San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

Next on my list of must see destinations in Nicaragua is San Juan del Sur.

This town of approximately 20,000 residents in located along the southwest Pacific coast of Nicaragua just north of the Costa Rica border. The center piece of the former fishing village is its beautiful horseshoe bay filled with small yachts, sail boats, fishing boats and the occasional cruise ship. The white sand beach makes a half circle around the town and is great for leisurely walks, exercising or a quick dip in the water.

One of the major attractions of San Juan del Sur is the easy access it provides to many of Nicaragua’s finest beaches and surfing destinations. Nearby are such popular beaches as Playa Madera, Remanso, Popoyo, Gigante and many more. There is occasional surf in town near the river mouth on the north side of the bay, but it is rarely anything to write home about. The surf in the region of the country is helped by nearly year round off shore winds as a result of the weather patterns caused by Lake Nicaragua.

I found San Juan del Sur to be the perfect blend of relaxation and civilization. Prior to my time in San Juan del Sur I had spent a month in Playa Negra in Costa Rica, and while the surfing and the scenery in Playa Negra was amazing, I actually missed the idea of being able to walk to a variety of restaurants, bars, stores, etc. San Juan is not too big yet it is not too small. Some of my town favorites included delicious dinners at El Colibri, sitting at almost any of the beachfront palapa bars sipping strawberry daiquiris while watching the sunset or enjoying a football game at Big Wave Dave’s.

San Juan del Sur also has a great variety of places to stay. Your options range from such upscale accommodations as the Piedras y Olas Pelican Eyes, Morgan’s Rock and Park Avenue Villas to budget hostels such as the Costa Azul or Casa Oro. Another nice option is La Posada Azul near the beach in town.

For me, San Juan del Sur offered the perfect location to venture off and visit as much of Nicaragua and Costa Rica as possible. It is a mere half hour to 40 minutes from the Costa Rica border and Costa Rica’s northern peninsulas are visible from parts of town. When I return to Nicaragua I will once again make San Juan del Sur my home base.