Playa Yankee & San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
February 15-18, 2015
Days 8-11 of a 12-Day Adventure
The drive to the Pacific Coast from the ferry dock was easy-
no more than an hour and a half- and the area got noticeably more commercialized
as we got closer to San Juan del Sur, a little fishing village turned tourist
hot spot with huge resorts and condo communities stacked up on the hills
surrounding the bay. But as we drove
beyond SJDS and onto our destination of Playa Yankee, things became noticeably less
commercialized again. The last few miles
were dirt roads and hills so steep that our driver had to turn off the AC and
back down to get a running start for one of them.
Walking through the gates of Orquidea del Sur felt like
walking into a secret garden. Staff
grabbed our bags as one of the owners welcomed us, walked us around the
property and showed us our room. This is
the most luxurious place we've ever stayed.
The infinity pool that overlooks Playa Yankee beach is the heart of the
lower level with lounge chairs and covered hammocks creating intimate spots within
manicured garden of palms, flowering bushes and cacti. We had lunch at the Main House on the upper
level and then settled into a relaxing day of having drinks brought to us and
napping the afternoon away. Our first
dinner was at a private candle-lit table under the stars with a bottle of
Champagne, a scrumptious meal and shared dessert.
The next morning they drove us to Da Flying Frog in the San
Juan Del Sur area for a few hours of rappelling and zip lining- one of the
highlights of our trip. Gustavo, the Aracne Rappelling guide, is a very interesting well-traveled person and I enjoyed
chatting with him while we were waiting to get started. We had one other person in our group, Jenn a
girl from California on a trip with her grandmother. We all hit it off quickly and had a fun
day! First we rappelled down a 50-meter
(dry at this point in the season) waterfall.
I was freaked out the whole way and inched down cautiously but gradually
felt more comfortable… just as I reached the bottom. Whew- glad I got that out of the way so I could
relax and take pics of J and Jenn dangling over the cliff.
We climbed a steep trail to a platform near the top of the ridge and were soon zip lining across some
pretty long lines through wooded areas and high over jungle-like ravines. The guides kept us all moving pretty quickly
- my adrenaline was pumping.
Breathtaking vistas of the SJDS bay would come into view as we soared
through the treetops. J and I have done
quite a few zip lining courses now- this was one of the very best!
After zip lining we rode into the heart of San Juan del Sur to
have lunch at a nice beach restaurant El Timon.
While we waited for our meals, I walked out onto the sand and to get a
closer look at the boats bobbing in the bay.
Although this is a very touristy part of Nicaragua, the beach was not crowded
and the views were impressive. After
lunch the hotel picked us up and we headed back so that I could enjoy a relaxing
massage in a pool-side cabana. That
evening, dinner was set up at one long table- a dinner party for the 9 guests
and the owners of the property. It was
lovely chatting with people from New York, Idaho and Canada.
We woke up early on Tuesday morning so we could leave in
plenty of time for our next adventure- another day of zip lining at Parque de Aventura las Nubes. The harrowing 4x4 ride up the
hill to the starting point was quite an extreme adventure in itself- the driver
really knew how to drive around hair pin curves on what seemed like 70% grade,
all while stopping to point out animals like sloths and monkeys along the way. After we donned our harnesses they took us on
a short walk up a ridge – the Continental Divide- so we could see amazing views
as far as Ometepe on one side and the SJDS bay and Costa Rica in the distance
on the other. The canopy tour was slower
paced than the day before but it had some interesting elements including a
portion where we were roped down a steep incline on the cable and a part where
we climbed a 78-step free-hanging staircase that bounced and swayed. At the end of the tour we played a pretty
intense game of checkers while waiting for our ride back to the hotel.
We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the
pool. I worked on convincing J to try
jumping in- it is no more than 5’ deep.
By the end of the day, I had video of him running and jumping into the
pool! He had totally transformed during
this trip from someone who was afraid to go in the water to someone who would
literally jump feet-first into it! We sat
quietly and watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean while enjoying an
intimate dinner on our last evening.
Our last few hours at Orquidea del Sur were spent soaking in
as much as we could. We walked up to the
top of the hill to get even higher views of Playa Yankee, the rocky
outcroppings that dot the coastline and Costa Rica just miles away. I explored the entire property just like I
did the first day to get one last look.
When our driver arrived, it was hard to say goodbye. Orquidea del Sur is
the most spectacular lodging we’ve ever stayed in- the views, the service, the
grounds- everything was marvelous. This blend
of laidback luxury and a little adventure was a splendid way to spend a few
relaxing days on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua.
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