We spent ten days near San Juan del Sur, on Playa Maderas. When I visited Portugal a few months earlier I decided that I want to learn how to surf. Little did I know this decision would end up changing my life. For the moment, it only changed my body. I had bruises all over combined with jellyfish bites. At the same time my sister was covered in insanely itchy bedbug bites which she got in Ometepe. Now imagine all of that on bodies that hadn’t seen the sun in months. Yes, we were real beach babes….
The place:
Playa Maderas is very quiet with only four small restaurants. For a bit more entertainment , we went to San Juan del Sur which is about a 20 minute care ride away. To our surprise we found ourselves in the middle of a huge party at 9 p.m. thanks to the almost world famous Sunday Funday, a pool crawl which takes place every Sunday. It was Semana Santa, the local Easter Weekend and rumour has it a lot of tourists get robbed during this time. We didn’t have any problems and enjoyed our time to the fullest while thinking about whether to head north or south next.
Don’t miss:
The Hostel Casa Maderas Ecolodge. It may be slightly over the average backpacker budget but it is worth it. The hostel with swimming pool is nice and the rooms are comfortable. In addition, there are regular yoga classes which take place in a breath-taking spot.
Things to watch out for:
The Easter-week is high season in Nicaragua. Accordingly, the beach is crowded and the prices are sometimes double from what you pay only a few days later.
The jellyfish in the water. Or is it sea lice? I don’t know what the heck it is but it hurts! Everyone feels the stings but only very few people have itchy bites all over the place the next day. I am one of them and it was annoying enough to keep me from going in the water for a few days.
