Rancho Cecilia Nicaragua

**Bienvenidos a Rancho Cecilia a Surf vacation rental in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua!**

Sunset over Playa Marsella from the deck at Rancho Cecilia© 2009 - Scott Behrens

Welcome to our little tropical Rancho in the Country. Wake to the sounds of the Howler monkeys in the trees. Enjoy your morning coffee with the woodland birds. Then, head on down to the beach for a day of surfing, warm water and world class waves!

Head back to the Rancho at the end of the day and enjoy sunset in the jungle. Enjoy dinner at our local restaurant and sample Nicaraguan cuisine or stay at home for a quiet dinner prepared by our Nicaraguan cook. Come and spend some time with us on your vacation and enjoy our slice of paradise!

Our howler monkeys at Rancho Cecilia© 2009 - Liz Hart

The Surf

Empty lineup at Playa Maderas© 2009 - Scott Behrens

Rancho Cecilia is located 1 kilometer inland, as the crow flies, from Playa Maderas, the most
consistent surf spot in Southern Nicaragua. Playa Maderas is a fun wave that is good for surfers from beginners to experts.

The lefts are the most consistent....

Scott enjoying one of the many lefts at Playa Maderas© 2009 - Liz Hart

......but there are also rights to be had!

Liz enjoying a right© 2009 - Scott Behrens

Southern Nicaragua is blessed with almost 330 days per year of off shore winds! Perfect for surfing all day!

If you looking for surf vacation then Rancho Cecilia is the place for you! Your hosts, Liz and Scott having sailed from California settled here in Southern Nicaragua because of the amazing surf! Warm water, fun waves and great locals are just some of the reasons we call Rancho Cecilia home!

Unridden Wave at Playa Maderas© 2009 - Scott Behrens

Since we are a small resort, we can customize your surf vacation for what ever you’re looking for in a surf vacation.
Surf all day, do the town at night, or just hang and watch the sunset with a cold beer.
Want to do some panga trips to other surf spots in the area. We love doing panga trips!
Do you want to learn to surf? Private surf lessons and surf board rental are available.

Rene's surf lesson© 2009 - Scott Behrens

We specialize in teaching women to surf. Geared to the beginner surfer that has always wanted to learn to surf or the novice that has tried surfing a few times, our surf camp is customized to having fun while learning in beautiful Nicaragua.

Rene's first ride© 2009 - Scott Behrens

How about some photos of your surfing vacation! We also do surf photography and can get some photos of you enjoying your surf vacation!

Playa Maderas Surf Vacation© 2009 - Scott Behrens

When to come?
Since Playa Maderas is the most consistent spot in Nicaragua, there is almost always something to ride.
A rough break down of our surf seasons, in our opinion, is;
May, June and July is our most consistent and largest surf, 4-6 feet plus on average. The rainy season starts in May and in just a couple of weeks the jungle greens up!
Many days during these months are bigger! Playa Maderas can start to be a bit of a close out over 6 feet, this is when we plan most of our panga surf trips to our other surf breaks both North and South!
August and September are still consistent but since this is our rainy season, on shore winds can start to blow.
October still has good swell size but weather is definitely an issue with on shore winds and it is the rainiest of the rainy months!
November starts the end of the rainy season and surf averages 3-4 feet. Our off shore winds come back this month.
December and January are the smallest surf months 2-3 feet on average. This is a good time to learn to surf, off shore winds prevail and the jungle is still nice and green from the rainy season.
February and March starts picking up more swell 3-4 feet on average and this is generally the time of the strongest of our off shore winds.
April starts the beginning of our good surf season with more consistent days in the 3-5 foot range.
There are always exceptions to these general guidelines.
But…..remember….we at Rancho Cecilia are here to surf!
Surfing is our priority so come and visit on your vacation and let's surf!

Accomodation

Sunset from the deck December 2008© 2009 - Liz Hart

Looking for a tranquil woodland/jungle setting to enjoy your surf vacation?
Rancho Cecilia is an Eco-friendly destination. Rancho Cecilia is "off the grid", situated on 2 manzanas(3.5 acres). We are not hooked to conventional electricity. Our electrical needs are supplied through our solar panels, wind generator and battery banks, we also have a backup gas generator and a generator for pumping water from our private well to our water tanks.
We have vegetable gardens for our fresh veggies and native cashew trees on our property.
We have built with as minimal disruption to the environment as possible.Our closest neighbors, the howler monkeys thank us for this as do the other woodland creatures that still call Rancho Cecilia home.

The Casita © 2009 - Liz Hart

Our rental unit, the Casita is a fully furnished, one bedroom, one bath little house with a full kitchen and a wrap around patio with outdoor BBQ. The Casita has it's own solar electrical system and water tank.

Inside the Casita© 2009 - Liz Hart

The Casita has a micro music system with a built-in universal dock for your i-pod and CD player with AM/FM radio. Also, the Casita has many books on its bookshelf. Bring and book or two to trade with us! And enjoy reading away the afternoon in the hammock!

Hammock at the Casita© 2009 - Liz Hart

Come visit us on your next vacation and enjoy some Nicaraguan hospitality!
Surfer style!

Time to go surfing with the family!!!© 2009 - Liz Hart