playa poneloya

duquestrada

Poneloya used to be one of the most important beaches in Nicaragua in the years before the war. Las Peñitas was developed much later and properties was less worth over at the other beach. Now- 30 years later Poneloya seems laid back and abandomed in comparison to las peñitas but due to the fact that you can have absolute piece over there, this makes it once again so special. We have a house in poneloya and for me personally there couldnt be a better place than poneloya. Try el pariente on the main road one block after the entry to the beach.

lidiag306

We went to Poneloya for lunch on Sunday. It is a beautiful beach. The beach was clean but there is a strong surf.

things4all

It's a barren sand beach. You can be all by your lonesome, or you can find one of the hostels nearby and have cheap eats. The locals a friendly and the bus from Leon is only 12 cords.

taffani

This is where the people of Leon go to the beach, when they go. It is a long, sandy beach of dark volcanic sand. The sea is rough and wavy, good for surfing. There is no real beach service (carry your towel and whatever else you may need). A few local restaurants nearby but I have not tried them.

charlieb108

Less developed than other end of beach - but certainly some interesting places to eat / stay. The buis from Leon will reverse course here and go to Las Penitas. If you aren't hauling too much luggage, ride the bus to Poneloya, Las Penitas and get off at the main road and walk back to where you like.

ulloa2014

Poneloya is one o the beaches I have visited since I was a little girl, now I came back for visits from USA, Beautiful view and is good for Surfing

KailieRGD

very strong waves, very beautiful and a lot of culture. Recommended you take the bus to la playa! Also, bring lots of sun screen and be prepared to hang on to your stuff if you do not want to buy a cabana

ckingsleyb

For any surfer, this place is a dream- the waves are huge. However it's even nice for families because of the small sandbar and lagoon. There is a nice local crowd and a few restaurants nearby. Beware of little kids swimming in the surf, the waves are extremely powerful and there are riptides and a rocky bottom. I'd watch out for the tide as well, it rises fast.(Visited in Summer 2012)

369tonyh

The beach next door is cleaner and has foreign tourists BUT poneloya has much to be desired. The crowd is mostly local and there are many restaurants on the sand at the various places were there is public access. Hogs and shitting dogs ply the sand. I wouldn't eat here but the north end has a dirty albeit interesting spit of sand where you need to pay to park. But go ahead and have a look....its breezy and refreshing from fetid Leon heat. The los alpes ranch is on the road to poneloya and has en email address out front to make reservations. They offer various tours via horseback etc. don't show up there w/o reservations as they will be closed. they seem to be born again Christians and don't like their services interrupted.

colqueta

good fresh food. Service is not super fast, but I found that all in Nicaragua, slow down and enjoy yourself

stamatelopoulos

the sister beach of Las Penitas with much less traffic and things to do. the bus stops only at the edge of the beach so you have to walk then all the distance

SJH-SFSD

We visited several beaches on the Nicaraguan coast during our recent trip. The beach at Poneloya was very quiet - and we were there over a weekend. It's great for walking and searching for shells. Not the best for swimming - we found better beaches for swimming at Popoyo and around San Juan del Sur. However, if you are looking for a very relaxing place to get some sun without a crowd, Poneloya is worth checking out. There are a host of simple restaurants at the north end of the beach and along the estuary at the north end, serving fresh seafood and other items. Also, the sunsets are about as good as they come.We stayed at Hostal el Pulpo and found it to be a great option at a great price with access right out the gate onto the beach. Carlos is a great owner/operator who speaks very good English.

88JenS

Having previously been to San Juan del Sur, I was disappointed by Poneloya. It's not as stunningly beautiful, there are much fewer restaurants (and the one we did find didn't have very good food), and not much to do besides walk on the beach.

214fernandac

It's one of the most popular beach in Nicaragua located 20 kms from the city of Leon. In the beach you can find simples but good restaurant where eat fish and all kind of see food, the prices are cheap about 10$ for meal. In Poneloya you can find hotels and hostals where stay a few days for a relaxed period.

SteelhorseNYC

The relative quiet is plus, as is the abundance of freshly caught fish at a reasonable price. But the beach is far from pretty and not very swim-able either. IF you are in Leon, go see volcanoes and the night life, if you are looking for a beach go to San Juan del Sur