Located two hours from Antigua, is the black sand beach town of El Paredon with some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world. It’s accessible via shuttle, if you schedule ahead of time if you’re staying in town which pick you up curbside from your hotel, hostel, or apartment that you’re renting. Since Antigua is in the mountains, you’ll notice a significant temperature change about an hour into the ride because of the decent. It’s also extremely close to the equator which will generate even more warm air (I love it here!) First, I must say… I highly recommend staying for a minimum two nights to get a birds-eye view of what its like to truly relax and enjoy the beach. 3 days and 2 nights is highly recommended. What’s wonderful about this beach is that it is really only visited by surfers, locals and the occasional tourists. You can walk a mile in each direction and not see anyone except your own footprints on the way back toward your cottage.
The beach is fronted by an extremely small line of small hotels and hostels, roughly 20 or so in total. Some of the most popular are Swell Surf and Lifestyle, Hotel Paredon Surf House, Driftwood and SoulFood Kitchen (you read that right) which also has a Thai food restaurant. You can also rent a home via AirBnb or VRBO but the number of available homes are a small amount so plan ahead and accordingly. This beach is completely unadulterated. If you have imagined spending time at a beach where you can walk for 20 or so minutes at a time without seeing anyone (outside of a weekend getaway) then you’ve come to the right place. There’s also several adventures you can take while at El Paredon beach. In one direction you can walk to where the ocean meets the river. (Side note: When walking along the sand, make sure you wear sandals because the black sand is HOT) Once you’re past the homes, hostels and hotels, you’ll begin to see tall hut-like structures scattered at the top of the sand dunes.
If you walk to the ‘top’, you will seethe river on the other side. Surfers or even local families out at the beach for the day will sometimes camp out under the huts while swimming during the day. Sometimes the fishermen will sleep there before going out at night.
Here are some other random things to know before you visit:
There are no ATMs in El Paredon. Not everywhere accepts credit cards (or you might have to pay a large fee.)so make sure you bring cash just in case.
Wear shoes on the beach! The beaches of El Paredon have black sand, which gets extremely HOT in the sun (think walking on paved asphalt in the middle of the day.) You will definitely want to wear shoes while walking on the beach, or risk burning your feet.
Support local businesses. If you take a tour or do an activity through La Choza Chula, your money will go back into the local community.
Shuttles leave twice a day. Shuttles depart El Paredon twice a day, around 9 AM and 2 PM. Be sure to check the times with the shuttle operators to get the exact schedule.
Not everywhere has WiFi. Double-check before you go if the place you’re staying has WiFi.
