Christmas here looks nothing like Christmas at home but in the best way possible. You wake up warm. The rain is gone. The hills are still green from the wet season, and the sky is blue for days. The kids are in the pool before breakfast, and someone is already out at Colorados.
It is our busiest two weeks of the year, so here is how to plan it so you get the experience you want.
Last year’s Christmas Day. Red is compulsory :-)
Book early, because the houses go
Families start booking Christmas in the middle of the year. By November, most of our bigger houses are gone for the week of the 25th and the week of the 1st. The smaller condos last a little longer, but not by much.
If you know you want to come, pick your dates now. Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, and so does New Year's Day. That makes two clean weeks to choose from, or one long stay across both.
The five night minimum
Every house carries a five night minimum over Christmas and New Year, but five nights is about right anyway. The first day goes to getting here and getting settled. After that you want time to slow down. Most families who come for five nights wish they had booked seven.
What the week is like
December is the start of the dry season. The rain stops, the dust has not arrived yet, and the evenings cool off just enough. The surf stays good, with swells that suit a range of levels. Mornings are often clean. Our guides can sort out lessons for the kids, or a session on the outer breaks for the ones who charge.
Not everyone in a family surfs, and that is fine here. There is a 9-hole golf course, driving range, pickleball day and night, horse rides, hiking trails, yoga, pilates studio and fishing trips. The beach club has a pool and volleyball. The kids club at Ola Studio keep the younger ones busy. The beach walk at low tide down to Gigante is a good way to burn off Christmas lunch.
Nicaragua also has its own way of doing December. On the night of the 7th, families across the country celebrate La Gritería. People build altars to the Virgin Mary all around in Nicaragua’s towns, and neighbors go door to door singing for sweets and small gifts. New Year's Eve brings fireworks along the coast. You do not need to plan any of it. It just happens around you.
Which house fits your group
For a big family, or two families together, Casa Congo is the one. It sleeps ten and more across four bedrooms and an attached casita, and it sits a short walk from Colorados and the beach club. It is also the first house to book out.
For two families who want their own space, look at Casita U22 and Casa Tres Palmas together. They are two 2 bedroom houses that share one pool, and they sleep up to ten between them. Everyone gets their own kitchen and their own door, and the kids meet in the middle.
For a family of six who want the beach out the front door, the Rio Dulce oceanfront condos have three bedrooms and sit right next to the beach club and Pili's restaurant. Casita del Sol, one row back from the beach, has two kitchens and a layout that splits into separate spaces, so grandparents can have some quiet.
For a group of adults who want the best view we have, our CostaMar condo looks straight out at Panga Drops. It takes no kids under ten, so keep that one for the crew trip.
Food, sorted
Cooking Christmas dinner on holiday is nobody's idea of rest. We can put a private chef in your kitchen for $40 per person per day, and that covers three meals. Tell us early if you want one over the holidays, because our chefs get busy too.
Surfing with a crew instead
If you want to come with your surf friends rather than your family, think about January. The holiday crowd goes home, the swells keep coming, and the houses open up again.
That is a great time for the Wave Hunter package. Six nights in a private house with air conditioning, a chef cooking three meals a day around your surf, airport pickup in Managua, guided sessions on our home breaks, and boat trips out to Lances Left, Playgrounds, or Manzanillo. A photographer shoots you all week. There is one massage, and a sunset beach BBQ with cold beers and Flor de Cana to close it out. From $1,300 per person with a crew of six depending on the dates.
See the full package or email info@thesurflink.com and tell us your dates.
Your next step
Send us your dates, how many of you there are, and the ages of any kids. We will tell you which houses are still open and match you to the right one.
