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San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua is a small, sleepy coastal town perched at the foot of some low hills on a nice, half-moon shaped harbor. It is a typical seaside town whose main livelihood is from tourists, surfers and sport fishermen.
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 The "commercial" area of San Juan del Sur consists of about twelve square blocks before blending into the barrios of homes occupied by the permanent residents. The main streets are wide, by Central American standards, and are kept clean. They are well lit at night with recently installed street lights and many are bordered with some type of decent sidewalk. |
| San Juan del Sur is so laid back that one could almost say it has been "undiscovered"--except for a couple of details. Although one wasn't in port at the time, the southern end of the harbor has a recently constructed breakwater and dock facility for receiving medium size tour ships. We were told these facilities had been constructed with Japanese financing for Japanese cruise lines. |
| Other considerations that keep San Juan del Sur out of the undiscovered category are the numerous, large, beautiful (and obviously very exclusive) homes on the cliffs at the north end of the bay. The local gossip is that many of these houses are owned by Nicaraguan "Generales." |
| For the visitor, all the accouterments for a well established tourist industry are in place. There is lodging for every price range - from surfer's hostels, to nice hotels for average visitors like us, to sprawling resorts with all amenities located on the hillside above the town for wealthy Nicaraguans. There was a bank close by our hotel where we could exchange Dollars for Nicaraguan Cordobas and the longest bank line encountered was two persons. The tellers, like many of the local townspeople, speak some English. |
Things to do in and around San Juan del Sur:
| For activities, there are businesses which take surfers and sight-seers to outlying beaches where the waves are good. For those interested, there are trips to see the sea turtle nests during nesting season or to take a zip-line tour of the nearby jungle. Other tours capitalize on some of the other local natural attractions like birds, monkeys, and tropical flora. For the fisherman, there are numerous off-shore fishing boats for hire at reasonable rates. |
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Lounge Lizard Activities in San Juan del Sur:
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| Besides the day-trips or the fishing, there is little else to do in this small town but relax. The half-mile of the bay shore is lined with good quality, open-air bar / restaurants. Most of these establishments have outside decks where one can enjoy the light, warm tropical breeze and gaze out over the peaceful bay filled with small fishing boats while having a cool drink. |
| On the subject of drinks, there are three brands of Nicaraguan beer available and just about any common mixed drink can be had for the asking. The bartenders pour generously. The temptation to just sit on the deck in the shade of a thatched roof and enjoy a few "cool ones" is very compelling. It's so easy to pass the time that way that several times we found ourselves ending the day by watching one of the beautiful sunsets over the top of a tropical beverage. |
| Many afternoons a group of about 25 local young men gather on the beach and play an impromptu game of baseball. They are obviously playing for the enjoyment of the game as every pitch is a "lob" designed to be hit. Depending on the tide, right and / or center field players may be handicapped by having to play in the remnants of small incoming waves. This doesn't seem to provide them any hindrance as they will frequently make a literally diving attempt to catch a ball coming their way. If there are enough people for three teams present, after each of the playing teams have had three turns at bat, the game reorganizes to allow those who hadn't been playing to enter the field. |
| If baseball isn't your spectator sport, beach volleyball and soccer games underway are options for armchair athletes. And any place there is a suitable wave there is surfing going on. |
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San Juan del Sur Cuisine:
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Compared to many places in the world, the food prices in San Juan del Sur are very reasonable. Seafood is the primary dish offered, and if you took advantage of one of the fishing boats that cater to tourists, nearly every restaurant will gladly cook your catch for you. That is, if you stirred from the wooden deck long enough to go fishing and catch one of the abundant Yellow- or Black-fin tuna that live in the local waters.
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CREDIT FOOD PHOTOS: Cookrookery / http://cookrookery.com
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Another choice is the shrimp dinner. The shrimp are medium size, fresh, and delicious, about twelve to the serving, for about $15.00 US.
Available for the same price, however, is my favorite dinner, langosta, a clawless lobster found in southern waters. Ordering one of those meals will get you two, 6- to7-inch tails prepared in your choice of one of several different ways. I chose mine broiled with drawn butter and was rewarded with a delicious meal. With either plate comes potatoes, steamed fresh vegetables, and a green salad. Beverages are extra, of course
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| For night life there is at least one night-club style bar which caters to those who are young of heart with loud music and dancing. The margaritas there are large and quite good and the partying and festivities go on well into the night. |
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San Jual del Sur Shopping:
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If you decide on something less energetic, a walk after dinner is a pleasant diversion. There is a sense of total safety strolling around the downtown area after dark, a feeling enhanced by two-man teams of local police also casually sauntering about. There are several vendors that set up along the sidewalk in the afternoons and evenings which offer a wide variety of handmade jewelry and crafts to look at. Most items are made from local stones and materials and are reasonably priced. You can haggle over prices if something catches your eye.
If you prefer a T-shirt as your souvenir, there are vendors for those too. We saw nothing particularly unique among their selections, but the price of about $5.00 US each made even the most mundane shirts tempting.
If your taste in souvenirs runs along a different track, there is a store on a downtown back street, about two blocks for the beach, that sells a wide range of items; everything from tortoise shell jewelry, to hand-carved wooden boxes, to paintings by local artists, to hand rolled Nicaraguan cigars.
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Our hotel was modern, pleasant, and very clean. It was one of the more expensive in the downtown area and, although it was air conditioned, it was disappointing to find the TV had only about 20 channels, all of which were Spanish language broadcasts. The room furnishings were recent and the maid service was good, but like many hotel rooms in this part of the world, it was poorly lit; the owners "save" on electricity costs by using low wattage bulbs. Unfortunately the light level was too low to read in the room after dark, which forced us to either watch TV or go out.
On the plus side, the hotel offers a decent breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and fresh fruit, included in the room price. The coffee, which was rich and strong, had unlimited refills, a plus after our previous night's outing.
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| Depending on the time of your visit, you can plan on the weather being typically tropical. May - October is the "rainy season" which means you might encounter light rain in the afternoons, but these last only an hour or two before clearing. These showers provide an excellent excuse for an afternoon nap, and keep the temperature very pleasant and in the mid-eighties. |
| Over all, San Juan del Sur is a quiet town and a pleasant and inexpensive place to spend a few lazy days to unwind. Our stay was relaxing and we returned refreshed and renewed, which is all one really wants. Keeping that in mind, if you travel to San Juan del Sur, it might be a good idea to bring along a light bulb and a good book or two. |
Allen Dickinson currently lives in Santa Ana, Costa Rica, with his family. He can be reached via email at:
allen@humphree.net.
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