Inside Sardina Surf Camp Popoyo: A Family-Run Surf School, Café & Boutique Stay in Nicaragua

Sardina Surf started as a surf school on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua back in 2017, built on a genuine love for the area and a desire to support local initiatives, culture, and community. Run by British-Nicaraguan family Erol Lopez and his partner Rose, it was always about more than surfing. Things like making sure guests know the names locals actually use for the breaks and beaches felt important from the start, and feel even more important now.

As Popoyo grows, so has the motivation to keep its essence alive and visible. In an area where so much is changing hands and changing face, having something that is genuinely family-run and locally owned feels worth holding onto.

El Chante Coffee Shop & Store came a few years later, when their youngest turned three and there was finally space to take on something new. With few options for a quality coffee in Popoyo, the idea was simple: a welcoming pit stop that felt like home, and a physical home for the surf school too. The name stuck before the sign went up. El Chante, Sardina, @alocalmovement — three names, one family, one place.

Sardina Surf Camp opened last year and has been growing steadily since. Boutique and personal by design, it offers surf and accommodation experiences tied to the natural rhythm of the place. Thatched roof cabanas, a fire terrace, the daily pull of the ocean. Guests have compared it to glamping, in the best sense.

From surf school to café to camp, it all comes from the same place: a real connection to Popoyo, Nicaragua and the people in it.

For more information see www.sardinasurfcamp.com and follow them on Instagram @alocalmovement @elchantepopoyo @sardinasurfcamp