This trip is quickly winding down. We left Leon this morning via a tourist shuttle, headed for San Juan del Sur. The journey of only 135 miles took almost six hours with all the stops, including a half-hour stop in Granada to change drivers. We finally arrived in San Juan del Sur at 2:45 p.m.
Lodging: Hospedaje Central, San Juan del Sur. A festering cauldron of filth. The sheets were dirty and full of sand, but they did change them for us upon request. The door leading to the balcony didn't latch, and the sheer curtain did not fully cover the glass door. The balcony was nice and large; unfortunately, it didn't have any chairs and the hammock was ripped beyond use. The room was tiny, and there was no hot water. After our stay, I left a very fair review on Booking.com, and the hotel owner sent me a direct message saying: “Next time, stay in a Hilton.” Listen, buddy, a Motel 6 is the Ritz compared to this place.
The good news is, it was only two blocks from this dump of a hotel to the beach. So after getting our fresh sheets, we took all our valuables with us and fled down the road to see the sights. San Juan del Sur is party central, especially on Sunday Funday. The bars along the beach were going strong!
Playa San Juan del Sur
El Cristo de la Misericordia (Christ of Mercy) is a giant Jesus statue on a hill above town. At first, we thought we might walk to El Cristo, but that was before we turned a corner and saw how far and high it was. So we hired a taxi to take us up, wait, and take us down again for 500 cordobas (about $13). Money well spent. The hike would have been BRUTAL. The final 90 or so steep, uneven stairs from the car park was plenty.
El Cristo de la Misericordia
The 25-meter (82-foot) El Cristo is one of the tallest Jesus statues in the world, just six meters shorter than the famous Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The panoramic view from the top is out of this world!
San Juan del Sur Bay
San Juan del Sur
Nacascolo Bay
On the ride back to town, we made arrangements for the same taxista, Humberto, to drive us to the border with Costa Rica tomorrow at noon.
We swung by the hotel to clean up, then went to dinner at Sauced Pizza, in the Gastro Garden Food Court. The food court was lively and the pizza was fantastic!
Jana kicks back at the food court
After dinner, we walked along the malecon before returning to our hotel, where one of us at a time was able to enjoy the balcony by precariously balancing on the edge of the single, badly ripped hammock. It was still a lovely night.
Where are we again?
Chair-free balcony with defective hammock