El Pescador

Worth the effort to get to El Pescador! It has a very warm, friendly and casual atmosphere. The staff is terrific and responsive. Our lodge rooms had all of the comforts including good mattresses and an extra blanket. The food is terrific and served family style (buffet) for dinner with everyone in the resort dining at the same time. Dietary restrictions for one of us was easily addressed. Most people would gather at the bar before dinner to share stories of their excursions that day. The incredible reef made the fishing, snorkeling and scuba dining exceptional. We had a great time!

ANY ONE WITH FOOD ALLERGIES BEWARE!!! Beware that El Pescador is so accommodating they will set the standard high for any other place you will stay :) Food. Family style dinner, bagged lunch, order off the menu for breakfast or get burritos or breakfast tacos for the boat. Every meal was great. They were very accommodating for my wife who has gluten, soy, and dairy allergies/sensitivities. If whatever was being served was not naturally free of those they would make an allergy friendly version for her. This included desserts most nights. On the nights, they did not have an allergy friendly dessert she was offered a beautiful fruit tray. We had planned on leaving the premises for dinner one night to explore the local area. However, every night the dinner looked good and we decided to stay ha ha. Not having to worry about her allergies and the lodge being so conscientious about them guaranteed we will be back someday as this is usually a bit of an issue when we travel. Drinks. The package includes local beer and rum drinks. It would have been nice if there was an upgraded drink package available. Lodging. The rooms were comfortable, clean, with well working air conditioning. The shower had great hot water and water pressure. There were no TVs in the room however I believe those are available in the villas if you really need them. Staff. Wonderful, friendly, seemed outwardly happy to be there and never gave you a guilty vibe for asking for something. On arrival they were waiting for us at the airport. For departure they walked us from the dock to the airport and insisted on helping with our bags. Fishing. I will lead with this was our first saltwater fly fishing trip. Despite what people or travel agents like Yellow Dog might say the ability to cast well matters. Think 50+ feet in crosswind, accurate to a hula hoop, side arm, not slamming the line on the water. I would definitely recommend working on your casting if you’re not proficient already before you get down there. If my casting was a C or C- she was an F. This made her trip a little rougher than our typical trout type of trip. The head of the fishing program was gracious enough to work with her on her casting however there is only so much you can do and learn in the small amount of time you’re there. That said the guide we had the first two days was able to get us on fish that were less spooky and maybe closer by just because they were in cover. The guide we had for days 3 and 4 seemed to keep putting us in situations that were at the edge of my casting ability and well beyond hers which led to those days being particularly rough. Here is where my attention to detail might seem a bit nit-picky. The boats are all generally the same however, there were some nuances which would be nice if they were addressed, particularly rod storage. Guide 1 had rod storage tubes that secured the upper sections in the tube while the rear was secured behind the reel using the butt of the rod. This was obviously very stable and secure. Guide 2 had a more open storage setup using foam lined points that pinch the rod in place- think garage wall rod holders. The issues here were rod tips open to potential damage under transport. The system also secured rear of the rod a few inches in front of the handle- not the most secure place. This position resulted in the reel bouncing much more while we were underway putting acute pressure and flex on that point of the rod. Nothing was damaged and I’m sure 999 days out of 1000 nothing happens but I would hate for a rod to get damaged on that outlier day - especially considering the cost of todays rods.

From our arrival on San Pedro to our departure, everything was amazing! The staff(family)at El Pescador was friendly, professional and accommodating. We were traveling with a group of fly fishermen and women, even though we did not fish. They made sure we had everything we needed. We had a great time and highly recommend the El Pescador!

El Pescador was such a gem of an operation!! Staff were absolutely amazing and so helpful, remembered us by name and were so attentive to any needs we had! Fishing guides were great and really knew the fishery, super helpful and dialed in with the tides. Caught bonefish, permit and tarpon, Dayan especially was incredible! Room was clean every afternoon upon returning from fishing which was so kind! Will absolutely return!

This was my 3rd trip to El Pescador and as usual everything and everyone were wonderful. The fishing was great as were the food and accommodations. The staff are wonderful and feel like family.