Things to do in San Juan del Sur
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit San Juan del Sur
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season: sunshine, passable dirt roads and reliable sunsets, with peak crowds at Christmas and Semana Santa.
Best months for a first, non surf specific trip, with cooler breezes and everything open.
Shoulder sweet spot as rains taper, with sunshine returning and prices and crowds still low.
Best surf, with larger Pacific swells groomed by offshore morning winds and forgiving Remanso year round.
Turtle arribadas build and the southern humpback season overlaps, the richest nature window for rain ready travellers.
Wettest months and the worst for a first beach holiday, with road risk, closures and high humidity.
Hottest, driest and dustiest months, hard for heat sensitive travellers even outside Semana Santa.
What's on
- La Purísima / La Gritería 7-8 December
Nicaragua wide Marian celebrations with altars, singing and fireworks, a local family and street festival in town.
- Christmas and New Year Christmas and New Year
The town fills with beach parties, prices spike and rooms sell out, so book months ahead.
- Semana Santa March / April, dates move
Holy Week turns the town into a huge, loud beach party. Choose it deliberately or base out of town.
- Fiestas Patronales San Juan Bautista 23-24 June
Festivities for the town patron saint, with processions, music, food and street celebration.
- Virgen del Carmen 16 July
The fishermen and sailors festival, when the fleet is blessed and the Virgin is carried in procession.
Best things to do in San Juan del Sur
Playa Remanso
The forgiving beginner surf beach south of town, with a sandy bottom, mellow waves and instructors on the sand.
Playa Maderas
The area signature break north of town, faster and hollower at the right tide, with peaks for several levels.
Barefoot Surf Travel
Small group surf coaching praised for real progression, from a single lesson to a multi day package.
San Juan del Sur Surf & Sport
In town surf school for lessons, rentals and boat crossover trips, a useful first stop for beginners.
Good Times Surf Shop
A handy in town rental and lesson fixture before you shuttle out to Remanso or Maderas.
Cristo de la Misericordia
The hilltop Christ statue with the panorama over the whole crescent bay and coastline, best near sunset.
Playa San Juan del Sur
The town beach is for the sunset ritual and a malecon stroll, not for a swimming beach day.
Sunday Funday Pool Crawl
The famous Sunday daytime pool crawl for young backpackers who want to meet everyone in town in one afternoon.
Where to stay in San Juan del Sur
Town centre and beachfront
first trip, food, nightlife, no car
Walk to every restaurant and bar, with beach shuttles leaving from here and sunset on your doorstep.
North hills
views, couples, quieter town access
Hillside pools and bay views a short steep walk above the centre, measurably quieter than the beachfront.
Playa Maderas and Marsella
surfers
Wake up by the surf at Maderas, with few dinner options and dirt road access that needs transport arranged.
Playa Remanso and Playa Hermosa corridor
beach first trips, families, quieter groups
Remanso is social and close for lessons, while Hermosa and El Coco are quieter and more villa based.
Out of town ecolodges
splurge and nature stays
Destinations in themselves with private beaches, jungle and meals on site, best as a separate two or three nights.
Think twice about
- La Perla
The one named no go area in local guide material. Do not book there, walk there or use it as a shortcut.
- Paseo del Rey party strip
Not dangerous, but listings over or next to party hostels and beachfront bars guarantee weekend noise until late.
- Isolated dirt road rentals far north or south
Unlit roads, no cruising taxis, mud in September and October and phone signal gaps can strand you without a vehicle or host.
- Southern port end of the town beachfront at night
The darker stretches toward the port empty out late. Stay where the people and lights are and taxi the rest.
Best restaurants in San Juan del Sur
Dale Pues
The all rounder locals actually recommend, from breakfast and salads to falafel plates and shrimp tacos.
El Timón
The beachfront seafood institution for whole fried fish and prawn rice at sunset, if you confirm drink prices first.
Restaurante Josseline's
An open air beachfront favourite for every meal, from gallo pinto breakfast to fresh seafood at sunset.
Nachos Tacos y Tequila
Town centre Mexican for tacos, burritos and margaritas, a fun and social room before a night out.
Taco Stop
Street style tacos, burritos and quesadillas at budget prices, the cheap taco pick in the centre.
La Reina del Sur
The comedor name that recurs across guides, for a heaped plate of rice, beans, plantain and stewed meat or fish.
Sabores de Mi Patio
A family run grill for local Nicaraguan plates, steak and shrimp, ribs and chicharron in the centre.
Sazón de Ana
A resident named spot for cheap lunch plates, part of the comedor circuit locals eat on daily.
Best coffee in San Juan del Sur
Simon Says Smoothie Bar
The smoothie institution for post surf refuel, with healthy cafe plates and vegetarian options.
El Gato Negro
The bookish cafe locals love for good coffee and a calm room to read or work in the morning.
La Tostadería
The newer resident named coffee and toast spot on the local work cafe list.
Outdoor things to do in San Juan del Sur
San Juan del Sur Surf & Sport
Boat surf drops and fishing from the harbour, reaching breaks you cannot walk to and avoiding the Maderas crowd.
Ocean Surf and Sport
A local fishing and boat operator in the same harbour system for surf drops and days on the water.
Playa Blanca
White sand and clear water reachable only by boat, the swimming and snorkelling main stop on a sailing day.
Nica Sail & Surf
The classic shared catamaran sail to Playa Blanca, with swimming, lunch at anchor and a sunset return.
SALT Nicaragua Sailing Adventures
A 47 foot catamaran day tour with open bar and a secluded bay stop, the luxury end of sailing here.
Esmeralda Sailing
Local sailing to boat only Playa Blanca and the southern turtle coast coves of Brasilito and Trebol.
Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Flor
A protected olive ridley nesting beach where ranger guided night tours watch mass arribadas in season.
Parque de Aventura San Juan del Sur
Canopy zipline, Tarzan swing and rappelling in the hills, with views to the Pacific and Lake Nicaragua.
Best hotels in San Juan del Sur
Morgan's Rock Reserve & Ecolodge
Private bungalows in jungle above a private crescent beach, with farm to table dining from its own ranch.
Mukul Beach, Golf & Spa at Guacalito de la Isla
International luxury bohios and villas on Playa Manzanillo, with Guacalito golf and a cliff spa, as a split stay.
Pelican Eyes Hotel & Resort
Casitas cascading down a hillside above town with pools and bay views, walkable steeply to the centre.
TreeCasa Hotel & Resort
A canopy level jungle resort with multi level pools, trails, waterfalls and a well regarded restaurant.
Villas de Palermo Hotel & Resort
Condo style villas with kitchens, a pool and a town shuttle, the family and group mid range workhorse.
The Beach House Nicaragua
A small, calm beachfront hotel with a garden and terrace, steps from the town beach and sunset.
Hotel Victoriano
The classic colonial style beachfront hotel in the centre, a long standing mid range default for location.
La Veranera
A beach house hotel on swimmable Playa El Coco with a restaurant and pool, best paired with a rental car.
Is San Juan del Sur expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NIO 1,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NIO 3,700 a person |
| Splurge | NIO 11,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Barefoot Surf Travel: a few days ahead
- San Juan del Sur Surf & Sport: a few days ahead
- Sunday Funday Pool Crawl: a few days ahead
- San Juan del Sur Surf & Sport: a few days ahead
- Ocean Surf and Sport: a few days ahead
- Nica Sail & Surf: a few days ahead
- SALT Nicaragua Sailing Adventures: weeks ahead
- Esmeralda Sailing: a few days ahead
- Book Morgan's Rock, Mukul and Pelican Eyes, private catamarans and splurge dinners weeks ahead in dry season.
- Book surf lessons, shared catamarans, La Flor tours, canopy, horseback and fishing a day ahead in town.
- Compare in town prices before paying headline online prices for Granada, Masaya and La Flor packages.
Is San Juan del Sur safe?
- Never leave valuables unattended while swimming or visible in a parked car or scooter.
- There are no lifeguards on most beaches. Watch rip currents, shallow sandbars and stingrays, and never surf or swim drunk.
- Avoid protests and roadblocks entirely, do not photograph police or officials, and carry medical evacuation insurance.
San Juan del Sur travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not swim or sunbathe all day on the town beach, and never walk to Maderas, Marsella or La Flor.
- Confirm cocktail prices before ordering and check bills, especially for special margaritas at beachfront restaurants.
- Skip timeshare and real estate free tour pitches and beach touts selling tours at multiples of the shop price.
Getting around San Juan del Sur: public transport and more
- Walk the compact, flat centre. After dark, walk only the lit centre and malecon and taxi the rest.
- Use hostel and Casa Oro beach shuttles first for Maderas and Remanso, agree taxi return times before leaving, and insist on a helmet for any moto or ATV.
Who San Juan del Sur suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make San Juan del Sur your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store