Leaving to be abe to stay Part II

Where to go?
We take this opportunity now to write about the Costa Rican neighbor of Nicaragua. In this slowly growing country, we widely recommend three destinations, briefly described:

GRANADA - a colonial city located one hour from the Capital City of Managua. Like every other city, Granada is also heavily affected by pollution and poverty. However, it is a city with old world charm, where you can see houses built in 1500‘s, low lit streets illuminated just enough to notice narrow, colonial character of the streets, and little book and handcraft stores randomly hidden about.

In the centre, you can enjoy a coffee or have a delicious dinner in one of the many Italian restaurants, owned and attended by Italian families. Granada, definitely is a place to see.

Best time to go: September (I was there in that month and the conditions were perfect; not many people at the border, not many tourists to compete with.)

Recommended hotel: The Oasis. The price of a double bedroom is around 28 - 30 USD per night. The price includes a fan, private bathroom, internet and TV in the common area. It is pretty close (about 2 blocks from the colonial center).

SAN JUAN DEL SUR - It is the most developed beach town in the country; there’s banks, ATM, restaurants and public transportation. The beach is wide and in one side it meets a river. You can see beautiful and colorful sunsets, and drink a cold Toña on ‘el malecón’ (beach boulevard). In December there are a lot of religious and spiritual festivities and during these days families open their houses doors to share food, drinks and music with the all believers.

ISLA DE OMETEPE - If I said that the above mentioned places are worth to visit, Ometepe Island is no less paradisiacal and it’s a visual and spiritual must see experience. Santo Domingo beach, an almost magical, infinite and beautiful beach. It is forever windy, that much that is close to being cold. All vegetables on the island are organic and the prices are affordable. Once there you can walk along the wide beach, check the restaurants and some outdoor activities organized by schools or the community. You can walk all the way up to the Volcano Maderas (along the way, you will see the petragliphs, it is a long walk). Or take a walk in the forest and check the fauna of the area. Or go to Ojo de agua, a natural spring water, very refreshing and rumored to have magical properties by the Aztecs.

Without any doubt I recommend this place highly. People are super friendly and overly humble. The hotel where we stayed at was Hotel Finca Santo Domingo. The price for a double room with fan, and private bathroom, was USD 23.00. The hotel is located just at the beach, it’s clean, comfortable and has a restaurant (although we recommend the one at the end of the beach ‘Natural’) and it is one of the few business where credit cards are accepted. This last note is key information to keep in mind before arriving to Santo Domingo or continuing any further than that. The only ATM on Ometepe are located in Moyogalpa (where you border off the ferry) and many of the island businesses don‘t accept credit or debit cards. Well, this is my report so far about our trip to Nicaragua.

I have heard some bad reviews about this country from people who had bad experiences there. I’ve been there three times and every time I fell in love with this country and its people more and more. So, if you are going to Nicaragua in the near future I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, good luck!

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