Keishia and Arthur at their reception.
If you watched our Panama travel video, then you might be aware that Arthur and I eloped in the fall 2014, and went on a mini-honeymoon. We’d planned that vacation, as a way to get to know each other through our engagement, but our impatience to be married got the best of us. Well fast-forward 6-months or so, and we had the wedding reception party to end all receptions, on the date of our originally planned wedding. As a parting gift, our amazing 150+ guest contributed to an online Honeyfund, which is a website in which your guests can pay towards the adventures of your honeymoon. Our people contributed generously towards flights, hotels, local transportation, surfboard rentals, cocktails, dinner, and more. We were overwhelmed and so grateful.
So this is our Nicaragua story, and our official Guniverse honeymoon, sponsored by our closest and dear friends and family!!!!!
A lot of people asked us? Why Nicaragua for your honeymoon?
Keishia and Arthur at Playa Majagual
For us, it’s because Central America has so much for the traveler’s spirit, and Nicaragua is an underrated paradise for the adventurer.
Sure, we’d heard of the paradise that awaits in Panama or Costa Rica, the tourist gems of Central America. But who thinks about, Nicaragua for a honeymoon? How many people told us that it’s dangerous, thinking about the civil wars, the cold wars, and the contra conflicts of the 60s and 70s? “Don’t get kidnapped by the militia,” we heard. What utter nonsense!! The Guniverse is a here to tell you that information is so “old news,” And not at all reflective of everything that this amazing country has to offer. Nicaragua needs to be at the top of everyone’s bucket list.
Nicaragua is full of beautiful terrain, sandy beaches, volcanoes, and amicable and hospitable residents. We researched that San Juan del Sur is a world-class surfing location on the Pacific side of the country. This amazing beachside community in the state of Rivas is about 2 ½ hours and 80 miles from the capital city of Managua.
The beach at San Juan del Sur
San Juan del Sur is remote and rural by most definitions. Our hotel for the week is Mango Rosa Resort, which is on a bumpy and dust-filled unpaved road. We quickly learned that motocross bikes and 4×4’s are the best mode of transportation for our area, which we quite enjoyed.
Our Bungalow at Mango Rosa Resort
As for the resort, Mango Rosa is the highlight of many of our travel adventures. The resort was established some years ago by the owner Greg, a surfer expat, who has created a new life for himself and his wife and child by opening this incredible resort for the surf and adventure traveler.
Mango Rosa is everything that you need—spacious bungalows, lush grounds, heated pool, yoga spaces, and a thatched roof restaurant and bar. Every night, the community of the resort comes together for the best ceviche, lobster, plantains, grilled fish, and drinks that we’ve ever experienced in Latin America. The cooks were just amazing and dedicated to making everything to perfection.
Nicaragua was about surfing as many beaches as possible, enjoying the scenery, and living an outdoor lifestyle.
The beauty of Mango Rosa is that they have daily activities and trips planned by their staff; they have coordinators, who will load you upin the resort’s huge 4×4 that they call La Bestia (The Beast) and drive the guests to various locales. The only way that one can get around is via 4×4, motorbike, or walking.
Our transportation: La Bestia
The beaches are far apart from each other, maybe 15 – 20 minutes. And the actual downtown area of San Juan del Sur is about a 20-minute ride. We caught rides to the beach for surfing for 3 – 4 hours a day, and to town for shopping and lunch. Along the way, there were times when we even picked up children and fishermen along the road. It was a surreal experience to ride along the bumpy roads with the locals; we felt a part of a special and helpful community. Almost like bumming a ride from friends or hitchhiking. Within in town, it was easy to find a cab, or even a bus/shuttle to take us back to the resort for $3.
Loaded up with surfboards
Offloading surfboards
Of all of the towns that we’ve ever travelled to in the surfing towns of Central America, San Juan del Sur is at the top of the list for a great little expat scene. Our guides Marisa (USA) and Ed (France) took us out one night with some of their friends from Germany and Finland, and we had a blast. We danced and walked the streets with so many beautiful, young, and free global travelers. When the Bruno Mars song, Uptown Funk came on, Keishia lost her mind and maybe a dance scene because it was their wedding flash mob song. The memories came back!
It seems that Nicaragua is a perfect landing place for Europeans backpackers as well as the American family, looking for a low-cost and fun vacation.
Ready to zipline!
Aside from the nightlife there was no shortage of things to do in the area, zip-lining, horseback riding, and fishing trips. On our last day, we went on a fishing and booze cruise, and we were delighted to bring home the spoils of our battle—a sturdy Mackerel, and the Mango Rosa crew freshly prepared fish tacos for all of our friends to enjoy. Nothing like catching a fish that can feed 10 of your closest new friends!
Arthur at Playa Majagual
Overall, we met so many amazing people from all over the world, and have gained so many awesome penpals and social media friends from this blissful honeymoon trip. If you love the rural countryside, surfing and other adventure activities, mixed with an expat nightlife scene, San Juan del Sur is a place to put on your bucket list.
Travel Essentials for Managua to San Juan del Sur:
Total travel time is flight time from the West Coast is about 4 – 5 hours, and you will likely connect through the mid-west. From Managua we went immediately to San Juan del Sur, which is about a 3-hour drive. We asked our resort if it was worth staying in the capital city, and they told us to just bypass, and get out to the countryside. We appreciate the advice and direct access to the resort.
I caught this!
Time of Year:
We went in February, which means that while the outside temperatures are warm (in the 80s), but the actual water temperature was pretty chilly. There were cold ocean currents that push the warm water out at this time of year. We wore“shorty”wetsuits, and to be fair, there were times when we got out of the water because it was too cold.
