Vacation Rentals by Owner

Idyllic beach

Guest: Mari (Guatemala)
Date of Stay: 12/14/11 Review Submitted: 12/23/11

The beach is wonderful, among the best I've seen in the area. No rocks, calm sea, hardy any people. It was great seeing the fishermen come in twice a day and witnessing the release of 100 baby turtles. The people are extremely helpful and friendly. The night guard was much appreciated. On the downside the location is far from any shop (be prepared!). Although the house is gorgeous, the kitchen cabinets were really dirty and need remodeling. We ran out of drinking water and toilet paper a few times and had to chase the cleaning lady...Don't be shy to ask anything you need, waiting till it happens by itself is not a good tactic. Absolutely loved it and hope to be back!! Highly recommended.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Casa Tortuga

Guest: BossSoundz (whidbey island, wa)
Date of Stay: 10/29/11 Review Submitted: 12/13/11

Casa Tortuga was the perfect base camp for a week of surfing in El Salvador. Surfing in front of the house was great and had it all to ourselves - and allthe world class El Salvador breaks are within 40 minutes of the house. Unbelievable long long right point breaks. The house staff/family took excellent care of us, cooked delicious local food and getting to know them was a great part of the whole experience. We even had the opportunity to release about 500 baby turtles on the beach. Epic trip made possible by Casa Tortuga! Ian Landry, Whidbey Island, Wa.

Owner response:Ian, We are glad you and your friends had such a great time - congratulations on being the first SUP (stand up paddle) boarders at the beach. Cheers Mark and Mike

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sea turtles laying eggs in front of the house

Guest: - Mark, Spokane, WA USA
Date of Stay: 08/20/11 Review Submitted: 12/20/11

We stayed at the Casa Tortuga the first week of August 2011. We were a large group with small and large children and everyone had a great time. In no particular order; •The access to the house is very easy. It sits about two minutes max off the main coastal highway. •The layout of the rooms is great. They sit in a row with a covered patio. Unlike many other houses, the air cons are newer mini-splits and very quiet. The beds were comfortable and there were a lot of them. •The pool is great. It has a very nice shallow end for little people (our 3 year old could walk around with his head above water), a nice deeper end that we could pay a little volleyball in, and most importantly a section shaded by the patio overhang with chairs where we lounged around for hours. •The patio area was great to have right next to the pool. The hammocks are great and a few people (after a few evening cocktails) ended up sleeping in them all night. •It was nice to have two fridges to hold all our food and ice •We are not surfers unfortunately, but we did spend time walking up and down the beach in both directions to collect shells and enjoy the surf. •The first week of August is a big holiday in El Salvador so many beaches are overflowing. We enjoyed having some people around (kids to play with and people to talk to) but in reality there were not many people. •A big highlight was seeing a sea turtle laying her eggs right in front of the house. It is early in season so we felt very lucky. Seeing a giant turtle is just plain cool. •I lived in El Salvador for a couple of years so had already seen the sights, but the house is perfectly situated for a day trip to the “Ruta de Las Flores” to see the small towns of Nauhizalco, Juayua, Apaneca, and Ataco. •Overall, we had a great time and appreciated the service provided at the house and the flexibility of the owner and staff to make our trip a memorable one.

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The most relaxing family vacation I've ever taken

Guest: Homish (Milwaukee, WI)
Date of Stay: 04/15/11 Review Submitted: 12/14/11

We stayed for 10 days at the wonderful Casa Tortuga in April, 2011. A wonderful time was had by all. What a peaceful, beautiful way to spend a vacation. The caretakers of the property were truly wonderful and extremely helpful. An update on the language front - Pati has been taking English classes and is getting quite good. As of our stay, we learned that Anna will also start taking English classes as well. At the start of our stay we went to the big grocery store to stock up on food and had Anna and/or Pati do most of the cooking, which was amazing. My suggestion would be to ask Pati to go along on the grocery run to help pick out stuff and do some meal planning as they are more familiar with the local produce and such. And don't forget to pick up some fresh fish from the fish mongers down the street! After that plan on spending a lot of time in and around the pool and dozing on the hammocks. When we were there the waves were perfect for boogie boarding right out the gate from the property. All in all I have to say, this was the most relaxing family vacation I've ever taken.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Relaxing home base for surfing and exploring

Guest: Damon
Date of Stay: 06/16/10 Review Submitted: 12/20/11

< re-submitted by owner due to a funky glitch on the original submission> I stayed at Casa Tortuga with a group of five friends and had an absolutely fantastic time. The place is beautiful and a great spot to relax at when you're not surfing or exploring the country. Lazaro, Ana, Patti & Myra are excellent caretakers and cooks, as well as very warm and friendly people. I would definitely stay there in the future. -Damon (damonfranz@gmail.com)

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Guest: Carlos Funk (San Marcos L.L., Solola Guatemala)
Date of Stay: 12/15/09 Review Submitted: 12/15/09

Hey Folks, This is a great place to get away and enjoy the beach. The beach there is clean, great, and accessible....by which I mean swimable. The folks around are your basic poor El Salvadoreans but are helpful and very friendly. The house, pool, and yard are nice and well maintained. The beds are good and so are the remote control air conditioning units. I would recommend bringing a lot of food with you if you plan to cook. The nearest grocery type place is a ways away. The owners are strait forward and helpful and a pleasure to deal with. If you want to spend some time on a nice beach and enjoy time with family or friends, this is the place to do it. I would say that it's hard to beat.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 08/25/09 Review Submitted: 08/25/09

I can not find enough words of gratitude to express the joy that this trip brought to so many of my relatives. But the real quality time came from the time we arrived at your most beautiful place. It's a magical place to unwind and reflect on life. The online pictures you have about this place match perfectly for what it is. Pattie, Anna, and Lazzaro were very nice to all of us and on behalf of my family, thank you very very much. Looking forward to the next trip down there. F. Meza

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Guest: Veronica Marquez (Mexico City)
Date of Stay: 08/12/09 Review Submitted: 08/12/09

We stayed for 9 glorious days, no tv, no phones, no internet. We lounged around, swan and ate "mariscos" all day long. We have 3 kids and they also had a great time relaxing. Thanks Casa Tortuga!

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Guest: Dennis & Sharon (Santa Rosa, CA, USA)
Date of Stay: 02/21/09 Review Submitted: 02/21/09

"Casa Tortuga," and all the people we met there made our first El Salvador trip very mellow and easy. It was hard to leave the good cooking of Anna and Patty and the overwhelming relaxing of hammock-surfing in the afternoons and the real thing at dawn in the warm waves, but we did take some very interesting side trips. The most exciting was the zip-line tour at Acajutla Canopy. It's an easy drive, and you'll see what it's like to be a bird, flying above and through the trees and mountain coffee plantations! "El Impossible" park is also large, beautiful and unspoiled nature, with many hiking options. Closer to home, see if Lazaro will take you up the hill to show you his farm. And if you are a bird-watcher, a short walk West on the beach will bring you to a little estuary that enters the sea. This spot is great mornings and evenings for many bird sightings. Enjoy your stay - we were entranced!

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Guest: J. Honan (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 08/15/08 Review Submitted: 08/15/08

We have traveled to many tropical places and Casa Tortuga was one of the best experiences we have ever had. The relaxed atmosphere, reading in a hammock by the beach/pool, dinners under the cabana,....we loved it! A big part of our experience was Lazaro, Ana Rosa, Myira (sp)...we loved them all. We will be back soon; truely a special place. jh

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Guest: Sonia Cama;cho (Santa Clarita, CA)
Date of Stay: 07/25/08 Review Submitted: 07/25/08

What can I say, just perfect!!! If you want to relax and enjoy the best of El Salvador and still feel like you have the comforts of home, stay at Casa Tortuga. The property is beautiful, secluded and we felt very safe. My family and I stayed there from June 27, 2008 to July 3, 2008. The grounds are clean and colorful with flowers and trees. I personally loved just relaxing in the hammocks and enjoying the ocean breeze. The rooms are comfortable and have great a/c if you need it. The pool was great with bar stools inside which we really liked and the beach is right there! We really liked the black sand on the beach and the fact that there were no rocks. Anna Rosa and Lazaro the care takers are very helpful and Anna Rosa is a great cook!! We would definitely return again and would recommend it to our friends and family.

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Guest: Jonelle Simons (Park City, UT)
Date of Stay: 07/14/08 Review Submitted: 07/14/08

Casa Tortuga is awesome - our stay (6/22/08 to 6/26/08) was incredible, and the on-site caretakers, Ana, Lazzaro and their daughter Miera were great! This was one of our best trips ever, and I hope to return to Casa Tortuga again in the future!

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Guest: Wenche F (Seattle, WA)
Date of Stay: 06/30/08 Review Submitted: 06/30/08

I absolutely loved the place and I especially miss little Mayra, please tell her hello from me! I can’t wait to go back again, I feel like I left a little piece of my heart there.

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Guest: Wenche (Seattle, WA )
Date of Stay: 06/20/08 Review Submitted: 06/20/08

I absolutely loved the place and I especially miss little Mayra, please tell her hello from me! I can’t wait to go back again, I feel like I left a little piece of my heart there. Make sure people understand that Lazarro and Anna don’t speak any English. If you know a little Spanish you will get along just fine.

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Guest: Paul Murphy1 (Santa Monica, CA)
Date of Stay: 06/09/08 Review Submitted: 06/09/08

This is it! El Paraiso Tranqilo where everything moves a little slower. Surf in the morning, nap in the shaded hammocks, take a dip in the pool then stroll the beach at sunset. Just be careful, you may not want to leave Casa Tortuga.

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Guest: Jon Dudkowski (Santa Monica, CA)
Date of Stay: 06/05/08 Review Submitted: 06/05/08

Casa Tortuga was a surfers dream. We spent 10 days there, and it was everything El Salvador is supposed to be: consistent waves, great people, mellow vibes, and amazing food. The break in front of the Casa was usually mellow with a few great days. Its a good warm up or warm down. With the help of a super cheap rented truck we were able to surf almost a dozen point breaks along the coast. The roads are good, the waves are VERY good, and the lodging was the best. I would say more about the house, but frankly you have to check it out to understand what a great place it is. I will be back.

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Guest: Jeff Soriano (North Carolina)
Date of Stay: 06/03/08 Review Submitted: 06/03/08

We had a wonderful time at Casa Tortuga. The casa is spacious - enough room for a bunch of couples or a family reunion to spread out. Anna is a great cook - she prepared a few meals of fresh fish, chicken, and the very common Salvadoran tortillas and beans. Every bit of it delicious! Lazarro is extremely helpful - just be prepared to speak spanish! We had the beach to ourselves - nobody for miles - and all sand and no rocks. Boogie boards and surfboards were great. And, if you can pull yourself away from the beach for a day or two, go up to Juayua and check out the waterfalls... sublime! Thanks Casa Tortuga - we will be back next year.

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Guest: Mike C. (ketchum, ID )
Date of Stay: 06/01/08 Review Submitted: 06/01/08

Casa Tortuga is an outstanding property located on one of the most pristine beaches in the World. The Casa has big rooms, amazing grounds, and so much to do. The pool is great, the outdoor patio's are wonderful for gathering groups or just kicking in in a hammock. Back to the beach, perfect sand with no rocks, great waves (not huge but fun for any level) and the people in the neighborhood love visitors. Casa Tortuga is a can't miss home for large or small groups. Our visit was May 2008!

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