Nicaragua’s southern Pacific coast is a string of coves and long sandy bays, and San Juan del Sur sits in the middle of it. Within a twenty-five-minute drive of the town beach you can surf a world-class point break, paddleboard on water as flat as a lake, watch thousands of sea turtles come ashore, or walk a half-mile of sand with nobody else on it.
This guide covers every beach we’d send a friend to — the town bay, seven beaches south, and four beaches north — with what each one is good for, how you get there, and, because on this coast the beach you fall for tends to become the neighborhood you buy in, what it looks like to live at each one.
San Juan del Sur beaches at a glance
Map of San Juan del Sur beaches
The beach in town: San Juan del Sur Bay
The easiest beach to reach is the one in the middle of town. San Juan del Sur Bay is a wide horseshoe with beachfront restaurants along the sand, a boardwalk for people-watching, and fishing boats and sailboats anchored just offshore. Locals use it for early-morning exercise, pickup soccer and volleyball, and sunset strolls. Because it is right there, it gets busier than any other beach on this list, especially around the holidays — and it is still the beach you’ll end up on most often, because it is a five-minute walk from wherever you are staying.
Living here. Town is where you buy if you want to walk to everything. Inventory runs from condos on the bay and hillside homes with bay views to lots in the gated developments that climb the hills on either side. Start with our San Juan del Sur real estate page, then condos for sale and the Pacific Marlin and Talanguera communities.
Beaches south of San Juan del Sur
The road south leaves the bay, climbs the hill past the Christ statue, and then drops toward a chain of beaches that gets wilder the farther you go. The first few are close enough for an after-work surf. The last one is a national reserve.
Playa Remanso
Playa Remanso is less than ten minutes from town and the beach most people surf first. The wave is forgiving, the beach is wide, and there are surf schools and board rentals right on the sand, which makes it the natural place to take a lesson before you paddle into a busier lineup. A few beachfront restaurants and bars serve typical Nicaraguan food alongside the fish tacos and nachos everyone ends up ordering, and there’s usually something going on after dark. Parking is along the road with a short walk in, and there is always a spot.
Living at Playa Remanso. Remanso is the most developed of the southern beaches, and the one with the widest range of ways to own here: ocean-view lots from under $100,000, beachfront lofts around $200,000, and homes from the mid-$200,000s up to oceanfront estates near $2 million at the time of writing. See the Playa Remanso real estate page for what’s available now.
Playa Tamarindo
Just south of Remanso, Playa Tamarindo is a small cove that most visitors never find. It’s reached through the Remanso road and is mostly known to the people who live above it. If Remanso is where you learn, Tamarindo is where you go when you want the same stretch of coast without the crowd.
Living at Playa Tamarindo. The hillside above the cove is where the ocean-view lots are — roughly $130,000 to $180,000 at the time of writing, with the beach a few minutes’ walk below. They’re listed alongside Remanso on our Playa Remanso page.
Playa Hermosa
Playa Hermosa is about twelve kilometers south of town, fifteen minutes by car, and worth every one of them. After the entrance gate off the paved road you’ll wonder for a minute whether you’re driving to the middle of nowhere — and then the road opens onto a long, wide, sandy beach that is rarely crowded. A small entrance fee covers the access road and security. There’s parking a few steps from the sand, a beach restaurant with shade palapas and hammocks, board rentals, outdoor showers and real bathrooms, and a beachfront ecolodge if you decide one afternoon isn’t enough.
Living near Playa Hermosa. Hermosa itself is a day-trip beach, not a residential one. The buying opportunity is the land behind it — acreage and ocean-view parcels in the hills between Hermosa and Escamequita, from about $30,000 for a lot to several hundred thousand for acreage with a home, at the time of writing. Browse Las Fincas de Escamequita and our land for sale in Nicaragua page.
Playa Yankee
If you want a long walk by yourself, this is the beach. Coming from town you turn toward the coast just before the Flor de Mar development and follow the road until it ends; the footpath puts you on the north end of the beach. From there it’s more than half a mile of open sand with no restaurants and no houses on the beach itself. At low tide the sand dollars are everywhere. There’s one small patch of shade at the south end, which is also the best spot to watch the surfers — Yankee is well known as one of the best breaks south of town. There are no board rentals here, so bring your own, and bring water.
Living at Playa Yankee. Yankee is where the most affordable ocean-view lots on this coast are. Parcels in the hills above the beach start around $22,000 and run to about $85,000 at the time of writing — many in off-grid, solar-friendly communities a short walk or drive from the sand. See Vida at Playa Yankee and El Silencio.
Playa Escameca
Escameca is a gem you reach through the gate of the Costa Dulce community — a small fee per car — and the only people on the beach are residents and guests of a couple of eco-hotels. There’s a proper surf break, rocks you can fish from, and an estuary at the south end that’s perfect for bird-watching or paddleboarding on flat water. A beach restaurant serves fresh seafood, and one of the eco-hotels rents boards and gives lessons.
Living at Playa Escameca. Costa Dulce is one of the few gated communities on the coast with private beach access and a surf break inside the gate. Ocean-view lots run roughly $65,000 to $165,000 and finished homes up to about $750,000 at the time of writing. See Costa Dulce real estate.
Playa El Coco
Playa El Coco is a white-sand beach with several access points off the main road. It’s a bring-your-own-chairs-and-cooler beach, with hotels and vacation rentals steps from the sand for anyone who’d rather be served. A turtle hatchery sits beside the beach, so with a little luck you can watch hatchlings make their run to the water.
Living near Playa El Coco. El Coco is mostly vacation rentals and a few homes. Buyers looking at this end of the coast usually end up one beach north in Costa Dulce or on acreage inland — see our land for sale page.
La Flor Turtle Reserve
La Flor is one of the special beaches of San Juan del Sur. It’s a government-protected reserve where thousands of Olive Ridley and Leatherback sea turtles lay their eggs each year, and it’s the surest bet on the coast for seeing them. Come at night with a red flashlight — red light disturbs the turtles less — pay the entrance fee, and the park rangers will brief you and help you find the nesting mothers on the sand. Turtle season runs roughly June through March, with activity tied to the moon. Hatchling releases happen around sunset. At least once a year La Flor sees an arribada — a mass arrival of turtles nesting at the same time, around the clock for several days — and it is a once-in-a-lifetime sight. Shuttles run from town, and you can call the ranger station to check activity before you go.
Living near La Flor. You can’t — it’s a reserve, and that’s the point. The nearest homes and land are back toward Escamequita and Escameca.
Farther south
Past La Flor the coast keeps going: Playa Anima, Ostional, Playa Escamequita, Tablas and more. They’re beautiful and mostly empty, and if you want them, you’ll have to come see them for yourself.
Beaches north of San Juan del Sur
North of the bay the road climbs over a headland and the coast breaks into a series of bays, each with a different character — a calm swimming beach, a surf town, a beach you need a 4×4 to reach.
Nacascolo
Nacascolo is the first bay north of town, tucked behind the headland and only minutes from the center. It’s calm and quiet, and it’s the closest “beach outside town” you can live above while still being able to run into San Juan del Sur for dinner.
Living at Nacascolo. Several hillside communities look straight down onto the bay. Lots run roughly $30,000 to $60,000 and homes from about $240,000 to $550,000 at the time of writing. See Malibu, Los Miradores and Vista Mar Nacascolo.
Playa Marsella
About twelve minutes north of town, Playa Marsella is known as one of the calmest beaches in the area, which makes it the local favorite for swimming, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking. Large beachfront homes line the coast and give the beach its distinctive backdrop. A couple of small restaurants at the north end serve fresh seafood and the usual beach fare.
Living at Playa Marsella. If you want to be on the beach rather than above it, Marsella is one of the few places on this coast where that’s realistic. Inventory at the time of writing runs from a jungle cabana around $70,000 and homes in the gated Bosques del Mar community from the high $100,000s, up to true beachfront homes and land from $650,000 to several million. Browse our beachfront real estate page.
Playa Maderas
Playa Maderas is known around the world for its surf and its atmosphere. Fifteen minutes from town, it has waves more than 300 days a year and a handful of restaurants and bars that give you shade and a front-row seat to the action in the water. The sunsets are the best on the coast. At low tide, walk north across the rocks to find a second, quieter beach that most people never see.
Living at Playa Maderas. Maderas is the surf town of the coast, and its real estate reflects that: casitas from around $75,000, ocean-view lots around $125,000, surf houses under $200,000, and cliff-front estates over $1 million at the time of writing. We recently closed a Maderas surf house with the buyer in Germany and the seller abroad for the whole process — here’s how that worked. Current listings are on the Cinco Bahias page and in our San Juan del Sur search.
Playa Majagual
One of our favorites. Majagual is one of the northernmost beaches of San Juan del Sur, about twenty-five minutes from town, and you’ll want a 4×4 to get there. The rugged access means fewer people make the trip, and we’ve been the only ones on the sand more times than we can count. A small shop sells cold beer and sometimes food; amenities are otherwise sparse, so bring what you need for the day.
Living at Playa Majagual. The hillside community of Balcones de Majagual has ocean-view homes from roughly $315,000 to $575,000 at the time of writing, plus smaller casitas below $200,000. It’s the choice for people who want the beach to themselves and don’t mind the drive.
Which San Juan del Sur beach is right for you?
- Swimming and families: Playa Marsella, Playa Hermosa, the town bay.
- Learning to surf: Playa Remanso.
- Serious surf: Playa Maderas, Playa Yankee, Playa Escameca.
- Seclusion: Playa Majagual, Playa Yankee, Playa Escameca.
- Sea turtles: La Flor, and El Coco’s hatchery.
- Close to town: the bay, Nacascolo, Remanso.
- Living on the sand: Playa Marsella, Playa Remanso.
- Most affordable ocean view: Playa Yankee, Nacascolo.
Buying near a San Juan del Sur beach: what to know
A few things that shape every beach purchase on this coast:
The 200-meter coastal zone. Any property within 200 meters of the high-tide line requires a CONO (Certificate of No Objection) — a government approval that typically takes 12 to 18 months and shapes how a beachfront deal is structured, usually with funds staged in escrow while it processes. It’s routine when handled correctly, and it’s the main reason a true beachfront purchase runs on a different timeline than a lot on the hill behind it. Our buyer’s guide walks through it.
Beachfront vs. ocean view. On this coast the price difference between the two is large, and the view from 200 meters up the hill is often better than the view from the sand. Most of the inventory above — and most of what our clients buy — is ocean view.
Gated beach access. Communities like Costa Dulce and Bosques del Mar sell something you can’t buy on the open beach: a gate between you and the road, with the sand still inside it.
Access affects value. A beach that needs a 4×4 (Majagual) prices differently from one on a paved road (Marsella). It also stays quieter, which is exactly why some buyers want it.
You don’t have to be here to buy. Video walkthroughs, independent legal due diligence, and a bonded, insured third-party escrow are how many of these transactions close now — here’s a real 2026 example.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best beach in San Juan del Sur?
It depends on what you want. Playa Maderas is the best-known surf beach, Playa Marsella the calmest for swimming, Playa Hermosa the best long day-trip beach, and La Flor the place to see sea turtles. The town bay is the most convenient.
Which San Juan del Sur beaches are good for swimming?
Playa Marsella and Playa Hermosa have the calmest water. The town bay is sheltered. Surf beaches like Maderas, Remanso and Yankee have more current — swim near other people and watch the flags where there are any.
How far are the beaches from San Juan del Sur town?
Nacascolo is about 5 minutes north; Remanso about 10 minutes south; Marsella 12 minutes north; Hermosa, Yankee and Maderas about 15 minutes; Escameca about 20; Majagual and El Coco about 25; La Flor about 30.
Do you need a 4×4 to reach the beaches?
Only for Playa Majagual, and for some of the smaller beaches farther south. Remanso, Hermosa, Marsella, Maderas and Nacascolo are reachable in a normal car in the dry season; a higher-clearance vehicle is more comfortable on the dirt roads in the wet season.
When is turtle season at La Flor?
Roughly June through March, with the largest arrivals (arribadas) typically in the second half of the year. Activity follows the moon; call the ranger station or ask us before you go.
Can foreigners buy beachfront property in San Juan del Sur?
Yes. Foreigners can own property in Nicaragua outright — in their own name or through a local or foreign entity — with the same rights as citizens. Property within 200 meters of the high-tide line goes through the CONO process, which adds time and is structured with funds staged in escrow; it’s a well-trodden path we handle routinely, together with your lawyer.
See the beaches for yourself
Every beach on this list is within half an hour of our office in San Juan del Sur. If you’re planning a visit, tell us which ones matter to you and we’ll build the day around them. If you’re not here yet, we’ll send video from the beach you’re considering. Contact us for a free consultation — and check how to get to Nicaragua if you’re coming for the first time. Or skip ahead and browse every home, lot and condo for sale in Nicaragua in one place.
We’ll see you at the beach.
