El próximo 4 y 5 de Julio será la Final del Circuito Nacional de Surf “SoBe Adrenaline Rush” 2009, en playa Santana, Tola.

The 4th and 5th of July at Playa Santana will be the final of the 2009 “Sabe Andrenaline Rush” Nicaraguan National Surf Circuit.

El Sábado por la noche habrá una Fiesta/Concierto en la arena con la banda Malos Hábitos, en parte gracias al patrocinio de Rancho Santana, la entrada será gratis!

Saturday night there will be a concert with the band Malos Habitos and thanks the the sponsorship by Rancho Santana it will be free for everyone.

La Selección Nacional se definirá según los resultados globales del Circuito, esta representará a Nicaragua en los Juegos Mundiales de Surf a realizarse en playa Hermosa, Jacó, Costa Rica, del 1 al 9 de Agosto 2009.

The National Selection will be determined by the results of the circuit and these competitors will represent Nicaragua in the World Surf Games in Playa Hermosa, Jaco Costa Rica from August 1 through 9, 2009.

La competencia por el primer lugar en Categoría Open está fuerte, se encuentran Rex Calderón, Luis Chamorro y Mario Martínez como principales contendientes al título de Campeón 2009. Mario Martínez tiene grandes oportunidades ya que el es local de playa Santana.

The competition for first place in the open category is strong, Rex Calderon, Luis Chamorro and Mario Martinez are the principal contenders for the title of Champion 2009. Mario Martinez has a great opportunity because he will be surfing his local break, Playa Santana, for the final.

En Juniors, Rex Calderón va de primero en la tabla, lo sigue muy de cerca Joel Chávez. La única posibilidad de que Rex no quede como Campeón es que Rex quede en 4to y Joel en 1ro en el evento Final.

In Juniors, Rex Calderon is in first place with Joel Chavez not far behind. The only possibility that Rex doesn’t remain champion is that Rex finishes in 4th place and Joel first place in the finals.

En Mujeres está casi todo dicho, la mexicana Maite de la Torre, que reside en Popoyo desde hace 4 años, sólo tiene que entrar al agua en la Final para asegurarse el Campeonato.

In the womens competition it is all but finished, the Mexican Maite de la Torre, who has resided in Popoyo for four years only has to enter the water in the finals to ensure her Championship.

El Sanjuaneño José Hernández ya está definido como Campeón en la categoría Longboard, ganando los dos primeros eventos lo que le aseguró el título.

San Juan’s own Jose Hernandez is already the Champion in the longboard category, and has won the first two events which guaranteed him the title.

En Bodyboard todo se definirá en la Final, la cual será muy emocionante ya que las olas de playa Santana, rápidas y tubulares, son excelentes para esta categoría.

In Bodyboard everything will be decided in the final, which will be exciting because the waves at Playa Santana are fast and tubular which are great for bodyboarding.

Andrew Zimern is the host of a show called Bizarre Foods which airs on the Travel Channel.  The show features Andrew sampling the strangest culinary delights that a country has to offer.  He decided to visit Nicaragua and sample some of our tastiest morsels.

Nicaraguan cuisine is varied in the different regions of the country.  Andrew samples a good mix of food from Matagalpa, Bluefields, Masaya, and Granada.   Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to San Juan del Sur. In the show he talks about how friendly and outgoing the people of Nicaragua are paints a beautiful picture of the country and it’s rich menu.  He certainly eats some of the strange dinner options we have in Nicaragua including: iguana, boa, armadillo, bull’s testicles and cheese with worms.

More than anything the show brings exposure to Nicaragua and brings Nicaraguan culture into the living room of millions of viewers around the world.

Take a peek at his blog on Nicaragua

Take a look at a video on food in Nicaragua

Nicaragua unveiled it’s new currency to mixed reviews.  Nicaragua has become the 27th nation to adopt a space age polymer bill and the fourth in Latin America behind Mexico, Guatemala, Brasil and Chile.  The government is promoting the new money as “resistant, secure, durable and hygienic”.

The new plastic-like material has a very different feel from the ratty ten and twenty cordoba bills that were in circulation.   The crisp bills are all different sizes, the bigger the more valuable.

The smallest  bill, the 10 cordoba note, depicts El Castillo on Rio San Juan on the front side side and shows Hacienda San Jacinto on the reverse side.

The slightly larger 20 cordoba bills celebrates the Caribbean culture showing a Palo de Mayo dance.

The 100 cordoba bill rejoices in Nicaragua’s most renown poet Ruben Dario and his hometown of Leon is honored with the cathedral on the reverse side.

The largest bill released to date is the 200 cordoba note, which shows the island of Ometepe with the national bird, the Guardabarranco, on the reverse side.

I have tried my best to tear, crush or crumple the new bills and they are virtually indestructible.    Aurora gives the space age plastic the thumbs up!

Nicaragua has made nationwide changes to all Nicaraguan phone numbers.    As more and more people use cell phones it became necessary to add one more digit to the existing numbers.  Remember the old days in the states when you only had to dial 7 digits?

It is now necessary to add an 8 in front of all cell phone numbers in Nicaragua and add a 2 in front of all conventional phone lines.

Aurora Beachfront Realty New Numbers

8884-7141
2568-2498

In other cell phone news, there has recently been a Movistar tower completed in Playa El Coco. This is a big step towards improving coverage south of San Juan del Sur to the Costa Rican border.

The sleepy surf town of San Juan del Sur Nicaragua is in the midst of peak season for international cruises.  With six ships from Windstar, P&O, and Princess Seabourn and Azamar lines docking in the bay in January, San Juan del Sur has seen thousands of visitors this month alone.  The cruise ship passengers get a small taste of what life is like in Nicaragua and for many it leaves them wanting more.

The cruise season began in November 2008 and will see no less than 30 ships visiting though May 2009.  With many lines now staying 24 hours, local businesses have enjoyed the upswing in visitors.   The cruise ships offer tours of Granada and the island of Ometepe in the Lake of Nicaragua.  There are also plenty of local activities like surfing, sunbathing, fishing, canopy tours and hiking that are made available to cruise ship passengers.

Although cruise passengers are short-term visitors, many have stopped by Aurora Beachfront Realty’s corner office to research opportunities in Nicaragua real estate investments.

Cruise passengers have commented on the high quality of life, affordable real estate, and low cost of living in San Juan del Sur. Many of the groups who enjoyed their stay in San Juan del Sur have booked return trips in order to tour investment property and get a better taste of the quality of life that Nicaragua has to offer.

The Aurora Beachfront Realty team has just returned from a successful 10-day investment seminar tour in Northern California. The investment seminars were inspired by large amounts of people in northern California who eagerly expressed the desire to learn more about investing in property on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast.  The focus of this trip was to present the best real estate investments in Nicaragua, as one of the only locally owned real estate firms in San Juan del Sur.

Aurora Beachfront Realty carefully selected three projects that we assessed as having the best value and being the highest quality real estate available in Nicaragua.   These projects included Balcones de Majagual, El Encanto del Sur and Agua Azules Condominiums.

Balcones de Majagual

Balcones de Majagual is a 265-acre beachfront project that offers ocean view lots with the option of building custom homes and a few different houses that are already completed.   The project is located 6 miles north of San Juan del Sur and has access to Los Playones beach, that is only a 10 minute walk from the famous Playa Madera surf beach.   Balcones de Majagual builds in an eco friendly manner and has some of the most impressive architecture in Nicaragua.  Balcones de Majagual is being developed by the same people that built Morgan’s Rock Eco-Lodge Hotel, a high-end eco lodge located directly north of the Balcones de Majagual property.

El Encanto del Sur

El Encanto del Sur is located 5 minutes north of San Juan del Sur and is the best selling Pacific Coast project of Nicaragua in 2008.  The land, almost 350 acres, begins just north of San Juan del Sur and meanders to the top of a ridge providing unparalleled views of the Pacific coast to the west and the island of Ometepe to the east.   El Encanto del Sur has set aside more than half of their land as protected green area, which shows their dedication to being a low impact green development.  They are offering large ocean view lots in Phase one and turnkey construction in Phase two as well as financing.

Aguas Azules Condos

Aguas Azules Condominiums is a project found within Hacienda Iguana in the Tola region directly in front of the surf break at Panga Drops.   Hacienda Iguana has the only fully functional golf course on the pacific coast of Nicaragua.  This is the ideal condo project in Nicaragua if you are a surfer, golfer or just looking to be directly on one of the best beaches.  The exterior of the building is a contemporary interpretation based on the rich colonial architecture of Nicaragua.   The beachfront condo building will be 5 stories with 5 units on each floor.  Aguas Azules is offering 1, 2 and three bedroom units all with direct ocean views and access to the best surf in Nicaragua.

The investment seminar tour had stops in San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Los Gatos. At each investment seminar Aurora presented a brief overview of the history of Nicaragua, recent trends in tourism and real estate in Nicaragua, and why Nicaragua is poised for growth. Each project developer presented his own individual project followed by a short question & answer session.  These presentations gave our clients a deeper understanding of the Nicaraguan marketplace and the specific projects that you can’t get through browsing the web.  Aurora will be hosting a series of seminars about Investing in Nicaragua in other locations across the US and Canada.  Please let us know if you would like Aurora to visit your area to learn more about Nicaragua real estate.

Great news on the horizon for the city of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and the surf beaches north of it. The mayor has announced plans to pave the “Chocalata highway” going north from the new municipal offices all the way to the Talanguera. The “Chocalata” is a road that hugs the back of San Juan del Sur and connects downtown San Juan del Sur with its residential side, across the estuary to the north. The “Chocolata” is also the only road that connects San Juan del Sur with the beaches north: Marsella , Maderas, Los Playones, Majagual. (for a description of these beaches visit Beautiful Beaches of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua)

The road improvement project has already begun the first phase, which is installing proper drainage and bridges along the 1.5 kms of road that will be paved in the next 12 months.

The project has gained huge financial support from a new apartment project called “Talanguera Beachfront Apartments”. Their contribution has helped pay for more than 80% of the costs of this road improvement project.

Last month the Talanguera beachfront apartments broke ground and made significant progress on the construction of their large scale beachfront endeavor. The project is being called one of the most ambitious beachfront condo projects in Nicaragua. They will be building over 50 different condo units in 3 different styles of buildings. The premier building will be called “Estrella del Mar” or Sea Star and will have 14, 3 bedroom penthouses to choose from all located just steps from the sand.

The project is located on the north end of San Juan del Sur in the residential area called “La Talanguera”. This area is characterized for its large beachfront mansions. Homes that have been traditionally owned by wealthy Nicaraguans. These beachfront homes are most often used for weekend getaways and during certain national holidays. Nicaragua Vacation Rentals rents a few different beachfront homes in San Juan del Sur in the Talanguera neighborhood. Click here for a description and some photos.

The area is naturally isolated from its more commercial counter part to the south by the estuary of San Juan del Sur, which runs in the middle of the bay.

The downtown side of San Juan del Sur is known for its restaurants, bars, shops, and night-life. The more tranquil, Talanguera, side of San Juan del Sur is a good option for second home buyers who are looking to be on the bay of San Juan del Sur with great access to the amenities of town while in a quieter more relaxing setting.

Talanguera beachfront condos are affordable pre-construction units that Range in price from $220,000 to $395,000. Sizes of each condo range from 122 sq meters (1300 sq feet) to 184 sq meters (2000 sq feet). There are 2 and 3 bedroom models available with the largest option being the penthouse that offers 3 bedrooms plus service quarters for live-in maids or caretakers.

The project has a large pool and bar/ restaurant area that will be shared by all apartment owners.

This project holds the promise of being one of the best and most affordable beachfront options in Nicaragua. The location also guarantees great appreciation in value. With the town of San Juan del Sur developing at an astonishing pace to cater to the huge influx of beach going tourists, Talanguera beachfront apartments are sure to go up in value.

You can reserve an apartment with $10,000 refundable deposit.