About 40km beyond Coatepeque is the largest town in the region, RETALHULEU , usually referred to as Reu , pronounced "Ray-oo". Set away from the highway and surrounded by the walled homes of the wealthy, Retalhuleu has managed to avoid the worst excesses of the coast and has a relaxed, easy-going air. It was founded by the Spanish in the early years of the Conquest and remains something of an oasis of civilization, with a plaza of towering Greek columns and an attractive colonial church. If you have time to kill, pop into the local Museo de Arqueología y Etnología in the plaza (Tues-Sun 8am-1pm & 2-5pm; US$0.20), home to an amazing collection of anthropomorphic figurines, mostly heads, and some photographs of the town dating back to the 1880s.

Budget accommodation is in short supply in Retalhuleu. The best is at the Hotel Hillman (US$5-10), 7 Av 7-99, where most rooms have a private bath. Elsewhere, rates go up steeply: the Hotel Modelo (tel 771 0256; US$10-15), 5 C 4-53, has decent basic but clean rooms with private bath, while over the road the good-value Hotel Astor , 5 C 4-60 (tel 771 0475, hotelastor@infovia.com.gt ; US$15-25), has rooms with fan, TV and bath, set around a pleasant courtyard. If you want a bit more luxury, try the modern Hotel Posada de Don José , 5 C 3-67 (tel 771 0180, www.don-jose.com ; US$15-25), which has good a/c rooms, a reasonable restaurant and a pool.

The plaza is the hub of the town's activity. Here you'll find the post office (Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm) and three banks , including the Banco del Agro and, close by, the Banco Industrial with a 24-hour Visa ATM; the Telgua office (daily 7am-10pm) is just around the corner. The best restaurants are also on the plaza: try the Cafetería la Luna or, for cakes and pastries, El Volován .

Buses running along the coastal highway almost always pull in at the Retalhuleu terminal on 7 Av and 10 C, a ten-minute walk from the plaza. There's an hourly service to and from Guatemala City, the Mexican border and Quetzaltenango, plus regular buses to Champerico and El Tulate. Inter airlines fly daily to and from the capital (35min; US$40 one way), using the airstrip about 10km southwest of the town centre on the Champerico road to the coast. Retalhuleu has the only Mexican consulate on the Pacific coast, at 5 C and 3 Av (Mon-Fri 4-6pm).