San Juan Del Sur is in the south of Nicaragua and typically the last stop before backpackers head to Costa Rica. This surf town is very touristy with beach shops, Western restaurants and hostels. Locals sell sunglasses on the streets and offer coke and weed under their breath. Most hostels are located a shuttle ride away, either in the mountains or near the beach.
Hola Ola Hostel
I volunteered at Hola Ola Hostel for one month and had the most magical experience. This hostel is a two minute walk from the beach and has a swimming pool. It is slightly out of town which makes it more peaceful. It is an 8 minute walk along the beach to get to town and in the evenings, the hostel offers free shuttles. This hostel is a mix of both a surf camp and a place where people party. The guests here are more athletic and more mature than at some of the strictly party hostels. I would call this place social rather than party. Hola Ola offers a surf package that allows you to get 3 nights of lodging, 2 meals a day, 2 surf lessons and a welcome drink for $30 less than all of this would be individually. I had the privilege of painting a surf collage down the dorm hallway that you can check out if you go there!
Sunset Fest
Every Saturday, Hola Ola throws a beach party called Sunset Fest. The event includes transport to Marsella beach, games, live music, food, $1 drinks and in the evening a DJ plays. The legendary Sunday Funday is very loud and crowded and people drink with strangers. Having Sunset Fest the day before gives you a lot of time to make friends and talk. That way you are drinking with your friends when you run into them the next day at Sunday Funday. My only complaint with Sunset Fest is that it is $20 for what you could basically organize on your own if you had a cooler, speaker, car and friends. However, people have a memorable day and if you have the money It is a lovely experience.
Sunday Funday
Sunday Funday is the reason San Juan Del Sur is on the Gringo Trail. This pool crawl costs $30 and includes a T-Shirt and access to four venues either on the beach or with a pool. People that stay at PachaMama or Naked Tiger get half off of their ticket. PachaMama is in the town of San Juan Del Sur. I stayed there once and was surprised by how calm and quiet it was other than beer pong Friday and Sunday Funday morning. A make your own pancake breakfast is included and the dorm rooms are breezy. Naked Tiger is up in the mountains and requires shuttle trips to get to and from town. It has a lovely sunset view and a huge pool.
PachaMama is the first stop for Sunday Funday. The tiny common area is packed with drunk Gringos. Stop two is a bar called Anamar and it has a DJ and a swimming pool. Stop three is Naked Tiger with sunset views, a DJ and swimming. The last stop is a tiny bar called Arribas with limited space and questionable music choices. It is on the beach though, so you have room to escape. You don’t need a wristband to get into the fourth bar so many local men come to prey on drunk girls. I had a lot of men putting their arms around my waist as I would grab a guy friend and have them rescue me. Luckily, the first three bars never had unwanted flirting, despite everyone being intoxicated.
Sunday Funday can be a lot of fun if you make friends and dance the day away. However, it is $30 to participate and the music isn’t world class. A shirt and some watered down shots are included in the ticket price. If you’re in San Juan Del Sur on a Sunday this is the only activity going on. You would have FOMO if you didn’t go.
Food and Drinks
Dale Pues is my favorite restaurant in SWDJ. Many long term San Juan travelers would come here regularly. It has delicious caramelized onions, burgers, fancy salads and happy hour cocktails.
Don Monchis is a pizza shop that allows you to buy a slice of pizza for 30 Córdoba. Full pizzas are also available.
There is an Italian Gelateria near the Miscelania Sánchez with delicious ice cream. Try the Snickers or the white chocolate flavor
Simon Says is a cute restaurant with a peaceful garden ambiance. They are known for their buffet style breakfasts.
El Social is a bar and restaurant with a pool. Most nights live music plays here.
Iguana is a beachfront restaurant. They have two for one happy hour specials on drinks and a perfect sunset view.
Cervecaría is a brewery with an IPA, Amber Ale and a grapefruit beer. On Wednesday you can watch talented locals sing at the Open Mic Night.
The Loose Moose is a Canadian owned restaurant in the center of town. It has Tequila Tuesday and poutine.
The market is on the corner of the third parallel street from the beach. It is a pink building and the bus stop is outside of it. Inside you can find inexpensive local food, cute floral print clothing, as well as fruits and vegetables.
Beaches
San Juan Del Sur is on the beach though it is not recommended to swim there as there are many boats anchored in the water. There are many great surf beaches within 20 minutes to SWDS. Many hostels run daily shuttles to these beaches
Maderas is my favorite beach in the San Juan area. There are 4 restaurants in which you can enjoy a meal or drink. This beach is popular with surfers and the water is usually full of boards. A 10 minute walk from the beach is a hotel/hostel called Hush. This elevated lodging has an infinity pool and is a great place to watch the sunset.
Hermosa is a private beach with a $5 entrance fee.
Yankee is a beach known for having big waves. It is not good for new surfers and more suitable for advanced surfers.
Remanzo is great for new surfers. The beach is enclosed in a bay. This keeps the wind away and makes the waves small and manageable.
Activities
Horseback riding
It is possible to schedule horseback riding on the beach. Blue Paradise is a tour company that charges $15 an hour per person. You can go on a romantic date in the most beautiful location
Walk to the Jesus Statue
This statue overlooks San Juan Del Sur. A steep 20 minute walk will bring you to the top of this cliff. This position gives you an elevated view of the bay and the town of San Juan Del Sur. It is also a spectacular place to watch the sunset.
I loved my time in San Juan Del Sur. It is the perfect combination of athletic and chill beach days and extremely social weekends. Backpackers typically stay here for at least a week. This is the kind of place that people tend to get stuck in. This allows you to always have friends instead of people moving on the day after you meet them. Time moves quickly here and I can’t believe my month here has already come to an end.
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 