Las Penitas — The Mark of Joy

Oh Las Penitas, how I love you. This tiny beach town is close to the city of Leon. It is a long stretch of beach with a few hostels, hotels and restaurants along the shoreline. No reason to have a car or shoes. Days are long and slow here and the sunsets are show stoppers.

The Simple Beach Lodge was the perfect spot for my time here. It was simple (ha!), inexpensive, but so damn cute. Imagine walking into your room and climbing a ladder up to your lofted bed, draped in a bug net, and an opening in the wall that allows you to look down to the water. No reason to have a sound machine, I could hear the ocean waves crashing all night long. And all for less than $40 a night.

Las Penitas is inexpensive. A beer is $1 and a full breakfast is only $3. Your money stretches far here. When you head to the more popular tourist spots, like San Juan Del Sur, expect prices to double.

This small beach town attracts backpackers and locals. There isn't a wild nightlife scene, but there are some cool spots to grab dinner or a beer. A few of the hostels will host a bonfire with music and drinks. This is a great launching pad to explore the northern part of Nicaragua and the city of Leon. Or, you can just bum around the beach every day, catching waves, drinking fresh smoothies, and swinging in the hammock.

Top things to do when visiting Las Penitas

Stroll the beach

Imagine one long beach that stretches in both directions. As you walk, you hardly pass anyone, except for the few surfers running out to catch waves. The birds cruise along the tops of the waves. Surfers paddle out. And there are unique rocks on shore that you can climb. Makes for a great photo or a bit of shade!

Beach front yoga

Marketing is not a strength of any spot here, so you'll need to ask around to find the classes. many of the hostels offer a class a day. I attended a morning class at Yoga Chikitsa. Check out this spot!

Volcano boarding

Of everything I've done while traveling, volcano boarding is easily the top experience. I booked the half day excursion through my hostel. I was picked up by two guides and was accompanied by two other guests. We hiked Volcan Cerro Negro, stopping along the way for photos. The hike is about 45 minutes for a group of in shape folks. Since the group has to stick together, you're only as fast as your slowest group member! Once we got to the top, we changed into our gear (provided by tour company) and down we went. Don't let fear of heights or speed stop you from doing this. I smiled the entire way down, resulting in rocks and ash lodged in my gums and teeth. This excursion offers it all, great exercise, great views and a great thrill. An added bonus was spending the day with two locals. We drove through cow-filled dirt roads to get to the volcano. We had so many laughs along the way.

Beachfront restaurants

The bulk of the town exists along the single road with the majority of restaurants on the water side. You can stroll the road or the beach and pop into each spot. This is a tiny town, so you don't have too many options but you can't really go wrong. The places I liked most are:

SUA Grill and Chill
- Best outdoor vibes
Playa Roca
- Fish tacos are a must!
Simple Beach lodge
- Breakfast or lunch and evening bonfires
Mama Pizza
- Nica time was taken to a whole new level at this place, but it was nice to have some pizza!

Hi.

Mar 7 Las Penitas