Centro Arte para La Paz | Informal Campsite

February 16th, 2024 by Jimmytravelsaround

just wanted to mark this place as open. however, we slept in the street just outside, next to the wall.

July 13th, 2023 by desfenetressurlemonde

Good place to stay, toilets, shower. You need to ask to the director (not administrator), an old and very nice lady (speak English too). She asked copy of our passeports.

June 11th, 2023 by Nomad N Rad

This place is now open. Construction is finished and they are now accepting guests. Guests must check in with the administrators of the property and ask permission before staying. A donation of $5 or more is also required.

June 8th, 2023 by Nomad N Rad

This place is open again. Admin… please mark this as open as construction is finished.
We had a lovely and very inexpensive lunch here and just asked if it was possible to spend the night in our Transit van. We had to ask permission from the administrator but she said yes we could stay if we made a donation. She asked for $5 for the two of us. We will also be eating breakfast here in the morning and we visited the museum as well. ( Spanish only)
The cold shower was left open for us and bathrooms open all night too. We could access the wifi even after the restaurant was closed just by sitting in the outdoor seating area. They have very bright lights in the parking lot but we have good window shades.
The night guard let us in after we came back from dinner around 8:30.
Great spot! Please come and support them.

February 26th, 2023 by Overlandsite

The place is now CLOSED due to construction work.

January 28th, 2023 by mrandmrstravel.nl

We weren’t able to sleep here because they were busy with construction of the parking lot. But it looks like a really nice place to stay.

August 22nd, 2022 by iguana.panamericana

Can't agree more with the positive reviews below. It's well worth the $8pp if you know that you're also contributing to a good cause. Sister Peggy and her staff do such good work. Take your time to talk with the people here and you'll hear some great stories, about the renovated church, the arts classes, the (violent) history and the positive energy they are spreading.

May 18th, 2022 by hourlesslife.com

Glad we could camp here. It’s a great base for walking Suchitoto. We parked on the grass next to the pergola-vine-thing. Bathrooms were open all the time. There’s a private bathroom/shower inside the hostel that we had access to. It’s clean with good pressure cold water that felt great. There’s a nice concrete tub for dishes and laundry that the hostel staff uses. They were all so friendly to five-year-old Caspian who is in a fun experimentation phase with his Spanish. Good WiFi at the cafe. We heard good things about the cafe, but didn’t eat there. About six minute walk to the city square. Recommend Cafe 1800 for dinner/drinks and a beautiful view of the lake.

March 20th, 2022 by Francine the Travel Machine

So happy to have spent a night here in a perfectly level spot for our truck camper. Sister Peggy and Eduardo were very kind and helpful. Used cafe wifi to research our border crossings to Honduras and Nicaragua. Great location for walking in town. Amazing cold shower available to use. Purchased a few items from the cafe store. Highly recommend. We were charged $8 but gave more as it's an excellent cause and beautiful grounds. We had hoped to get a PCR test here for entering Nicaragua, but it's only available in San Salvador so we're heading there.

February 26th, 2022 by Dori & Mena

All the proceeds are for the education of the children in this community. A worthy cause for what amounts to just a few dollars for us. Not ideal for anything more than one night since there is no shade and the common areas are not always accessible to the van travellers. Although it was a good spot to explore Suchitoto, we always felt like we were in the way. Their main focus is the restaurant/cafe and hostel.

November 18th, 2021 by cswendel

Everything is still like deacribed in the first comment, a ver relaxing and enjoyable place to stay. Peggy is an unbelievable nice and interesting lady, you can learn a lot of her. We stayed 4 nights and payd the 8 $ although a donation would have been also accepted, we felt it's a matter of respect and appreciation to accept their prices and will not make us poor. The village is really pretty, not overcrowded and good restaurants. Tank you so much Peggy, we are glad to have visited you, a warm hug!

October 21st, 2021 by asobolife.com

Price is now “donation based”. Perhaps hey changed their policy after seeing how enraged the last reviewer was?

This place is super lovely. Yes, it’s technically just a parking lot. But it’s a beautiful space. It’s a catholic-run center aimed at helping the local youth. Run by catholic sisters.

Very clean bathrooms, cold showers, and the nicest people around. $2.50 breakfast is well worth it.

6m x 3.2m and we fit snuggly. Wouldn’t try to enter on anything much larger.

August 8th, 2021 by travel.paw

Price is insane! $8 pp.
They think, tourists must be really stupid to pay this price to just sleep in a PARKING LOT, not even a proper campground.

Well, but if we are not willing to pay (kind of) everything they want, they will need to lower the price again to a 'normal' one. Otherwise they will not have ANY easy earned money at all.

Who do they take us for?!

February 1st, 2020 by jucamadison

Now is $8 per person. We also had to sign in, then check in, then pay with 3 different people/ offices. When we realized the price was per person we left- didn’t feel like waiting for a 4th person to ask for a better price for a longer stay.

January 31st, 2020 by roadbear.ch

Amazing place to stay in Suchitoto! They now ask for 8 USD p.P. for the night, which is quite a lot. But you get clean toilets and a nice shower in the hostel to use, there is very good wifi and a nice surrounding. The breakfast was amazing for 2.50 USD per plate. They close the gates at 5pm. If you return later than that let someone know. There's a bell you can ring at the gate.

January 29th, 2020 by andrew.couch01

As described, safe and secure. Peggy, and everyone at Centro Arte is very kind. The price is now $7pp, a little steep, but the money goes to the center, which is a great cause. We had access to the very clean bathrooms day and night, and we could use the shower (cold, but it's hot here, so no need for hot water) in the hostel area anytime we liked as well. The food at the cafe is good and a visit to the museum is quite interesting as well. The "guard" dog Barack is a sweetheart, they let him out from 10p-6a, he was very nice to our dog. Peggy's dog (doesn't live on site, but visits during the day) barks a lot, but didn't give us a problem. We stayed two nights, happy we did.

July 19th, 2019 by Reb.korz

Great place! Everything noted below is accurate but here’s some things which were missed.

-$2.5 breakfast is small but good enough
-they have laundry service for a high price but we found out afterwards you can hand wash you clothing here and use their specified drying line.

——-DOG NEWS——
-the on site guard dog (Barrack) is super sweet and great with all dogs and people.
-Peggy recently got a small dog (9 months old when we visited), it’s an @$$. It bit a child and my dog, my dog (40 or so pounds heavier) just looked at it and left. Nonetheless I thought it important people be informed.

June 4th, 2019 by piperflies

Amazing place to spend the night and learn all about the Center for art and peace! Peggy is a gracious host and the museum café is excellent and super affordable! Breakfast is now $2.50 and lunch is $3.50. Stay here and learn more about this amazing part of the country and its history!

June 1st, 2019 by bradyanddanica

We loved it here. Two blocks away from the center of town. Lovely staff and good amenities (toilet, shower, and WiFi). We left $5USD per person donation. Gated at night and felt very safe here. We were warned that first thing Saturday morning we'd hear music class & other activities going on at the center. We decided to have breakfast here as well for $2.50USD per person and it was delicious. Highly recommended!

April 25th, 2019 by maya.quest

Really nice and safe! $5 per person to stay in parking lot and use bathroom and shower. Clean bathrooms, cold shower. They have potable water. You can cook, only on the asphalt. Gate is closed at night and guard dog is let out at 10pm. There’s a little cafe with WiFi. Sr. Peggy is really nice and so is the cute old Salvadoran couple who live in one of the apartments.

March 24th, 2019 by dgrolfe

Talked to receptionist, asked her if it was okay to stay overnight, she said no problem...it's $5 per person. Did not mention it was a donation...just $5. Well worth it as it was a weekend and too busy in the center to park, and the area around the police station is currently under construction....so no places to park. This was very quiet and safe and we had a restful night's sleep with no worries. Well worth it!

February 14th, 2019 by Einmalrundum

Lovely parking infront of a old monastery/chuch (i guess) which is now an art gallery / museum / hostal / little cafe.
Sister Peggy (she speaks english if that’s helpful) is SUPER kind, helpful and chatty. They’re doing a great thing for the little village of Suchitoto. Stayed two nights, had chairs and table out in the shade of the pavilion. Good wifi from the Cafe Museo.
Shower (cold, good pressure) and clean toilets from the hostal.
They as for a donation of $5 pppn

October 30th, 2018 by HahnSolo

EXCELLENT facility with nice bathrooms and sitting areas. Nice staff. Now officially asking $5/pp camping or $13 dorm instead of donation. Wifi is fast.

June 22nd, 2018 by Tucks' Truck

Loved this site and this town. We stayed 3 days. The arrival arrangement here is not quite as informal as indicated by Slow Car Fast House. We had to register with the manager who took our passport details then called Sister Peggy for permission to let us stay. When Sister Peggy came next day, she made us feel very welcome. Give a donation of whatever you can afford - it all goes to a great cause. Laundry facilities are sometimes available - ask Sister Peggy.

June 2nd, 2018 by creciendoenelcamino

pasamos dos noches muy tranquilas, nos prestaron las duchas de una de las cabañas. La gente muy amable y el pueblo sumamente lindo y colonial.
We spent two very quiet nights, they lent us the showers of one of the cabins. The people very friendly and the people extremely nice and colonial.

May 12th, 2018 by offroad-travelers.com

Great place to camp, close to the center, quiet at night. Lovely people, we could borrow a ladder to check our roof. Delicious breakfast at the cafe for only 2,-

April 27th, 2018 by albatros-on-tour.de

A quiet place run by charming Peggy.

Decent breakfast (5 options to choose from) for $ 2 each (incl. coffee).
Lunch (2 options? per day) for $ 3 (we didn't have one, only saw the menue).

Rest as already described.

April 1st, 2018 by LivingOffKilter

We didn't stay in the parking lot but outside on the street for 4 nights. It was Easter weekend and the centre was closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Had no issues street camping in this beautiful little town. Definitely not worth the walk down to the lake where they charge to enter, even on foot.

March 12th, 2018 by carole.vallon

Nous avons passé une semaine à Suchitoto. Bivouac parfait et village très agréable. Pensez à faire un don à l'organisme de soeur Peggy qui nous accueille avec générosité. Les ateliers pour les enfants du village sont très suivis.

March 8th, 2018 by martinrocha

Nice place to stay while visiting town. WiFi is good. bathrooms are clean. museum just ok. Please donate while there.

February 20th, 2018 by planr.org

Perfect location for this little town. Use of showers and toilets against a donation. Friendly people and easy going town. During the night it was quiet. In the morning you can hear the kids in the school next door.

January 25th, 2018 by nomadesxamerica

Very nice place to stay in Suchitoto just 3 minutes walking from the centre. Big parking lot (we are in a 24’ ft), wifi, bathroom and electricity, and the best thing is that is for free. Its also very safe. We gave a tip next day for welcoming us.

January 12th, 2018 by It's not a slow car, it's a fast house

Free overnight parking with locked gates. Cheap museum with great movie about civil war. Reasonable cafe/restaurant with wifi and trinkets for sale. Clean bathrooms (ask to have them left open overnight) Showers possible. Full service hostel on site with reasonable room rates.
This is a great little program run by Sister Peggy. Any support you can give will help the local children. There may even be yoga, art, music classes going on to help with. Location is perfect for a walk to town. Easy access with up to 9 ft wide, no height issues. Tents, bikes, motos are all fine.
Just pull in and park. No approval needed. But if you find Peggy you will get a warm hug and a smile.