Have to admit, Nicaragua wasn't on our bucket list but through chance, we found ourselves fortunate enough to get to visit San Juan del Sur and stay in this beautiful home! The town is filled with friendly faces and such nice people, it took us only 1-2 days to really settle in to this relaxed lifestyle but quickly came to love it! For those that question safety as they contemplate a trip to Nica or SJdS, our group quickly found that any uneasiness we had was in our heads and that uneasiness completely evaporated by the end of the first day (Nov2017). The beaches, town, sun, surf, and sense of community quickly accepts you. By day three, I was thinking that any future trips to Mexico are in jeopardy now as i'd much rather return to SJdSur!
For our group of 3 couples, the house had plenty of room to relax and move around. Having the main living area and kitchen right next to the outdoor pool made for a great shared space moving freely between the spaces. In early evenings, it was common to enjoy a quick dip in the pool accompanied by a drink before working up a tasty group meal or walking in to town to any one of the many yummy restaurants. Some days some of us might walk in to the town for a relaxing breakfast while others were on their way back from dawn patrol surfing at any one of the great beaches. The favorite surf beach was Maderas while the favorite scenic beach was El Coco. Our group's real surfers (not me) would have surfed every day if other fun activities weren't on the list!
The property was clean, well maintained, and the descriptions on VRBO are accurate. I have already recommended this property to one friend and one of the couples on the trip is considering returning to San Juan del Sur in January for more surfing, sun, and probably a Michelada or two. One of the unforeseen highlights to the trip for all six of us, not just our group's better Spanish speakers, was our daily conversations with Ronald! (he cares for the home & pool daily). He was practicing his English and we were practicing our Spanish. We had some great chats with him and even talked him in to taking us to the better fish market to negotiate a dorado and fresh shrimp to BBQ on the grill next to the pool! Ronald had a great impact on our trip and helped us connect with the community much more quickly. If you do get a rental car to drive yourself to surf beaches, get an SUV. Is it too soon to go back?