About an hour north of the Costa Rican border, lies San Juan del Sur, a beach town on the Pacific Ocean. With a population of 15,000, San Juan is a small surfing community with a considerable amount of tourist infrastructure. There are plenty of western-style bars, restaurants and hotels, so if you’re easing your way into Nicaraguan culture, San Juan del Sur is a good place to start off.

Best known for its famous ‘Sunday fun days’ – an all day long pool hopping type of pub crawl – San Juan is definitely a party destination.

Alongside the main beach lies a variety of restaurants advertising happy-hour drink specials and bars that are open late into the night.

There are also a number of small taco shops nearby so finding a cheap meal is relatively easy.

• To give you an idea of the prices, each taco costs 40 Cordobas or $2 cdn.

Aside from surfing, partying, and relaxing by the beach, San Juan del Sur doesn’t offer a whole lot to do. There are beautiful beaches a $5-10USD shuttle ride away, but I didn’t bother to check them out.

The downtown area is really small with a laid-back vibe and you can see the entirety of the city in less than 2 hours.

You might also be lucky enough to enjoy your dinner in the company of a parrot!

San Juan del Sur is a popular destination that offers good surf, ultimate relaxation and plenty of partying. In my opinion, the town sort of has a similar feel to an all inclusive resort as everything is close together and it’s easy to recognize the same faces when walking the streets. While it wasn’t my favourite destination, many people seemed to be in love with San Juan, deciding to stay for more than one week.

If you are coming to San Juan for a good party, try to plan on being in the city for a Sunday. I was told by multiple people that it is an awesome time.. *I did not experience Sunday fun day and therefore can’t back this claim up!

If you’re not as interested in partying, I think 2 days is more than enough time to check-out the city..

Instead, hop on a local chicken bus and head to Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua or Granada, Nicaragua – much more interesting Nicaraguan cities!

Cheers!