Green Postcards

Secluded (and sustainable) breaks at Los Cardones Surf Lodge, Part 2

See yesterday's post for more details on this Nicaraguan secret surf spot.

Los Cardones Surf Lodge
Nicaragua
Directions
Phone: +505 6187314
E-mail: infoloscardones AT yahoo.com

Los Cardones has six rustic-chic bungalows. The bungalows are electricity-free, and they each have their own private showers and sinks. (Shared toilets are close by.) Each has a terrace with hammocks and chairs for relaxing after your surf sessions. Mosquito nets are provided, of course.

If you’re a beginning surfer, the lodge suggests you book your travel between November and March to get the best novice waves. Lessons are $10/hour per person and board rental is $15 per day. (Boogie boards are $5.)

Rates are all-inclusive, including meals and drinks – it’s like crashing a friend’s secret surf-spot and raiding her fridge… all for the reasonable fees you’ll find below.

Basic All-Inclusive Daily Rate: Includes lodging, meals, and drinks (no airport transfers). $95 per night if you stay by yourself. $69 per person for double occupancy. $65 per person for triple.

Three-night surfer package: Includes lodging, meals, drinks, and return transfers from the Managua airport. $395 per person for one. $262 per person for two. $232 per person for three. ($77 - $132 per person, per night.)

Five-night surfer package: Same as above. $585 per person for one. $400 per person for two. $362 per person for three. ($72 - $117 per person, per night.)

Seven-night surfer package: You know the drill. $775 per person for one. $538 per person for two. $492 per person for three. ($70 - $111 per person, per night.)

Family Rate: Includes lodging, meals, drinks, and transfers for two adults and two kids (under 12). $1000 for five nights. $1356 for seven nights.

Employment Opportunity: If you’re looking for a longer escape, and are multi-lingual, check out the month-long waiter stints available. Surfers with great table-side manners can earn themselves room and board, $100, and tips.

Surfin’ Yogis: Neoalpine Yoga is hosting a Surf & Yoga retreat in November. Contact Kritsin Campbell for details (neoalpineyoga AT gmail.com).

Before you go, read up. Matt Warshaw’s highly praised The Encyclopedia of Surfing should help you considerably when you chat up your fellow wave-riders.

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Secluded (and sustainable) breaks at Los Cardones Surf Lodge

If you follow the (very) involved directions, which take you down Pacific Coast dirt roads and through a cattle ranch, you will eventually find Los Cardones Surf Lodge, six bungalows on a stretch of empty Nicaraguan beach with breaks that belong to the lodge’s guests alone. The lodge’s accommodations are simple, so are the all-inclusive rates, and that’s the point: Simple surf hospitality with a strong under-current of sustainability.

Los Cardones is run completely on solar power. Grey water is recycled; the toilets are composting. Kitchen waste is composted, too, and tin cans and some plastics are recycled. (One of the lodge’s current projects is increasing plastic recyclability.)

The lodge’s buildings were made from local and eco-friendly materials like palm fronds, driftwood, “fast-growth” wood, and bricks. The buildings were designed to blend in with the forest; the lodge is keeping seven acres of land as a wildlife habitat. Anne Laure Sitton, who owns the lodge with her husband, Izic, says they often watch over sea turtle eggs to make sure they aren’t stolen by poachers.

Anne is proud of building a “responsible” business that provides jobs for sixteen people. The lodge further supports the community’s economy by stocking its open-air restaurant with local goods. “We buy our fish from the local village,” says Anne. “We buy produce from the local farms (as much as they have available); they use organic farming by default.” Los Cardones also sponsors Arte Accion, an art, English, and social values program for neighboring village kids. “Our guests are invited to join us at Arte Accion every Saturday,” Anne says.

The smiles on the faces of Arte Accion students is one of Anne’s can’t-miss sights at Los Cardones. Also on her list: Catching a glimpse of a caiman (a relative of the alligator), the brightly feathered trogon, or hatching turtles. There are miles to hike, lots of fishing to be done (especially during the rainy season from June to October), and beach-front tours on horseback ($12 for 2 hours). And, of course, surfing.

Come back tomorrow for details on the bungalows and rates!

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