San Juan del Sur.
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Overview

San Juan del Sur is a popular beach and party town on the Pacific coast of southwestern Nicaragua. It's a great base for surfers to explore waves at surrounding beaches.

Understand

History In the 1840s this sleeping fishing village entered the international stage as a key stop on the Ruta del Tránsito, which brought Americans from the East Coast to California during the gold rush and later. To avoid the long overland journey, Cornelius Vanderbilt organized a faster and more comfortable trip that began on an ocean liner from New York City to San Juan del Norte, followed by a river cruise up the Rio San Juan and over Lake Nicaragua to San Jorge. From there, there was only a short 30 kilometer horse carriage ride to San Juan del Sur, where they boarded another ocean liner to San Francisco.

Etymology Surprisingly, San Juan del Sur (southern San Juan) lies further north than San Juan del Norte (northern San Juan), its sister town on the Caribbean coast. The explanation is that San Juan del Sur lies on the Pacific Ocean, which the early Spanish explorers called Mar del Sur (South Sea). To confuse things further, the Nicaraguan town of San Juan de Oriente (eastern San Juan) lies further west than both San Juan del Sur and San Juan del Norte.

Get in

By plane The most convenient international airport is in Managua , a 3-hour drive north of San Juan del Sur. An alternative is to fly into Liberia , a 2 1/2 hour drive south in Costa Rica, crossing the border at Peñas Blancas.

From Managua, Granada and Costa Rica, first take a bus to Rivas, and then another bus to San Juan del Sur.

However, that means the driver might try to fill up the taxi before leaving. Taxi drivers are honest as to whether it is a colectivo or not. The easiest place to find taxis in Rivas is at the bus terminal.

By boat San Juan del Sur is a stopping point for many cruise ships. It is the only cruise port in Nicaragua except for Corinto further north along the Pacific coast.

Get around

Walk The town is small and you can comfortably walk everywhere, reaching all restaurants and hotels. No matter where you are in town, the beach is at most 500 meters away.

Taxi There are also constant offers of "Taxi, Sir?". There are a number of beaches north and south of town. Shuttles or pangas can also be arranged through surf shops.

Car Traffic is pretty reasonable within the city center itself. The main road into town is usually clear but does sometimes back up, usually when all the beach goers and residents return home for the day.

Vehicle Rentals To explore the surroundings, you can rent an all terrain vehicle (ATV), which comes in handy on the small dirt roads that are frequently in bad condition.

Motorcycle Motorcycle are popular in Nicaragua, and if you're thinking about making San Juan Del Sur your home base for exploring the surrounding area, a motorcycle can be a great choice. Motorcycles also mean you can arrive at and depart from any of the nearby beaches whenever you want without having to time your day around the group shuttles. Note that while the roads in the town itself are decent, and the major north/south highway you'll take to most nearby beaches is great, a lot of the side roads are not. Some of the beaches can be a bit harrowing to get to with flooded out dirt roads, extremely steep terrain, and interactions with fully loaded beach shuttles. These are all doable even for those who have never ridden a motorcycle (manual transmission or otherwise) before, though not without some risk. Also no need to get a surfboard mount, just rent surfboards at the beaches. Many of those roads would be nightmarish with a surfboard strapped to your bike.

See

There are many brightly colored houses which land on every tourist's camera but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to San Juan del Sur's beauty. The waterfront is a joy and small boats bob at anchor in the harbor as pelicans swoop down to perch on their bows. The walk up to the cross overlooking the harbor is an arduous 20-minute trek, but the vistas of the harbor are spectacular. A zip-line canopy tour can get you up into the treetops, and spider monkeys and other natural life abound in the region. There are dozens of spectacular remote beaches both north and south of downtown where pounding surf and dramatic rock formations await the intrepid shutterbug.

Do

Hang out, talk, drink, eat. It is very laid-back here.

Swimming San Juan del Sur has a wonderful beach for swimming. There are also several less crowded beaches close by.

Sign up at the stand in front of Hotel Estrella. It leaves about 10AM and returns at 4PM. The boat ride is about half an hour. The drive can be difficult, and you may encounter hills where your cab driver will ask you to get out and walk up the hill. In addition to the beaches to the north of San Jan del Sur, there are some great beaches to the south (including Playa del Coco), which are less accessible but afford more privacy.

Surfing Move a bit and you will find beautiful beaches with excellent waves to surf. Some of the nearby beaches are only accessible by water taxi. Your surf-rental-shop or hotel should be able to point you in the right direction or arrange things for you.

Chicabrava Surf Camp. Elite surf camp for adventurous women who appreciate comfort and a challenge. Daily surf lessons, board rentals, and a variety of surf/travel packages, which include surfing world class waves, spectacular accommodations, authentic local cuisine, yoga, soothing massage, and a variety of exciting activities in a safe environment.

SanJuanSurf. Beach Road (in the NicaLifeRealty building). This is a shop for surf gear and apparel - The SanJuanSurf T-shirts and caps have become a popular souvenir.

Bicycling Rent bicycles and explore the smaller beaches to the south and north.

Hiking There is a light house that no longer resembles a light house. But the point is not the destination, rather the journey. The view of the coast and the bay of San Jan de Sur is amazing. To get there, pass through the small port entrance, find the overseer of the property where the light house is and convince him you won't take pictures of anything. If he lets you pass, keep your promise.

Beach Front Rentals. Offers ATV guided tours through the mountains and to the beaches. If you'd rather go by sea try their 2008 3-seater waverunners. If you have kids, pull them along on their tubes.

Bodhin Adventure Services. A local group that provides Wellness Inspired Adventures, "Green" Yoga Retreats/ Yoga Teacher Trainings, and Aquatic Getaways such as SCUBA diving, snorkeling and surfing on the best surfing beaches to kayaking or kite surfing on one of the largest fresh-water lakes in Central America. They serve as a local concierge and also offer budget-sensitive itineraries as well. Bodhin also produces the largest mountain bike race in the region, called 'the Howler' www.sanjuanhowler.com with 100% of the proceeds going directly to local charities.

Rancho Chilamate Horseback Adventures. A private, solar powered ranch with happy, healthy horses and good tack, includes English guide and a photo shoot of your ride and a contribution to the local community fund is included. They specialize in guided horseback tours through rural Nicaragua to the spectacular nearby beaches.

Surf Ranch Paintball. One acre jungle paintball course, gear rental, snack shop at the Surf Ranch Action Sports Resort. Drop in or join weekly paintball competitions to win cash prizes.

Airbag Freestyle Drop. Nicaragua's only tower drop to giant inflatable air bag for jumping, flipping and skateboarding into. 12ft and 20ft drops. Mini mega launch ramp for skateboards, bikes, snowboards and skis (artificial snow)...coming soon.

Spa del Sur. Full service day spa offering world-class massage therapy, manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing, body scrubs and more.

Zen Yoga Nicaragua. San Juan del Sur's first yoga studio, with a view of the church and town from above on the second level. Zen offers multiple classes daily with highly trained instructors. Drop in classes include a cup of tea and use of a yoga mat. Class packages are available and can be shared among groups. Inquire about private and small group sessions. Also offers Thai, Swedish, deep tissue and Reiki massage by certified massage therapists.

Learn

Learn Spanish in the local Spanish schools in town, Spanish Ya and Nica Spanish. All of them with very competitive prices and good experience in organizing the Spanish programs.

San Juan del Sur Biblioteca Movil. The first lending library in Nicaragua, providing books, information, technology, and community center services to the people of San Juan del Sur and its surrounding communities. Books are available in both Spanish and English. Spend time volunteering in the library or with the mobile book van; check at the library for activities.

Buy

This is a small town. There are increasingly more and more shops in this small tourist town, and a market area that is aimed both at locals and at tourists with increasingly "American" prices. There's an English bookstore with a café in it, wide range of all kinds of different books, just ask your way around, it's not hard to find. T-shirts of varying quality saying something along the lines of Surfing San Juan del Sur are sold at many touristy places.

Eat

There are a string of open air cafe/restaurants along the waterfront. They serve excellent fresh seafood. You get local breakfast offers in the market where there's a few little Sodas in a row.

Pelican Eyes Piedras Y Olas Resort. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner features signature dishes using only the freshest local ingredients. Enjoy fish and seafood fresh from the sea, locally grown garden vegetables, freshly-baked bread, and delicious local and imported meats, handcrafted pastries and desserts. A poolside menu for snacks and light lunches is offered.

Chabad Nicaragua. Jewish food, from a rabbi's family that emigrated from Europe.

La Veranera Pizza. This new pizza pick-up and delivery is the place to go when you are longing for a tasty Pizza that minimum feeds 2 people. As it is part of a guesthouse ask for Luise when knocking on the door.

The Beach House Nicaragua. Quintessential beach restaurant, with sushi, lobster, happy hours, and sunsets.

Drink

You are in Nicaragua, so drink Flor De Caña if you like rum. Drink Victoria or Toña if you prefer cervezas bien frias.

Iguana Bar. Happy hours, parties, music, ocean sunsets, food including breakfast.

Bar y Restaurante Brisas Marinas. Drinks and fine ocean views.

Simon Says. Subdued, relaxed environment.

Sleep

If you want to (or have to) come during this peak time it is wise to have reservations. For most of the rest of the year (maybe excluding Christmas and New Year's) you can reasonably expect to get a room upon arrival after two or three tries. Budget

Hostel Esperanza. Inexpensive hostel, great location across from the beach. Owned by a Canadian expat. Dorms are right next to restaurant/bar though so can get noisy at night.

Hotel Estrella. Right on the beach, but the balconies are accessible from each other, and the doors are only lockable from the outside. Some have had to put a stone in front of the door just to keep it shut. There are stories of other people that said they had bats coming in the window, banging against the walls and falling on their beds. There is a very comfortable common room and the bedrooms are clean and with beautiful views of the Pacific. Don't forget breakfast.

Surf Ranch Hotel & Resort. It offers a choice between standard, villa, deluxe condos or deluxe penthouse condos. Hot water and air conditioning available. The resort features include Nicaragua`s largest skateboard park, jungle paintball course, tower drop into a huge inflatable airbag, volleyball court, rock climbing wall, world class restaurant & bar, swimming pool & swim up bar, and poolside cabanas. The resort also offers a range of activities such as surfing, skateboarding, sailing, fishing, yoga, scuba diving, paintball and rock climbing.

Aventura Lodge. Breakfast is included and wireless internet is available. Cable TV and air-conditioning feature in all Jungle Suites and in the Canopy Apartment.

Bahia del Sol Villas and Condominiums. Villas and condominiums are within walking distance of the beach in the best residential neighborhood in San Juan del Sur with spectacular views of the bay. Rent by the day, week, or month all of them fully equipped. The two story villas are the epitome of luxury and space. Three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a big dining table and large terraces let large families or a group of friends spend time together with comfort and privacy. The complex includes a private pool and full hotel service.

Hotel Gran Oceano. Del parque, 2 c hacia el mar. Among the nicest. They also arrange boat trips.

Hotel Villa Isabella. Hotel with nine bedrooms and four 1-2 bedroom condominium apartments, with full breakfast included. Cable TV and VHS/DVD with a large selection of movies in English and Spanish. Secure parking. Handicapped access.

Rayito de Luna. Private home with rooms for rent.

Parque Maritimo el Coco. Offers billas from four to ten guests. Right on Playa el Coco a quiet and secluded beach. Also has a restaurant, Puesta del Sol.

La Veranera. Boutique guesthouse designed like an old Nicaraguan ranch house, equipped with all modern conveniences. The wide veranda with dining area, billiard table and private bar, wraps around a pool.