Playa Maderas

Playa Maderas is a beach on the Pacific coast of south western Nicaragua with great sand and good surfing. It is just north of San Juan del Sur.

Nobody on the beach but us cows.

Get in

You can get to Playa Maderas from San Juan del Sur by water taxi, taxi, or bicycle. The water taxi can leaves from Hotel Estrella at 10:00 and returns at 16:00, and costs about US$8. A taxi cab for two people costs US$10-15; the road is rough, and you may have to get out and walk up a hill or two while your cab driver tries to drive up backwards to take advantage of the front-wheel drive. During the rainy season a 4WD truck (preferably with a snorkel) is advisable. A bike can be rented in San Juan del Sur for about US$5 per day. Hostel Casa Del Oro runs 3 daily Jeep shuttles to the beach with the first one leaving at 10:00 and the last one returning at 17:00. (C$50 one way, C$80 return).

Get around

Walk.

See

A nice beach, some good surfing, and good walking along the beach to the north.

Do

Surf, rent a surf or boogie board (about US$10 a day), or get a lesson (also about US$10). You can take a short walk north to another nice, more secluded beach offers less threatening waves for surfing or boogie boarding.

Buy

There are no stores and no vendors on this beach. The nearest stores are in San Juan del Sur.

Eat

There is a food stand that sells basic food and snack items. There are no ATMs or banks, and the food stand does not accept credit cards. There is a grocery store in San Juan del Sur.

• 1 Juanita's Kitchen (Cocina de Juanita) (walk up the beach towards the point (Punta Majaguel)). Daily 07:00 - 20:00. Serene beachside restaurant serving fresh seafood, pinto gallo, and cold Tona or Victoria beers. Hammocks, shady palapas. (updated Mar 2024)

Drink

Water and beer can be purchased from the food stand.

Sleep

• 1 Selina Maderas, ☏ +505 7831 7000. Cheery place, communal, with pool, billiards table, hammocks, workout classes (surcharge). Breakfast a little disappointing with fruit and toast. Conveniently close to beach. US$20. (updated Sep 2020)
• 2 The Li'l Aussie Hut, ☏ +505 8385 6644. Right on the beach (Marsella Beach), so you can feel right at home among parrots, monkeys, and crocodiles. Has wifi too. (updated Sep 2020)
• 3 Buena Vista Surf Club. Backpacker type of place but with good taste, lots of interactive activities (pool, billiards, yoga, etc). Breakfast included. Great deck from which to look out at the ocean dreamily. (updated Sep 2020)
• 4 Rapture Surfcamp Nicaragua, ☏ +505 8489 9053. Breakfast buffet and restaurant. Guided surfing lessons. Establishment is perched high above beach and business provides shuttle to get there from base of hill. Variety of accommodation options on site, from tents to bungalows. Has wifi. (updated Sep 2020)
• 5 Arte-Sano Hotel Cafe, ☏ +505 8776 7057. Boutique-style hotel with art on walls and gourmet restaurant and lavish pool. Has a/c, wifi, bar/dining. (updated Sep 2020)
• 6 Camping Matilda. A family-run place with shared dorms, two-person rooms, little "dog house" huts and some fancier rooms as well. (updated Sep 2020)

Go next

• San Juan del Sur