home about us reviews videos travel tips travel services eco shop ezine blog contact us

Nicaragua surf lodge

country:Nicaragua
location:North of Montelimar (Playa San Diego)
price:From US $65 (triple), US $69 (double), US $99 (single) per person per night, inc meals & drinks. Return airport transfers US $120 per vehicle (3 people). Children (4-12) US $20 per night, under 4 free. Surf board rental US $15 per day. Price excludes 15% tax
View availability here
 
photo gallerysee previous photo1of7see next photo
description
This Nicaragua surf lodge is located right on the beach in front of some of the most pristine Nicaraguan surf spots.

At the Nicaragua surf lodge, empty waves roll in all year. The beaches are exposed to both SW and NW swells, making the surf very consistent. An epic left point break, a right reef break, excellent beach breaks await our guests, just one hour from the airport of Managua. You can surf, get back and snap a cold beer, eat delicious meals, shoot the breeze about the last surf session with other guests, wake up and do it all over again... This surf lodge is a true Nicaragua experience.

Awaiting guests at the lodge are five beachside bungalows, each with its terrace, hammocks and lounge chairs. A spacious beach restaurant offers delicious food and plenty of hammocks for relaxing. Other attractions include great fishing, snorkeling, horseback riding and nature exploration.

The Nicaragua surf lodge is family-owned and is operated in the true spirit of ecotourism, striving to maintain a low environmental impact, promote conservation and a sustainable tourism that benefits the community.

Please note: We will be closed between 28th Septemebr and 31st October 2008
surf conditions.
Surfing, Nicaragua surf lodgeThe beaches are exposed to both SW and NW swells, making the surf very consistent all year. From November to March, the beach break right in front of the surf lodge offers clean medium size waves that are perfect for learning to surf and longboarding. We offer surf lessons too (see above).

April - November: biggest swells
November - January: waist to chest high offshore perfection.
February - March: mid-size swells, always offshore.

All surf spots are right in front of the surf lodge or within walking distance. There is absolutely no crowd; our guests are usually the only surfers around.
rooms, food and facilities
At the Nicaragua surf lodge, six bungalows are spread out along the coast, enjoying an ocean breeze in a private pristine setting of lush vegetation. Each bungalow has one room with a wide terrace under a thatched palm roof and its own private shower, mirror and sink.

The bungalows are furnished with comfortable beds, mosquito nets, night tables, lounge chairs and of course, hammocks made in Nicaragua. The bungalows do not have electricity and our compost toilets are situated on our rock-shell path.

Sea, Nicaragua surf lodge We laundry services at an extra charge. Sorry, no pets allowed for hygiene and safety reasons.

Your stay includes meals and drinks from our restaurant and lounge under two tropical Nicaraguan ranchos. From here you will enjoy the view of surf, ocean breeze and of course the food! The restaurant serves gourmet cuisine made with the freshest local produce and seafood.

House specialities include fillet of snapper marinade in Mediterranean spices and grilled on wood fire. We care to cater to your tastes, whether vegan or vegetarian or food allergies. Free coffee is served fresh in the morning to accompany your whole wheat banana pancakes or other Nicaraguan breakfast plates.

View, Nicaragua surf lodge Family friendly
We cater to families of all sizes and have special family packages, please contact us for details. Kids enjoy many dishes on our menu including Mickey Mouse Pancakes. Our lodge is a perfect getaway spot for an active family of four to play on the beach and enjoy the safe surf in front.

Baby friendly
We are family and baby friendly. Quiet and private bungalows with their own hammocks and chairs are there for the comfort of your family. No booster chairs or baby cribs available. 

Nicaragua surf lodge beach front bungalow rates (rates are per person per night): 
Occupancy  4D/3N  6D/5N 8D/7N Additional Night 
1  $417  $615  $813  $99
2  $267  $405  $543  $69 
3  $235  $365  $495  $65 
Family    $1010  $1366  $178 (2 adults 2 kids aged 4-12)
how to find our Nicaragua surf lodge

The Nicaragua surf lodge is located on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua, north of Montelimar and south of El Transito. We will gladly arrange your transportation from anywhere in Nicaragua. Please contact us to coordinate with us.

Where are we, Nicaragua surf lodgeBy car: It is approximately a 1½ hour drive from Managua. Our direction is: de Carreterra Masachapa Km 49, 15 Km al Mar, Rotulos Los Cardones. A 4WD vehicle is necessary during the rainy season (May to October).

By bus: From Managua: At Mercado Israel in Managua, take the bus to San Cayetano (10 cordobas, US$0.60). Buses run daily from 4:00 am to 9:00 pm, every 45 minutes during the week and every 1½ hour on the week ends. Stop at California. From California you may hike 15 km to the beach following the signs.
how this holiday makes a difference
At the surf lodge, our goal is to share the beauty of Nicaraguan nature and culture with responsible travellers and surfers, to promote low-environmental impact and to benefit the local communities. We employ local men and women, as well as buying all local produce and seafood and encouraging recycling and organic farming in the surrounding farms. We operate in the true spirit of ecotourism, striving to maintain low environmental impact, promote conservation and sustainable tourism that benefits the community. By employing local men and women, we support members of the surrounding rural communities to earn an income near their families.

Our local cheese, lemons, mangoes and other seasonal produce is bought from the community near the surf lodge.

Child from school supported by Nicaragua surf lodgeOur donations resource three local schools with the cleaning of their wells, connecting the computer rooms and repairing the latrines. We buy handmade products from local vendors and from relatives of our staff to sell to our visiting guests. From the example of our friends at Arte Accion-Copan Ruinas, the lodge uses art as a medium to teach social, cultural and environmental values through free art classes, crafts and workshops for kids 5-15 years old every Saturday from 9-11. Through free classes of painting, drama, photography, and other disciplines, we can teach our students about the environment, children's rights, and how they can play an active role in the improvement of their community and beach.

School, dental, and art supplies as donations and awareness in your community are greatly appreciated!

At our surf lodge we use solar power, conserve water, recycle cans and plastic bottles and recycle all organic refuse with compost toilets, greywater gardens and thermophillic compost bins.

The construction of the surf lodge is simple; it is made mostly of renewable materials such as bricks, palms, grasses, bamboo and fast growing woods. We are in the process of constructing an outdoor oven for our whole wheat pizzas and bread. The surf lodge is located right on the beach in front of the most pristine Nicaraguan surf spots. Awaiting guests are six beachside bungalows, each with its own terrace, hammocks and lounge chairs. We serve our meals which are included in the price in our spacious beach restaurant with ranchos facing the beach breaks.

From our solar-powered restaurant and kitchen, delicious food is made by our local staff and fresh herbs from our garden. Guests can enjoy miles of deserted beaches for surfing, snorkelling or beachcombing, and observe diverse wildlife of the surrounding wetlands and tropical forest while hiking or horseback riding. Put your money into the local economy as all our food, furniture, etc. is locally sourced.

Just one hour from the airport of Managua, the epic left point breaks, right reef break and excellent beach breaks, right in front of our surf lodge, await our guests all year round. This surf lodge is a true Nicaraguan experience.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.

Convert currencies