This is a selection of topics commonly brought up about visiting Buena Onda Beach Resort. If you do not find what you are looking for here please shoot us an email and we will gladly assist you.

We are located in Southwestern Nicaragua in the province of Rivas. Our municipality is called Tola and is blessed with unbelievable natural beauty, some of the most laid back and friendly people on earth, perfect beaches and, of course, great and varied waves for surfing. The closest city is about an hour’s drive away (Rivas). Nicaragua is considered the safest country in Central America. Come and judge by yourself what all the talk about Nicaragua is about!

By plane: there are several airlines that fly from the US to Managua, Nicaragua. Among them are TACA, American Airlines, Delta, and the cheapo, Spirit Airlines. From the airport we can organize a pick up for you by four wheel drive. Our English speaking driver will wait for you at the airport and bring you right to our doorstep. The drive from Managua to Buena Onda Beach Resort takes about three hours. This is the quickest, most convenient and safe way to get to us. Rates for airport pick up is 120$ for 1-2, 140$ for 3-4, 160$ for up to 6 guests.

By rental car: Buena Onda Beach Resort is located in South western Nicaragua, on a beach called Playa Santana. We are about a one hour drive north of the city of Rivas. From Rivas you drive the paved road towards Tola and from there continue the journey on the well serviced dirt road in direction of Las Salinas. Just follow the signs to Rancho Santana, which are our neighbors. Once you pass the main gate of Rancho Santana, keep going north. About half a mile further, you pass a little village called Limon #2. Keep going north, another half mile, until you see our sign on the main road. Enter our private access road and keep following it until you hit the beach: Welcome to Buena Onda Beach Resort.

By bus: Take the bus in Rivas that leaves for Las Salinas or El Astillero. Get off in Limon #2. From there it is about a half hour walk to Buena Onda Beach Resort. You can also give us a call once you are in Limon #2 and we will come pick you up.

By taxi: A taxi from Rivas to Buena Onda Beach Resort costs around 25 dollars. Don’t let the taxi drivers rip you off. If one does not want to do the trip for that price, ask another one.

Send us an email and we happily give you availability details on room or villas.

Once you have decided on the accommodation you would like to book a deposit of 50% of your accommodation is required in order to guarantee your reservation. Once we get your reservation we will send you a Paypal Money Request which you pay using your credit card or existing PayPal account. As soon as we get the payment confirmation from Paypal, your reservation is firm. As long as your deposit is not received, your reservation is not secure.

The remainder of the accommodation, a key deposit of $20/room as well as the transfer to Buena Onda Beach Resort if applicable is due in cash (Nicaraguan Cordobas or US$) upon arrival.

Yes you can, as long you do so 30 days before your planned arrival. In this case we will issue you a PayPal refund minus incurring fees. The deposit is non-refundable 30 days prior to your arrival.

Cash: Our preferred method of payment be it in Nicaraguan Cordobas or US$. All our supplies as well as salaries have to be paid in cash and as our next bank is 1 hrs drive away, cash is the way to go. The nearest ATM is an hour’s drive away!

Credit Card: If you prefer not travelling with too much money on you we can offer you to pay with a Credit Card but we are forced to add a fee of 5%. Bring cash and save!!!

Paypal: We can only accept payments to our Paypal account for deposit payments before your stay. We do not accept PayPal payments for payment of remainders or bar and restaurant expenses.

Tipping is not really customary in Nicaragua. However, Nicaraguan workers have generally very low incomes. Tips will be highly appreciated. In our case we will add a 10% tip charge to your food and beverage bill which will be evenly distributed to our kitchen, bar and maintenance staff.

Yes, we do have satellite wireless internet throughout the resort. It is very stable and fairly fast, too. We charge a nominal fee of 10$ per room for the entire stay at Buena Onda Beach Resort for unlimited use.

Bring everything you need. We are in a remote area with the nearest city 1 hour away. There are no ATM’s, supermarkets or surf shops here.

People here do not have anything in abundance. Anything you would like to bring down will be highly appreciated. Clothing you do not wear anymore, stickers for the groms or notepads and pens for the local school kids. Bring something you can spare and make new friends!

We are happy and thankful to have well stocked local clinic just a 5 minute car ride from our resort, the Roberto Clemente Clinic. The doctor and nurses are well trained and do a great job in first aid in case of regular medical issues (heat stroke, flu, upset stomach, stitching small cuts from surfboard fins etc.). For more serious issues requiring a full service hospital there is one of the best options in Latin America, the Vivina Pellas Hospital Metropolitano, in Managua about three hours away by car.

We have a small beach shop where we have the most important items on hand such as sun screen, moskito repellent, wax, leashes etc. There are many small so called “pulperias”, some within walking distance, that sell goods like chips, drinks, toothpaste etc. The next larger super market is in Rivas a 45 minute drive away. If you plan to do some or all of your cooking (if you are staying in a villa with kitchen) we highly recommend stocking up in either Managua or Rivas. Contact us for details, we are more than happy to organize your pick-up including a pit stop at a local super market!

No, unless you book a villa with a kitchen. We do not have a communal kitchen neither do we have the possibility to store your foods and drinks in our fridges at the restaurant as we have very limited capacity.

There are very few mosquitoes and bugs year round. This is thanks to our constant off-shore breezes. However, once the breezes slow down there can be mosquitoes so we always recommend bringing a good repellent containing the active ingredient DEET, just in case.

We have two main seasons, dry and wet. Our dry season spans from November to April and is, as the name suggests, very dry with hardly any rain. The sky is blue and the off-shore winds can be very strong. The waves are generally in the 3-4ft. range. The wet season is also our surf season, it spans from May to October. Although called the wet season it does not always rain. It mostly rains at night or for short periods of time. The sky can be a little overcast what makes for temperatures that are very nice and less hot compared to the dry season. Wet season is very beautiful as everything gets very green and lush. Waves are in the 4-6ft. range with occasional larger swells.

Every season has its perks. Dry season makes for easy travelling as the roads are in great condition and the rivers do not flood, but it can be dusty and the waves are not as consistent. Wet season is beautifully green and the waves are great. It is up to you!

We close in October as it is the rainiest month of the year and we would not recommend to plan your visit during this month.

Yes, there are. We have a small beachfront restaurant about a 5 minute walk down the beach and a couple of other options also within walking distance.

Being a true tropical paradise, air temperature is between 28 to 30°C (82 to 86°F) year round.

Water temperatures peak in the range 28 to 30°C (82 to 86°F) on around June and are at their lowest in February, in the range 24 to 28°C (75 to 82°F).

Year round warm sea water temperatures mean that a rash vest and board shorts should be fine for surfing at any time of year.

Standard US plugs, 110volt. Any device that works in the US works here and can be charged.

Yes, we do. 5$ a day gets you bicycle for a full day.

Conditions are really good most of the time so your preferred short board would do the job 90% of the time. Bring a step-up board for those bigger days. As conditions are usually super nice Nicaragua is also a great place to bring some alternative shapes to get a good fell for them as you will surf A LOT!

We have all types of waves. Beach breaks, point breaks, reef breaks and slabs. We have waves for the beginner and the travelling pro. You literally have all above mentioned within walking distance from Buena Onda. No driving required unless you would like to explore even more.

Yes! We have all kinds of waves for beginner to pros. There is an empty beach within a short walk from us which is perfect for learning as it is beautiful, safe and most importantly, empty. We are not a surf school but are able to organize surf lessons by keen local kids to show you some tricks. Talk to us and we do the best we can.

We have a good selection of quality rental boards. We rent them at 10$ per day or 60$ per week. We maintain a stock of approximately 15 rentals. Most of the boards are standard short boards in the 6’0”-6’10” range with a few fun boards suited for beginners. We currently do not rent any longboards.