Surfing Nicaragua - Popoyo and around

L. going in for a sunset session.

Where to eat, sleep, surf & repeat in Popoyo, Nicaragua.

EAT.

Food Truck

There aren't many shops in Popoyo. The 'town' is actually a stretch of sand between a lagoon and the beach. Luckily there are several food trucks every day, that shout their wares trough a megaphone. They offer the freshest fruit and some veggies. There aren't a lot of leafy greens around but there is one truck that sells some from an aquaponic farm in the area. 

Dutchie's Deli

We were in Popoyo in the low season (October) and Dutch owner (they're everywhere!) Alex, was closed most of the times. When he was open he had a limited menu and awesome coffee. Probably a great spot in the high season.

Viento Este

This place has a self built wood fired pizza oven and sells great pizza large enough for two. They have a nice terrace on the beach and it's cozy and fun for a romantic night with your luvva.

Club Surf Popoyo

The owner is Italian and this restaurant serves awesome Italian fare. Expect traditional Italian food, great home made bread and extra virgin olive oil. Yum!

Cafe con Leche

On the other side of Magnific Rock there's a little guesthouse that has a restaurant too. They have strict times on when they serve brekky, lunch and dinner but it's worth to be in time. Their smoothies are good, they serve bullet proof coffee and great cakes. There's usually a nice crowd of people and chilling in a hammock on the veranda makes for a nice change of scenery.

SLEEP.

Red Pepper Popoyo

I can not pretend that I have any other tips on where to sleep in Popoyo. We went to Red Pepper after a tip from the lovely V. we met in Playa Maderas. We intended to stay 2 nights. We ended up staying 10. Do I need to say more? Ok.

The courtyard © Red Pepper Popoyo

Red Pepper was started by Marc & Mariken, two Duchies (yes I know). They wanted to start a guest house in a warm country and ended up in Nicaragua. Together with their sweet helping hand Carlos, they did an amazing job, designing, developing and building their dream guest house and restaurant. So far, the guest house is almost done and as you can see this is a great place to stay. The beds are clean, large and the sheets are color-coordinated with the wall decorations and the towels. Did I mention the towels are super fluffy? The rooms are spacious and cool (as in actual cool, not hot) and have a huge fan on the ceiling. All the rooms have their own roof terrace with two hammocks and a picknick set. There is light, and plugs, and wifi. When we were there, they were just installing the mosquito screens. Make sure you bring LOTS of insect repellent though, as the town is right on a mangrove lake there's loads of biting insects.

Our room © Red Pepper Popoyo

Then, there is the shared kitchen. A HUGE kitchen, with a huge fridge for guests. There's good knives, a blender, an oven and a stove to use. Marc & Mariken make great coffee in the morning (25c) and order home made whole-grain bread from a secret source, for you to buy (85c). Needless to say, you can go crazy if you love to cook, like us. Also, it is a lot cheaper than eating out. Marc & Mariken can help you with tips on what to do in the neighborhood and had a yoga teacher come in for us especially, so we could have a semiprivate yoga class on our rooftop terrace. The teacher was very good and the price was amazing: $12,- per person. Highly recommended. 

Red Pepper is located very close to the famous Popoyo break, that is just a 10 min walk (a nice walk along the beach, and across a small river). It's a little further to Magnific Rock (20 min). The beach right in front is quite wild and only suitable for strong swimmers. You can surf there too, but make sure it's high tide and the swell is not too big, as everything gets magnified. About 20 mins walking in the other direction there is a wonderful rock pool that is good on low and high tide. It is a little bit of a climb.

Daily commute.

The other main attraction of Red Pepper is the lovely team. Marc, Mariken, Carlos, Vader the cat (not even theirs officially) and the random dogs that come and go as they please. They made us feel welcome and at home, part of a small family almost. They arranged stuff for us, bought us bread and chocolate, Marc went surfing with us, they told us amazing stories, and even dropped us off at our next destination: Playa Colorado. All of this for the amazing price of $35,- a night, 10% discount if you stay 7 nights or longer. We love you <3

SURF.

Popoyo

L. making some nice spray at Popoyo.

The famous Popoyo break is a beautiful reef break that goed both left and right. It is a regional (national) favorite and magnifies every little swell to be found in the ocean. It can be surfed all tides but seems better on high tide. Usually there's a good lot out, but when you go early in the morning there is more space. I was actually to scared to go in (I don't like hollow waves) but L. had the time of his life. I just played the good surf girlfriend and sat on the beach with iPhone in hand.

Magnific Rock

Me surfing at Magnific Rock.

A little further south from Popoyo there is a nice big rock in the ocean, and in between this rock and Popoyo Outer Reef there is a lovely left-hander that suited all my needs. Not too big, but big enough for a short board, a lot of fun with a longboard. They say this is a 'beginner' break but to be honest The first day I was out there the conditions weren't that beginner like, with a 14 sec period and sets of over 1,5 m. I had loads of fun here and would highly recommend this spot if you are not a hero like me!

Playa Colorado

Very Dutch; L. on his way to surf Colorado.

Technically, this is not Popoyo. Playa Colorado is a famous spot on a private beach which is part of Rancho Iguana. It is very hard to get to in the low season. Apparently in the high season there are boat trips that can take you there and there is also a road accessible by 4x4. We didn't manage to find any of those options available and staying on the ranch seems very expensive. After extensive research we found a gem however. Casa Ananas is a small cafe on Hacienda Iguana that has amazing food; vegan banana bread, acai bowls & organic coffee. They also happen to have two rooms to stay in for the amazing price of $40,- including breakfast and free use of bicycles to get to the beach. Perhaps not the best place to stay over the weekend if you like to go to bed early; the window of the room we stayed in opens directly to the cafe next door.

Very nicely decorated rooms!

They also have cute little boutique that sells bikini's, jewelry, bags and beach towels of several Nica brands, including Auric, which I mentioned in my earlier post.

Playa Colorado is an advanced beach break that barrels left and right. Even with a small swell this break offers big heavy surf. I was too chicken to go in and played the role of surf girlfriend with gusto. Expect a lot of good surfers, very rich Americans, local talent and the odd (semi) pro. There is another break called Panga Drops that is supposed to be more mellow but it wasn't working when we were there. 

EXTRA: TRANSPORT

Getting around in the area can be a bit tricky, especially is you don't have a car like us. We travelled to Popoyo by going to Rivas with the local bus. In Rivas we found a taxi on the bus station which involved a lot of haggling. In the end, we payed 400c to get to Popoyo. Make sure you tell the taxi driver you want go to 'Playa Guasacate' and keep paying attention while on the way. Usually, the taxi driver will try to chuck you out at Calle Popoyo, which is NOT where you want to be, unless you stay in Magnific Rock Hotel or Cafe Con Leche. Actual Popoyo is about 20 mins further. Our taxi driver tried to get more money off us by saying 'the road was unpaved' but he is from there so he did know. There is also a bus from Rivas that is a lot cheaper but it takes about 2 hours and involves hitchhiking the last part around the salt water lakes. From Popoyo you can get a taxi booked at the little shop, $25,- will take you to San Juan Del Sur, a very good option and a great price, possible because the driver is actually from Popoyo and doesn't have to come all the way from Rivas.