San Juan del Sur is by far my favorite backpacking and party beach town I have been to in Central America.
Pros of San Juan
Dirt Cheap: San Juan (and Nicaragua as a whole) is pretty cheap. You can get a beer for $.75 all over San Juan. A meal is $3-5 dollars for a big chicken breast, rice, plantains, and salad.
Good Surf: I am no expert surfer, but there are three main beaches in San Juan that all attracted surfer. Playa Remanso is for beginners, but it good on days where the swell is bigger. Playa Hermosa is an intermediate beach with waves always over one meter sometimes close to two meters. I didn’t check out Playa Maderas, but it is more for advanced surfers.
You can rent a board or get a lesson at a number of places around town. Most hostels offer shuttles to the beaches, board rentals, and lessons. However, the best place to get a lesson or rent a board is Good Times Surf shop. The instructors are cool and will give you a lesson, then the next days they will surf with you and give you pointers for free.
Good Party: There are pub-crawls that run a few nights during the week that get a decent amount of people. Then on Friday and Saturday there are a number of bars and clubs in the city center that can be a good time. Occasionally, a hostel will host a theme party as well. The scene is backpacker led, but the locals join in as well. It’s a good time.
And then there is Sunday Funday...
Sunday Funday is a huge pool crawl run by a few of the main hostels in San Juan. You pay $30 (or $15 if you stay at Pancha Mama) and you get bused to three different pools around San Juan to drink, dance, and party until midnight I believe (I left early![[Image: wink.gif]](https://rooshvforum.network/images/smilies/wink.gif)
).
Cons of San Juan
Nothing But Surfing: Sure, you can party a lot and lay around on the beach and hiking to the Jesus statue is cool one hungover day. But, other than that there is not a lot to do. If you are not a surfer or trying to learn how to surfer you will not want to spend much time here.
Clique-Ish: Everyone seems to know everyone in San Juan. This can be tough if you are traveling alone and do not know anyone when you arrive. However, don’t worry about it because after a couple of days in San Juan you will know everyone as well. Take a surf lesson. Chat with the people in your hostel. Get recommendations from the hostel staff. Hit on girls lying out on the beach. You’ll end up/ seeing the same people over and over again even if you only stay 3-4 days.
Places To Stay
There are a ton of hostels, guesthouses, and hotels in San Juan. The main party hostel is Pancha Mama, but pretty much anywhere you stay should be fine as long as they are other travelers staying there and it’s in the town.
Hotel Delfin is a quiet option in town next to the beach that is cheap and laid back. Make sure to check guest policies if ladies are on your mind.
Game In San Juan
There are really no online dating options whatsoever in San Juan. You could give Tinder a shot, but do not expect much.
Day game is pretty easy. Just go talk to girls about the surf and the beaches. You won’t need to go for a number or anything. Just flirt a bit then go on with your day. You will see her out again at night. If she likes you, she will be drunk and horny later and will often come say hi to you.
Night game is all you need here. Isolate and escalate as quickly as possible. Backpacking guys are a thirsty bunch and will approach like sharks. In San Juan I was waiting at the bar on Friday night to grab a couple of beers and I saw two chicks walk in. They were cute and definitely bangable. I knew I could approach once they got near the bar, but they never did while I was there. They were hit on and rejected 3 groups of guys before engaging in a convo with the fourth group all before I could get my fucking beers.
My Experience & Thoughts
I really enjoyed my time in San Juan. I spent a week in San Juan traveling alone and practicing my surfing.
I met some really cool people who I surfed with all week and had a great time.
I went out 3 nights and was able to isolate two girls, but I only closed one. Still, I was happy with one new flag for the week because I really enjoyed my time here.
*High season in San Juan is about to start. Mid-December to early February is supposed to be crazy.
Pros of San Juan
Dirt Cheap: San Juan (and Nicaragua as a whole) is pretty cheap. You can get a beer for $.75 all over San Juan. A meal is $3-5 dollars for a big chicken breast, rice, plantains, and salad.
Good Surf: I am no expert surfer, but there are three main beaches in San Juan that all attracted surfer. Playa Remanso is for beginners, but it good on days where the swell is bigger. Playa Hermosa is an intermediate beach with waves always over one meter sometimes close to two meters. I didn’t check out Playa Maderas, but it is more for advanced surfers.
You can rent a board or get a lesson at a number of places around town. Most hostels offer shuttles to the beaches, board rentals, and lessons. However, the best place to get a lesson or rent a board is Good Times Surf shop. The instructors are cool and will give you a lesson, then the next days they will surf with you and give you pointers for free.
Good Party: There are pub-crawls that run a few nights during the week that get a decent amount of people. Then on Friday and Saturday there are a number of bars and clubs in the city center that can be a good time. Occasionally, a hostel will host a theme party as well. The scene is backpacker led, but the locals join in as well. It’s a good time.
And then there is Sunday Funday...
Sunday Funday is a huge pool crawl run by a few of the main hostels in San Juan. You pay $30 (or $15 if you stay at Pancha Mama) and you get bused to three different pools around San Juan to drink, dance, and party until midnight I believe (I left early
).Cons of San Juan
Nothing But Surfing: Sure, you can party a lot and lay around on the beach and hiking to the Jesus statue is cool one hungover day. But, other than that there is not a lot to do. If you are not a surfer or trying to learn how to surfer you will not want to spend much time here.
Clique-Ish: Everyone seems to know everyone in San Juan. This can be tough if you are traveling alone and do not know anyone when you arrive. However, don’t worry about it because after a couple of days in San Juan you will know everyone as well. Take a surf lesson. Chat with the people in your hostel. Get recommendations from the hostel staff. Hit on girls lying out on the beach. You’ll end up/ seeing the same people over and over again even if you only stay 3-4 days.
Places To Stay
There are a ton of hostels, guesthouses, and hotels in San Juan. The main party hostel is Pancha Mama, but pretty much anywhere you stay should be fine as long as they are other travelers staying there and it’s in the town.
Hotel Delfin is a quiet option in town next to the beach that is cheap and laid back. Make sure to check guest policies if ladies are on your mind.
Game In San Juan
There are really no online dating options whatsoever in San Juan. You could give Tinder a shot, but do not expect much.
Day game is pretty easy. Just go talk to girls about the surf and the beaches. You won’t need to go for a number or anything. Just flirt a bit then go on with your day. You will see her out again at night. If she likes you, she will be drunk and horny later and will often come say hi to you.
Night game is all you need here. Isolate and escalate as quickly as possible. Backpacking guys are a thirsty bunch and will approach like sharks. In San Juan I was waiting at the bar on Friday night to grab a couple of beers and I saw two chicks walk in. They were cute and definitely bangable. I knew I could approach once they got near the bar, but they never did while I was there. They were hit on and rejected 3 groups of guys before engaging in a convo with the fourth group all before I could get my fucking beers.
My Experience & Thoughts
I really enjoyed my time in San Juan. I spent a week in San Juan traveling alone and practicing my surfing.
I met some really cool people who I surfed with all week and had a great time.
I went out 3 nights and was able to isolate two girls, but I only closed one. Still, I was happy with one new flag for the week because I really enjoyed my time here.
*High season in San Juan is about to start. Mid-December to early February is supposed to be crazy.