Nicaragua.
Rancho Santana.

Recently my wife and I headed to Rancho Santana, a 2,700acre enclave hidden on the Western coast of Nicaragua. You definitely need a 4x4, and with that, it will be around a 3-4 hour drive from Managua—that’s if you know where you’re going. It is built around 5 surf breaks that are all different and amazing. The waves are fast, but with sand bottoms, it makes it a little easier to take some risks. Every house we saw for rent had some amazing view of the ocean. The homes are warm, rustic and you don’t feel they are too precious. It was nice to get away (but still have the convenience of wi-fi) and while it was just us two humans, we were not alone: a menagerie of animal companions came with the house including noisy little geckos, leaping little frogs, giant-ass spiders, and the rare scorpion. I highly recommend fish tacos at Yolanda’s. It took a little while to get used to the chickens, pigs, and puppies running through the restaurant, but if I can sleep with geckos and frogs jumping around, a dog chasing a pig really shouldn’t be too alarming. We explored a bunch of beaches around Rancho Santana as well, but the break inside Rancho Santana was ideal. While I surfed, my wife could lay by the pool that overlooks the break, read, eat and drink her fair share of cerveza. This is the ideal place to rip through 8 good long books, be really (really) warm, and return to civilization renewed.