Prices in San Bartolo double on weekend nights, so if you are planning a budget trip, make sure to visit during weekdays. Prices listed are for weekdays.

On the bluff above town, Playa Mar Hostal (San Bartolo 211, tel. 01/430-7247, US$18 s or d) is a surfer’s hangout with brick walls, bamboo ceilings, tile floors, and private bathrooms.

Another good option, and much cleaner than a few other hostels nearby, is Hostal La Marina (San Martín 351, tel. 01/430-7601, US$15 s or d). About half the 20 rooms have ocean views; it also offers cable TV, restaurant, and all-you-can-drink potable water.

For what it is, Hostal 800 (Malecón 800, tel. 01/430-7514, US$25 d, cheaper by the week) is a great value. This hotel, like the others on the beach, is built up onto the hillside, so all the rooms have great ocean views. But these apartments are huge and luxurious, each with a private porch and commodious bedroom. An extra US$5 buys you a separate kitchen with fridge and microwave. There are also slightly cheaper rooms without terraces for US$15 a night.

The owners of Hostal 800 also have Hostal 110 (Malecón 110, tel. 01/430-7559, US$30 d, cheaper by the week) on the south end of the beach, a similar setup with even larger two-bedroom apartments.

Great service and plush surroundings can be found at Sol y Mar (Malecón 930, tel. 01/892-1999, US$27 s, US$42 d), with white leather couches, huge tiled rooms, great bathrooms, cable TV, fridges, full kitchens in a few rooms, and terraces with great ocean-view rooms.

The other nice place on Playa Norte is La Posada del Mirador (Malecón 105, tel. 01/430-7822, www.posadadelmirador.com, US$20 s, US$25 d with breakfast), with furnished apartments.

Peruvian surfing champion Makki Block rents surfboards and offers lessons from his Kahunas Hostal (tel. 01/430-7407, US$20 s, US$35 d with breakfast). The hostel is perched on a bluff at the north end of Playa Norte and overlooks the Peñascal surfing break. Perks include a secluded terrace, pool, hydromassage, and TVs in all the rooms, which are decorated with surf decor.