Playa Los Aserradores is quiet and desolate, with impressive surf good only for experienced wave-shredders. Beginning surfers will have better luck at nearby Aposentillo and Bahía Santa Maria.
Stay at Hotel Chancletas (tel. 505/8868-5036 or 505/8879-0014, surfingnorthernnicaragua [at] msn [dot] com, www.hotelchancletas.com [1], $10 pp dorm, $35–85 for nicer rooms, with or without a/c), perched on a grassy rise. Activities include surfing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, or relaxing in a hammock. Chancletas has a full bar and restaurant for when the tides aren’t perfect. Miami native and owner Shay O’Brien is a great source of information and can point the way to nearby breaks.
There are two daily Los Aserradores buses, leaving from the Mercadito in Chinandega [2]. Buses leave Chinandega around 12:30 p.m. for these areas and return the next day at 5 a.m.
This area is also home to Nicaragua’s only luxury yacht-docking option, Marina Puesta del Sol Resort (www.marinapuestadelsol.com [3], $185), an incongruous multimillion-dollar, 600-acre development with gorgeous suites, and a dockside restaurant, all with stunning views over the estuary to the San Cristóbal volcano. They have a beach area and pool for events. The rooms are well equipped and nicely laid out. The restaurant offers a huge menu, including sandwiches for $6–9 and seafood entrées for $12–23. The Marina hosts the Flor de Caña International Fishing Tournament during the first weekend of December.
Links:
[1] http://www.hotelchancletas.com
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/nicaragua/northwest-coast/chinandega
[3] http://www.marinapuestadelsol.com