Playa Coco is a beautiful beach along the Pacific Coast of southern Nicaragua. It is considered one of the most spectacular beaches along Nicaragua’s Pacific Coast. The beach is about 1 kilometer long and it is quite pristine due to its remote location. The closest town is San Juan del Sur, approximately 12 kilometers away. It is about a 25 minute drive from San Juan del Sur to Playa Coco via a combination of paved and unpaved roads. Because this beach is off the beaten path, it is not at all crowded, making it the perfect place for rest and relaxation.

But this beach isn’t just for lounging. The waves at Playa Coco are ideal for surfing, making this locale a surfer’s paradise as well. We saw both veteran and novice surfers hitting the waves during our stay. Did I do any surfing, you ask? Yes! I did a lot of page surfing on my Kindle while listening to the waves crash in front of me. In case you didn’t already know this about me, I do not go into bodies of water unless I can see my feet (and all the other creatures) through the water.

Our luxurious, beachfront rental townhome was amazing and very affordable. The rental was part of a small, gated townhome community with 24 hour security. Each townhome had a magnificent view of the beach, private roof-top deck, garden patio, and stone walkways to the beach. Additionally, there was an oceanfront pool, as well as lush, tropical landscaping that was maintained daily.

Local restaurants and/or amenities were limited at Playa Coco. So, if you are looking for an area with lots of restaurant options and/or an active nightlife, this is probably not the place for you. There were just a couple of restaurants nearby and we were told they were quite expensive (exploiting the fact that options were limited). So we opted to eat-in on most days. We did our grocery shopping in San Juan del Sur and made sure to replenish our rum stock when needed.

A family renting the unit next to us, decided to walk to one of the nearby beach restaurants and they were robbed by a guy with a machete on their walk back to the property. The gated community with 24 hour security felt quite safe to me. But, outside the secured perimeter is a different matter altogether! Packing tip: If you plan to walk around at night in isolated areas of Nicaragua, you might want to bring your own machete. This is completely legal as long as you check your bag!