Playa Remanso is a popular surf spot outside of San Juan del Sur. It is also home to a recently-abandoned boutique hotel. Which one do you think I found more interesting?
There’s a short stone walkway along the water at Remanso, complete with a couple of strange structures and a mysterious path. Increasingly bizzare statues line said path as it moves up the hill – random dieties, not-quite-right animals, obese women. The path leads directly to a sprawling building that was once the “Hotel Boutique Remanso Beach.” It was functional as recently as 2012, but went through some issues with management. Clearly these issues were not resolved.
The plants are still alive and in bloom, and the grounds in relatively good shape. At first glance, the hotel almost appears to be functional. Many of the rooms seem almost untouched – mattresses on beds, dressers in corners, fans still afixed to ceilings. Several of the doors are unlocked, and if you try your luck you can find your way inside some of the rooms.
In the former lobby area is a kitchen and bathroom, the refrigerator and sink still standing. It appears a family has moved into La Oficina; or at very least taken to hanging their clothes there.
Walking out the back of the property dumps you on one of the muddy, mountain-side roads of Remanso, near a nice home where expats live and a large new property under development.