Somewhere to chill in Nicuragua

(In no specific order)

1. Outside of Leon, the beaches are relatively quiet (just don't go during Semana Santa). Surf is a bit rough.

2. Around San Juan Del Sur, great surfing. SJDS itself is a decent sized town with lots of restaurants/bars. But nearby are some quiet beaches.

3. Little Corn Island. Not much surfing, but gorgeous beaches and decent scuba diving. Very quiet - no roads, no airport.

My favorite is #3.

Ditto- But forget #2....

Yes, yes, SoloHobo, we know about your dislike for SJDS.

personally, i agree with all of NYC's recommendations (not having been to the Corn Islands, but I hear they're hard to get to) but there are plenty of beaches outside (nearby SJDS) with reasonable accommodations. Keep searching through this forum & you'll find the bad & the good.

We really enjoyed Las Penitas: very laid back and very near Leon, so if you want some city time too, then it's easy to get back and forth on the buses.

enjoy!

SJDS is a cool town but the beaches to the south and north are great.
Maderas is just north and there are shuttle services thru the surf shop to get you there and back.
The food is iffy ,get some thing to take.
If you have a rental truck head south just past playa coco and there is a good ocean fron restraunt with a nice safe beach.
The Gato Negro is a good place to eat breakfast and lunch. Try the watermellon juice.
The Casa Blanca is a decent place to stay 50.00and accross from good restraunts (El Timon) and great sunsets.
I usually book a Boat surf trip and go to panga Drops and Popoya (get big there). Meet a couple of guys and split the trip.
Ask around for Joey he is from Australia he has a nice boat and does great trips.
Enjoy
J.

Go to Playa Maderas, just outside of San Juan Del Sur. Some of the most beautiful beaches on the Pacific Coast, absolutely pristine! There's a good lodge called Bahia Majagual, very reasonable. Just be warned you can't keep any food in the dorms. You can only eat in the restaurant, which is reasonable as long as you keep it down to sandwiches and stuff. You can buy fish and lobster off the fishermen who dive off the beach, and the kitchen will cook them for you for a couple of bucks or so.

And the surfing is OUTSTANDING, you have to walk to the main break from the lodge, but it's not far, and there is always a break there. The local Nico surfers are cool and accommodating too. You can easily spend two weeks there, no problem.

Cheers!
Tony

Hi all, thanks for the recommendations!
Still not sure what to do- we just spent a couple of days out at Majagual at Matildas- it was ok, but we had no food and the restaurant wasn't that great (or cheap), still, we may go back with a stack of groceries and stay for awhile. About the Bahia Lodge- is that still there? We read up about it and it sounds great, but we couldn't find it!
Dave

hey guys,

there is a place called jiquillio, north of leon, now the surf is iffy def better surf to found virtually anywhere in nica, but the beach is stunning, very quiet, great locals, i loved it. Totally not a tourist hot spot, at least not yet. The hostal that i stayed at is called rancho esperanza, cabanas go for about 7 bucks a night and for and additional 6 bucks 3 meals are provided for you. if you want contact details let me know it still have them.