DETAILS
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

Sunday, December 24, 2006

GETTING THERE: Several airlines fly to Managua from the Washington area, including Delta, American, Continental, United and the Central American airline Taca. Delta's flight from BWI is $598 round trip for January travel.

GETTING AROUND: Frequent buses ply the bumpy roads linking Managua and most major cities and towns, including San Juan del Sur. The town is three hours south of Managua. Some of the nicer beach hotels will send a car to pick you up for $85 one way. You can also rent a car at Managua International Airport for about $30 a day, or a four-wheel-drive SUV, which you'll need to get to certain beaches, for about $90. A taxi from the airport costs $50 to $60.

WHERE TO STAY: Piedras y Olas (telephone 011-505-568-2110, http://www.piedrasyolas.com/) is a gorgeously landscaped hillside hotel overlooking the harbor in San Juan del Sur with WiFi Internet access and a poolside bar. Spacious rooms, each with a sitting porch, range from $120 per night for two double beds to more than $200 for a multi-room villa.

Villa Isabella (011-505-568-2568), a small, clean and charming inn in downtown San Juan del Sur, has a library and business center. Rates begin at $50 per night double.

There are several clean, spartan and all-but-indistinguishable hostels in downtown San Juan del Sur where rooms can be had for less than $10. One of the best is the Casa el Oro Youth Hostel (one block from the beach on Church Street, 011-505-568-2415, http://www.casaeloro.com/casaeloro/engles/index.html). There is also a small bungalow-style hostel directly on Madera Beach that is popular with surfers and costs only $5 per night (no address, but stays can be arranged through local surf shops).

WHERE TO EAT: La Cascada, in the main building at Piedras y Olas (see above), has seating both on the poolside patio and under its soaring, straw-lined roof. There's a mix of Nicaraguan and American entrees, and an extensive list of wines and Scotch. Dinner runs about $30 per person.

Big Wave Dave's, one block from the beach, serves the best burgers and biggest, freshest salads, along with typical bar fare such as nachos, for less than $5. El Timon, on the waterfront, serves a range of grilled Nicaraguan-style seafood dishes for about $12. El Gato Negro, a charming downtown bookstore and cafe one block east of El Timon, serves hearty breakfasts and an array of grilled or wrap sandwiches for about $5 each. The Open Air Mercado downtown has dozens of stalls selling local, short-order delicacies for a few dollars or less.

WHAT TO DO:

* Turtle-spotting at La Flor Beach begins in August, and October through December are the primary egg-laying months. Nighttime trips can be booked from Casa el Oro (see above) for roughly $80 for a group of six, including round-trip transportation and a local guide.

* Arena Caliente runs surfing day trips to Madera Beach for $35, including a lesson, transportation and a board rental, or $10 for round-trip transportation only.

* The beautifully preserved Spanish colonial city of Granada is easily accessible by bus (three hours each way, less than $10 round trip) or taxi (2 1/2 hours each way, $80 round trip).

INFORMATION: San Juan del Sur, http://www.sanjuandelsur.org.ni/.

-- Jonathan Finer