We booked this place after reading all the great reviews on tripadvisor. Initially, we were looking at Costa Rica but the ocean was far from the ecotours we were looking at. We chose El Salvador because most of the ecotours were within 1-2 hour drive away.

I will try not to repeat what other reviewers have written already and provide information and tips from our experience.

Price: A significant price drop ($100 per ticket) exactly one before our trip. (price dropped March 10 and our trip was for March 17). We booked 2 weeks in advance and prices stayed the same for a month before we booked at $944 (including tax). Price went down to $844 with tax and sold out the next day. I booked through flight centre because there is a coupon on visaperks website with a $50 off per couple on all inclusive trips.

Air Transat: smallest seats on a plane. not much leg room. Someone on the plane had a cough because about 10% of our group developed a cough the next few days. You may want to consider taking supplements such as vitamin C, zinc or cold fx before your flight-whether that would have helped I don't know. The resort does not have a good selection of cough meds but they do have a nurse 24 hours. I managed to get medication at a pharmacy during the Juayua cascade tour. Best purchase I made. Customs form was a little confusing and I wish the airline magazine showed instructions since the English translation did not always make sense. The $10US entrance fee was covered by Nolitours. They were so many reps from Nolitours ready to help and greet us at the airport. Very efficient and smooth.

SIM cards: You can purchase a SIM card for $7US. Included is $5 worth of phone calls and calls to Canada cost 10 cents a minute! I think the hotel charged about $2 or $3 per minute to call Canada. The cell company is TIGO and they have a booth right at the exit so you can pick up your bags, go through customs then buy your sim card before going on the bus. They also have cell phones for $12. Only downside-took them 15 minutes to set up the sim card. Make sure your phone is unlocked before you leave.

Hygiene: The cleanest resort I have ever been to. I was worried from some of the reviews so I took Dukoral oral vaccine. You need to start exactly 2 weeks before you leave and it costs just under $80 and covered by most insurances. My boyfriend did not take anything and he was fine. They use purified water for everything-cooking, ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables. The only time where you should be careful is when you eat at the restaurants in the ecotours. For example, San Salvador volcano restaurant did not use clean water for their ice cubes. In this resort, all the food handlers have masks. Also, groundskeepers work constantly to keep the resort clean. People commented on the brown water in the toilet. I saw that a couple of times and it is because the tap water is highly mineralized from the volcanic soil.

Tour schedule: make sure you go to the Decameron explorer right after you check in to get the schedule on your first day. Some tours are only offered once a week. The office is right across from Lobby 1 (the lobby you enter when you first arrive). They will give you a map of the hotel. have it with you since the property is huge.

Juayua cascade: make sure you bring your swim suit and a towel in your backpack. lots of hiking. on our way we stopped at the Juayua town. This is also a stop for the culture and craft tour. The store where you stop for the bathroom sells the Santa Leticia gourmet coffee for $4. This is your only opportunity to buy this coffee unless you go to the coffee tour or culture anc creaft tour. This brand of coffee is an exclusive provider for Starbucks. The coffee is delicious. Make sure you check out the Cristo Negro church at this town. Bring money if you want to buy crafts.

San Salvador volvano and Coatapeque lake: Also includes a stop at the La Libertad fish market. Sells the best fish in El Salvador but expensive. Make sure you check out the ice cream parlor beside the supermarket for cheap treats! On the volcano, you can purchase raspberries.

Things to pack for: make sure you bring bug spray and running shoes for the ecotours. I didn't see any mosquitoes but better be safe. And bring gum for the bus because there is a change in altitude when driving due to the mountainous terrain. My ears were popping!

This resort lived up to all the reviews I read before going,Cannot say enough about it, evrything excellent, food, pools,check in, check out the best, even at the airport, maybe Toronto could take a few pointers. I would go back. My only issue is that it is very remote, i would like more access other than the excursions, we did, culture and crafts,( be sure to get your souvenirsand save money, zip line, volcano, all very good.

I visited the hotel three years ago, the service was excelent, the food was very good, a total good experience.
In February of this year my wife and I spent 2 days of our honey moon there, in contrast with last stay, the service was terrible, there are more people working there, but they seem so busy doing things other than helping people, the Bars are not as good and eficient as before, the food is not as good and fresh as it used to be.
I left my prescription glasses in the room, my wife and I called more than 20 times, nobody returned phone calls and nobody did anithing to find them.
I must recognize that the people working in the "honey Moon" package department were very nice and helpfull, they made the difference this time.
Unless there is improvement, I can not recomend the hotel anymore.

Milton Lacayo (California)

Our stay was from Mar 10 - 17 - Well actually, Mar 11th because our first day was stuck in the Montreal airport - another snowstorm! There were 11 in our group - 6 of us who flew out of Montreal and 5 out of Toronto. When we finally arrived (after 26 hours in the same clothes) our luggage went missing. My husband and I packed both our clothes in both bags in case something like this happened so we wouldn't be without some things. They give you your luggage tags at the airport - Check them and write down the number on your tag - turns out our luggage tags were for building 2 - we were in bldg 1. There was quite a mixup with the luggage - other guests also had their luggage missing for hours. Both of our bags were AWOL - they did finally turn up.
The rooms are clean, the beds are comfie, shower stalls fits 2 people. The grounds at the resort are georgeous and if you are a pool crawler - this is the place for you. They go on and on down the front of the hotels. The beach is pretty but with the tide going out you can only swim for a few hours a day - unless you use the salt water pool - which is slippery on the bottom.
Of 11 people 6 people had diahrea and stomach cramps for a day or more. Pack your Purel and use it. My husband and I used it faithfully and had no problems.
The buffet food is okay - the a la cartes are better. We liked the Thai best of all.
The weather was unbeatable. I agree with the previous reviewer, the excursions are too long. The culture and crafts tour stopped at 2 places that I thought were signficant. The mayan tour was much too long. El Salvador has not excavated most of their ruins so most of them are hills in the grass!
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at this resort and would recommend its for value,