A surfer's guide to living near Playa Yankee, Hermosa and Remanso
If your week is organised around wind and tide, the only question that really matters is how fast you can get from your bed to the water — and how many options you have when one beach is not working. Las Planadas de Escamequita sits a few minutes back from the coast near San Juan del Sur, with Playa Yankee, Playa Hermosa and Playa Remanso each a short drive away. Here is what a surfer's life looks like from a lot here, and what owning one actually involves.
Three beaches, one base
The Pacific coast of Nicaragua is known for long, dry, sunny stretches of the year and for a wind that often blows off the land in the morning — the kind of detail surfers plan their whole day around. What makes a difference is not living on top of one beach, but being able to look at three before breakfast.
From Las Planadas, by car: Playa Yankee is 3 min, Playa Hermosa is 5 min and Playa Remanso is 7 min. San Juan del Sur itself is 15 min. The project is inland, in the green hills of Escamequita, not on the sand — which is exactly why a morning check of several spots is realistic instead of a commitment.
- Playa Yankee — 3 min by car
- Playa Hermosa — 5 min by car
- Playa Remanso — 7 min by car
- San Juan del Sur — 15 min by car
A surf day, from the lot to the water
The rhythm here is simple. You are up early, boards already in the car from the night before, and you are at Playa Yankee in the time it takes the coffee to cool. If it is not right, Hermosa and Remanso are a few more minutes down the road, and you have lost nothing.
Mid-morning you are back, hosing off the salt, with the rest of the day open. Afternoons tend to be slow and hot in this part of Rivas, which is why so many people here keep a hammock and a shade tree in mind when they plan a house. Late in the day, the second session or the sunset is a short drive away again.
There is another way to reach the water too: the village has an equestrian centre with horse rides to the beach, which is a very different and very Nicaraguan way to end a surfing day.
What the village gives you between sessions
Escamequita village is a short walk from the lots, not a drive, and it covers the small things that make a surf trip turn into a life. Everything below is in the village, on foot:
- School
- Cafés
- Restaurants
- Bar
- Karaoke night
- Pizza night
- Pulperías (corner stores)
- Equestrian centre: horse rides to the beach
- Pickleball
- Football field
- Baseball field
- Health centre (centro de salud)
San Juan del Sur when you want the town
At 15 min, San Juan del Sur is close enough for a board repair errand, a supermarket run or a night out, and far enough that you do not hear any of it from your lot. That balance is the whole point of being in Escamequita: the bay and its Christ of Mercy are part of your week, not your neighbourhood.
Choosing a lot when you surf
Las Planadas has 57 lots in total, with 29 available lots today. They run from 800 to 1,190 m², which is room for a house, a shaded outdoor area, an outdoor shower and a board rack without crowding your neighbour.
Two things are worth thinking about. The lots on the main road are the quickest in and out when you are leaving before sunrise; the interior lots are the quietest for sleeping. Priced at $39/m², or $49/m² for the three lots on the main road, with −10% off every lot, the starting point is $28,080.
If two lots touch, buying both changes the maths: the largest keeps −10% and the others go to −15%. Some buyers do this to keep a buffer of green space beside them.
- 29 available lots, from 800 to 1,190 m²
- List price $39/m² ($49/m² on the main road)
- −10% on every lot; touching lots: largest at −10%, the others at −15%
- Water and electricity connection available
- Roads and drainage kept up, gated entrance
What it costs to own, and how to pay for it
$1,000 per lot takes it off the market. You then sign at the lawyer's office: the escritura is a public deed, registered, 100% in your name. Foreigners can buy; the lawyer tells you which documents are needed and prepares the escritura.
If you would rather not pay everything at once, financing starts at $650/month at 9% fixed per year, flexible and with no penalty for paying early. The payment plan is confirmed in writing before signing. The only recurring cost afterwards is the community fee: 5 córdobas per m² per year, for the roads and common areas.
And if you decide to build later, it is an option and never an obligation: we can build the house turnkey, like Villa Mariposa, or simply put you in touch with contractors and every trade.
A surf trip that doubles as a visit
The easiest way to judge a surf base is to live in it for a few days. Our four houses at the finca next door rent on Airbnb, rated 4.87 over 157 reviews: you can surf in the morning, walk the lots in the afternoon and know by the end of the week whether the drive to Yankee feels short or long to you.
Jesús lives on site and shows the lots in person or on a video call if you are still abroad. Write to us on WhatsApp with your dates, or with a lot number if one has already caught your eye.
