SJDS - accomodations on ocean
 

Seems like there are not any or many accomodations in SJDS in a reasonable price range ($100 or less) that are ocean front. Have you found some? Thanks.

Know what you mean! We are looking at SJDS for our next vacation. There are a few places that might interest you. Have you read anything about Hotel Victoriana? It's new (only 20 rooms) and according to what I'm reading it is right across the street from the bay/marina, pool overlooking the beach and within walking distance of most everything although might be over $100/night. There are a few other small places that are not far from the beach. Park Ave Villas are a couple of blocks from the beach and pretty reasonable. The map on their website gives a good idea of what's where.

I'd recommend Hotel Victoriana:

http://sanjuandelsur.typepad.com/san..._juan_del_sur/

For some reason their website has been down for a few weeks though!

I haven't been able to find Hotel Victoriana's website for a long time now. Why would this hotel be better than some of the others in the same price range?

I hear that if you want a rental car for getting around the SJDS area, it is best to wait until getting there to rent one. I don't see a car rental place on any of the SJDS maps I have. Are taxis available (around the market) in the evening hours? One of the package vacations we are looking at would have us staying at Villas de Palermo which isn't exactly a short walk from town or a safe bike ride at night.

Is SJDS the kind of place where it is easy to arrange last minute fishing trips? I see a town dock on one of my maps. We don't want to make plans ahead of time. One of the boats we considered fishing with in CR was up on the beach and under repair when we arrived. I realize no one knows when their boat will break down but if we'd booked/paid to go out on that boat I'm not so sure we would have had an easy time getting our money back.

What about the water taxis in SJDS? Are those primarily for going to private beach areas for the day or are there other trips offered?

Thanks in advance for trip planning advice.

Taxis are easy to find in the evening!
Victoriana is just a very nice hotel with a great location, why one hotel is 'better' than another is just opinion/ a matter of taste!
Yes you can usually book last minute fishing trips though not with the top operators.

http://nicaraguafishingtrips.com/

Water taxis usually charge by the hour/ half day/ day.
You can negotiate but generally they will have their 'routes' priced accordingly and if you want to go 'a la carte' obviously it will cost more