Playa Madera is a beach on the Pacific coast of south western Nicaragua with great sand and good surfing.

Get in

You can get to Playa Madera from San Juan del Sur by water taxi, taxi, or bicycle. The water taxi can leaves from Hotel Estrella at 10am and returns at 4pm, and costs about US$8. A taxi cab for two people costs about US$10-$15; the road is rough, and you may have to get out and walk up a hill or two while your cab driver tries to drive up backwards to take advantage of the front-wheel drive. A bike can be rented in San Juan del Sur for about US$5 per day. Hostel Casa Del Oro runs 3 daily Jeep shuttles to the beach with the first one leaving at 10 am and the last one returning at 5 pm. (C$50 one way, C$80 return).

Get around

Walk.

See

A nice beach, some good surfing, and good walking along the beach to the north.

Do

Surf, rent a surf or boogie board (about US$10 a day), or get a lesson (also about US$10). You can take a short walk north to another nice, more secluded beach offers less threatening waves for surfing or boogie boarding.

Eat

There is a food stand that sells basic food and snack items. There are no ATMs or banks, and the food stand does not accept credit cards.

Drink

Water and beer can be purchased from the food stand.

Sleep

• Surf Camp, Some rooms may be available and you may also be able to rent a hammock (with limited privacy and potentially no secure place to store your bags).

• The Hideout, (North of Playa Madera) a hostel that serves dinner for about $5 per person. It's not recommended to stay here if the owner, Dave, is on a bender. They guy is a misogynist maniac and will give you a night-long experience you will not forget, especially if you're female.
• Camping Matilda's, A family-run place with shared dorms, two-person rooms, little "dog house" huts and some fancier rooms as well, with prices ranging fromUS $5 to $25 per night.
• Don Martin's Guest House - follow the inland track from Camping Matilda's. Very clean hotel. Also has 4-bed dorms (US$8) in tiny rooms. Food at the restaurant is very average.
• Ecocasa 9, Balcones de Majagual (Behind Playa Majagual). Ecocasa9 is in the jungle up behind Playa Majagual and Playa Maderas. It is a beautiful architecturally designed house with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms as well as an infinity edge swimming pool overlooking the jungle and down to the Ocean. It is fully self contained which helps overcome the lack of food options in the area. It is also expensive if booked through the local agencies. Great place if you are surfing here for a while or looking to really get away from it all. US$600 a week.