.   

The closest beaches to the city on the Pacific are less than two hours away by car, traveling on a modern freeway. Among the most popular is San José, which is also an important commercial port. It has become a popular stop for enormous cruise ships going to North America after crossing the Panama Canal, which are following the migratory route of the humpback whales, which can now be spotted from December to May from the beach of Iztapa, in Escuintla, to Las Lisas, in Santa Rosa. The Pacific coast offers exciting experiences, like sport fishing (one of the best in Central America), surfing, and ecotourism in bio- reservations like Monterrico, with its sea turtle reserve and mangle tree swamps. Comfort is available for all budgets in hotels ranging from bungalows to five- star resorts so you can relax and enjoy some time under the sun.

On the Pacific Coast, in Retalhuleu, you can visit the largest water park in Central America: Xocomil. It is adjacent to Xetulul, which is the largest attraction park and includes exotic and endangered animal reserves,as well as many options in lodging. There are also ostrich farms and our very own  Auto Safari Chapín, an open zoo that houses species from all over the world.

Prehispanic inheritance doesn't lose preponderance in this region. The most important archaeological site is Tak'alik Abaj, in the department of Retalhuleu, one of the largest Mayan cities in the Meso-American territory, whose archaeological treasures continue to amaze with every discovery. The “barrigones” stone statues and the enormous stone heads of the Monte Alto culture, in La Democracia, department of Escuintla, are also worth visiting since they are said to belong to a culture that, as many anthropologists believe, existed before the Maya.