Looking for a nice beach and a cool town

That's exactly what you posted on the Belize board...

Little Corn Island is a great getaway island. Fantastic beaches for swimming and snorkelling. Not much of a music scene though.

San Juan Del Sur has some beaches nearby great for surfing. And a few beaches outside of Leon.

Thanks. I had trouble with the new changes and posted everywhere accidentally.

pochomil, sjds, poneloya, las penitas, have fun

i was near san juan del sur for a few days and at las pentias for a few days.

SJDS: we didn't stay in town; we stayed at http://www.buenavistasurfclub.com/ because it was Christmas and we wanted to be...comfortable with something to do. if you are looking for a lovely place to stay, but not a nica experience, then go there. Madaras playa was cool: both surfing and swimming and tide pools. food and minimal services on the beach, but you can get to SJDS via shuttle from the beach 2-3 times a day, or, just pay more and get a driver.

depends on what you're looking for, yes?

Las Penitas was a very nice shoreline with a nearby island sanctuary for turtles, crocodiles. we stayed at Barca de Oro which was very nice because it was cheap, clean and they had lots of hanging out space: restaurant, hammocks, balconies. but you have to wade through the estuary to get to the beach. not a big deal, but, it took a day or two to figure out exactly where we wanted to swim/surf/etc. good food, good people.

Enjoy Nica! It's great!

You said you wanted calm water - poneloya, pochomil and penitas can have some rough waves and some strong currents (espcially, Poneloya).

SJDS has calm water, and since you'll be there the end of the dry season, pollution should be less a factor.

have fun

I think Leon is the town your looking for. Theres live misic 5 or 6 nights a week with a lively bar and restaurant scene. Las Penitas beach is 30 minutes away (10 cords by bus or 220 by taxi) with a variety of places to stay at. There can be a strong undertow at Poneloya which isn't as bad at Las Penitas, but a more comfortable option is to swim in the estuary, where you can choose your depth in calm water thats kept clean with the flushing of the tide.
Some nice places at Las Penitas are www.barcadeoro.com, www.oasislaspenitas.com, Casa Patricia, frente a la bocana, Las Penitas. Tel:836-8109 and in Leon www.lazybonesleon.com.

SJDS has to be the most overated beach in the region, maybe of you never saw a beach before you would like it, but the town is hot, its not tropical, and Costa Rica's worst beaches are nicer than SJDS area.

Head to the beaches near Leon, or the Corn Islands if you got time to fly and money to blow.

I didn't go to the beach at Trinidad becuse i live at the beach in Mexico but everyone said it was beautiful. Trinidad has live music every night and lots of it. Also lots of art. Pretty city.