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The section of coast west of Playa El Zonte on the way to Guatemala contains a number of good beaches, best reached by car. The hub of the region is the small, hot city of SONSONATE , another place severely hit by the 2001 earthquake. Set in tobacco and cattle-ranching country, Sonsonate is a bustling, commercial place, and though it's not on the coast itself, you'll invariably pass through it at some point. There's little of tourist interest here, except during festival time - chiefly the annual Verbena de Sonsonate , held at the end of January, when there's a host of music and drama performances, and the more colourful Semana Santa , when crowds flock to join the street processions and intricate pictures are drawn in coloured sawdust on the pavements. Sonsonate is also the transport hub for connections to the western beaches and the mountain towns of Juayua and Apeneca. Buses arrive at the main terminal on C 15 de Septiembre, seven blocks east of the centre and fifteen minutes' walk from the Parque Central. Of the limited accommodation in the centre, the Hotel Orbe (tel 451 1416; US$5-10) on Av Fray Mucci Sur and 4a C Ote, two blocks east of the Parque, has reasonably clean rooms with private bath. Hotel Modelo (tel 451 1679; US$10-15), on the corner of C Obispo Marroquin and 10a Av Sur (on the main street between the bus terminal and Parque), has nice clean rooms with TV, a/c and bath - it's noisy by day but quiet at night. The best option is the comfortable Hotel Agape (tel 451 1456; US$15-25), set in beautiful gardens on the outskirts of town, 2km along the road to San Salvador - take bus #53A or #53J from the crossroads by the bus terminal. There are a number of restaurants along this road, while in the centre a row of comedores overlooks the river by the attractive white bridge, on 4a Av Nte.
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