Beaches of San Juan del Sur
Swooning over our spectacular navy blue bay view of the harbor and the tropical hillsides, we settled into our San Juan del Sur Airbnb. Our driver pointed out the landmarks and pointed to the downtown area close by. We could take an eight-dollar taxi to town, or take the five-minute short cut. One catch, the short cut required us to ford a small river leading into the ocean to enter the town. If you found the right spot, the stream was only ankle deep. Not the place for stilettos. No brainer–we forded that river. Later our housekeeper told us we would be in peril from local hooligans if we crossed in the dark and strongly suggested we only take taxis. We took one taxi and then realized that in our group of five we had one black belt in Aikido (Raphael), an Army Reserve trained combatant and triathlete (Nick), a burly surfer (Johnny), a young girl who fought off a robber, (Jolie), and me, the weakest link, except I do have a high pitched scream good for calling in the dogs. No more taxis. A little comedic addendum: the last day we saw a Beware of Crocodile sign a few yards up the river.
No Swimming! Crocodiles in the water.
Much has been written about San Juan’s beach not being the most attractive, but I beg to differ. A charming small bay with tiny aquamarine waves, the zesty town is nestled right behind with many restaurants plopped on the sand. One, Restaurant Timon, had a one dollar appetizer and beer menu for Happy Hour. The best was the fish carpaccio (basically really fresh sashimi). Our first Nica sunset was here, not splashy, but pale, pale canary yellow spreading buttery warmth on our bodies.We noted a fishing boat half buried in the sand that seemed like it was from the pirate days. It wasn’t until we were leaving that we realized this was 2017 Hurricane Nate’s powerful legacy. A yummy dinner at Asada Juanitas, a combo of street food with restaurant seating has inexpensive grilled chicken and meats with the requisite gallo pinto and plaintains.
Playa Hermosa lives up to its name. Beautiful beach is an understatement.$10 a day rental surfboards in town and a $10 packed shuttle to the park which included the $3 entrance fee. A dirt bumpy rutted road crisscrossing creeks with jungles in the background added to the safari feeling. On the way to the hammocks, we pass a Wizard of Oz tree that looks like green apples have been glued to the branches ad trunks.
I asked a waiter what they were called. Jicaro. (Hick a row) I memorized this word after singing the opera Figaro only shouting Hick a row. We arrived in time to have our pick of the hammocks, lounge chairs and palapas which our fee included. Super comfortable, our family spread out while the kids headed out to surf, and I wiggled my feet in the silky, soft tan sand.
Raphael headed straight for the bar ordering a cucumber smoothie with rum. I rented the $7 boogie board—more my style. I squealed as I caught waves that rocked me like a boogie coaster and massaged my legs. Our shuttle wasn’t due back until after sunset seeming like a long day, but turning out to be the perfect day with our shady palapa and the pale lemony sunset.
The next day we decided to do a beach sampler. Playa Remanso was our first stop. A compact rocky beach, Playa Remanso is quite a contrast to Playa Hermosa’s wide sandy beach.
The kids (surfers) immediately notice the “peaks” and rent boards setting out to conquer Remanso which means haven or refuge in English. Raphael and I document with our iPhones from one of the restaurants lining the shore and Raphael nursed a ron con hielo (Rum and one cube of ice). The kids surf to their hearts’ content whipping through those peaks. Onward to the next beach, Playa Maderas Famous for its surf, Maderas does disappoint today. The waves are closed out. We compensate with lunch from the one of the restaurants our driver recommended ordering fresh ceviche and fish and an order of salad nachos with meat chunks and velveta cheese. Surprisingly tasty. On to Playa Marsella. So pretty and calm, but the kids lost interest once they discovered there were no waves, and so we headed back. The next day back to Playa Hermosa. Not as picture perfect today in that it was raining (mind you this was the non-rainy season) and all the shady hammocks and tables had been taken. We took shelter under a small area that had a roof. The kids rented surfboards. About an hour later, Raphael noticed Johnny carrying his board, and it looked like a shark had bitten it in half; unfortunately, a strong wave snapped it into two pieces. After negotiating, my daughter and Johnny sadly agree to pay $350 in cash to the surfboard rental fellow. Less peppy about Playa Hermosa, we decided to revisit Maderas the next day because of its hype as being the best surf beach. Less welcoming than Hermosa, the umbrelled lounge chairs cost $20 for two chairs. Nick and Jolie had some of their best waves of the vacation while Johnny decided to play it safe and rent a boogie board. Around 5:00 we trekked up to the HulaKai Hotel overlooking Maderas for a Happy Hour and a sweet golden goodbye sunset
Lemon sunset
Lemony sunset from HulaKai Hotel