Where should we stay?

[DangerGirl]

After spending a couple years researching our options, we are thinking that in 6 or 7 years when we retire, Nicaragua may be our best bet.

So, my husband and I are planning our first trip to Nica for ten days in Sept 2015. We plan to visit Grenada, Masaya, Laguna de Apoyo, Mombacho, Los Pueblos Blancos, and a Pacific beach town or two.
We will be traveling by bus, foot, and hired car.

Anyone familiar with these areas who can suggest a town to stay in for our base camp? Just need a place with access to bus routes, taxi or hired car, a hotel or B&B to stay at, a restaurant and bar to chill at.

[cookshow]

Granada is a real good base for the spots you want to travel. Good transport, good inexpensive hotels, good food.

[DangerGirl]

Noisy as all heck as well, from what I understand.

[bill_bly_ca]

Grenada, Masaya, Laguna de Apoyo, Mombacho, Los Pueblos Blancos, and a Pacific beach town or two.
We will be traveling by bus, foot, and hired car.

Anyone familiar with these areas who can suggest a town to stay in for our base camp? Just need a place with access to bus routes, taxi or hired car, a hotel or B&B to stay at, a restaurant and bar to chill at.

Granada is a good base.


Masaya is a Day trip, 1.5 days if you want to see the Volcano.


Robeth is a good fellow to hire for a drive around, He charges more now that what you will find on the forum search, but still god value.. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mr-Ow...7550?ref=br_tf

Apoyo is a day if you like to lounge around - half day if you just want to see it..

[bill_bly_ca]

Noisy as all heck as well, from what I understand.

Noise = Nica - That is undeniable...

[Just Plain John Wayne]

The noise is all over the country at times... But Cookshoe is right for a starting place...

[DangerGirl]

Ok then, thank you all! I know there will be plenty of options of places to stay...

[MizBrown]

Friend of mine was telling me the fallout of two people who didn't heed standard advice. You are coming down for a visit which is smart. Figure out how much you want to assimilate or not. If you don't mind stairs and no expat community closer than an hour and a half away, look at Boaco. If you want a huge expat community with a certain amount of drugs, try San Juan del Sur. The two northern cities with sizeable expat populations are Matagalpa and Esteli. San Ramon is a small town near Matagalpa with a decent sized expat population for its size. You can't live here without speaking some Spanish.

Whatever you do, don't build a house unless one of you has construction experience and can supervise. Rent for a year before thinking about buying -- everything is different here. If you go through a real estate agent that newbie gringos recommend, you'll pay $100 or so more a month than the house would cost if you went to the owner and negotiated in Spanish. Granada is full of desperate real estate people who will try to sell you something the instant you show any interest at all in the city. Liquidity for Nicaraguan houses isn't all that great and is even less for houses that can only be sold to gringos or returning Miami Nicaraguans. You will be urged to buy now before the rush. The rush hasn't happened yet, and may never happen. A deal isn't something you have to pour tens of thousands of dollars into to make habitable, either. Use the search function and plug in "Granada real estate." There's a fantastic post on that.

[Gringo Canuck]

Nicas HATE the quiet! We lived in Managua....Around Mid November to Mid Jan..they love their fireworks..except these fireworks are referred to as Mortars....Just LOUD bangs! it is 3AM, great time for Mortars! Its 10pm..great time for the truck with a huge Speaker to go by advertising something ........Traffic light is 5 seconds from turning green..best start honking that horn,lol They truly hate quiet! lol Stay away from Managua,lol

[bikingo]

My two cents is not Granada too hot dusty and ex-pati. I base out of Rivas or Corinto but am not suggesting Corinto unless your Nica Spanish is excellent and you want to be away from all foreigners. Rivas is cheaper cooler and is also well lolocated for side trips. Granada however has the most English sspeakers and the best infrastructure for tourism. It just doesn't appeal to me

[KeyWestPirate]

My two cents is not Granada too hot dusty and ex-pati. I base out of Rivas or Corinto but am not suggesting Corinto unless your Nica Spanish is excellent and you want to be away from all foreigners. Rivas is cheaper cooler and is also well lolocated for side trips. Granada however has the most English sspeakers and the best infrastructure for tourism. It just doesn't appeal to me

This gets back to the 'different strokes for different folks " of which, Nicaragua has a lot of strokes. I really like visiting Granada, but wouldn't want to live there. Ditto, love visiting Leon, SJdS, the beaches.

Depends on who you are, and what you are looking for. Are you a pilgrim, or just want an easy retirement ride? Do you crave adventure, or just want to shoot the shit over a few beers every afternoon (NOT saying that this is bad).

Granada is not cheap, probably do better in a lot of areas of the US.

But, I'd say, Granada is definitely a must-see.

[Daddy-YO]

Nicas HATE the quiet! We lived in Managua....Around Mid November to Mid Jan..they love their fireworks..except these fireworks are referred to as Mortars....Just LOUD bangs! it is 3AM, great time for Mortars! Its 10pm..great time for the truck with a huge Speaker to go by advertising something ........Traffic light is 5 seconds from turning green..best start honking that horn,lol They truly hate quiet! lol

There will be plenty of peace & quiet for all after we're dead. R.I.P.

In the meantime . . . LIVE . . . viva la fiesta!

[Daddy-YO]

After spending a couple years researching our options, we are thinking that in 6 or 7 years when we retire, Nicaragua may be our best bet.

Sounds like a fun thought experiment - Nicaragua in 2021, 2022. Will it become the crossroads of global shipping with the most advanced canal in the Americas and, in turn, get major investments from the world's capitalist powers transforming all into a megalopolis of modernity? Not a chance IMO. Horse carts will continue to earn their owners a living there, I'd bet.

our first trip to Nica for ten days in Sept 2015. We plan to visit Grenada, Masaya, Laguna de Apoyo, Mombacho, Los Pueblos Blancos, and a Pacific beach town or two.

Isn't that the end of the rainy season? Granada has some nice rainy day places to hole up in.

[DangerGirl]

Nicas HATE the quiet! We lived in Managua....Around Mid November to Mid Jan..they love their fireworks..except these fireworks are referred to as Mortars....Just LOUD bangs! it is 3AM, great time for Mortars! Its 10pm..great time for the truck with a huge Speaker to go by advertising something ........Traffic light is 5 seconds from turning green..best start honking that horn,lol They truly hate quiet! lol Stay away from Managua,lol

Sounds like summer time in Detroit! I will love it!

[DangerGirl]

This gets back to the 'different strokes for different folks " of which, Nicaragua has a lot of strokes. I really like visiting Granada, but wouldn't want to live there. Ditto, love visiting Leon, SJdS, the beaches.

Depends on who you are, and what you are looking for. Are you a pilgrim, or just want an easy retirement ride? Do you crave adventure, or just want to shoot the shit over a few beers every afternoon (NOT saying that this is bad).

Granada is not cheap, probably do better in a lot of areas of the US.

But, I'd say, Granada is definitely a must-see.

Not planning to live in Granada, or SJDS that is for sure! Looking for a acre or two, small town, ride my horse to the bar to have a beer, take a bus to the ocean once a week. Well, that's the dream anyway. Reality will figure itself out.

[DangerGirl]

Sounds like a fun thought experiment - Nicaragua in 2021, 2022. Will it become the crossroads of global shipping with the most advanced canal in the Americas and, in turn, get major investments from the world's capitalist powers transforming all into a megalopolis of modernity? Not a chance IMO. Horse carts will continue to earn their owners a living there, I'd bet..

I'm betting on that as well.

[MizBrown]

Not planning to live in Granada, or SJDS that is for sure! Looking for a acre or two, small town, ride my horse to the bar to have a beer, take a bus to the ocean once a week. Well, that's the dream anyway. Reality will figure itself out.

If you don't mind the heat and aren't really well off, look around Leon. Southern part of the country on the Pacific side is not cheap at this point, but maybe around Carazo, you could find something near a small town that will let you hitch your horse while you have a drink.

Granada makes a good first base of operations for the southern Pacific side. If you think you can stand 90F to 100F day time temps on a regular basis, Leon would also be a good base of operations, and it has beaches around 10 miles from town.

If you're willing to make the beach trip an overnighter, there are cooler places to live: San Ramon near Matagalpa, some towns in Boaco department. Matagalpa and Boaco are an hour and a half from Managua, and beaches from Managua aren't much further yet. Tack 30 minutes for the trip from San Ramon to Matagalpa.

Boaco looks like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebecc...7649919311628/

[DangerGirl]

We will def be checking out Leon and Matagalpa, our next trip down in March 2016. Not ruling anything out, except the DAC. Gotta be some kinda crazy to live there, it seems.

[bill_bly_ca]

Boaco looks like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebecc...7649919311628/

Your flicker link reminded me..

Sony is having a Sale (World wide apparently) on the e-mount stuffs - You should call the store in Galarias to see if you can get some deals - I picked the FE35/2.8Z for about 30% off..

[KeyWestPirate]

If you don't mind the heat and aren't really well off, look around Leon. Southern part of the country on the Pacific side is not cheap at this point, but maybe around Carazo, you could find something near a small town that will let you hitch your horse while you have a drink.

Granada makes a good first base of operations for the southern Pacific side. If you think you can stand 90F to 100F day time temps on a regular basis, Leon would also be a good base of operations, and it has beaches around 10 miles from town.

If you're willing to make the beach trip an overnighter, there are cooler places to live: San Ramon near Matagalpa, some towns in Boaco department. Matagalpa and Boaco are an hour and a half from Managua, and beaches from Managua aren't much further yet. Tack 30 minutes for the trip from San Ramon to Matagalpa.

Boaco looks like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rebecc...7649919311628/

Nice pics.

I put it on the list, haven't been THERE either.

That canal may never be built, but it's sure creating a lot of buzz for the country.

[MizBrown]

Thanks. I've been thinking about making a trip down sooner than later. Maybe sooner yet. FE35/2.8Z there? I've got the E35/1.8 for the crop camera, but imported it.

[bill_bly_ca]

Thanks. I've been thinking about making a trip down sooner than later. Maybe sooner yet. FE35/2.8Z there? I've got the E35/1.8 for the crop camera, but imported it.

I did not see any Zeiss stuf in that store last visit - The FE35/2.8Z is regularly an $800 lens - Because it is Full frame.

Not sure what you are looking for, but the 16mm is 15% off (Had that one for a couple years - Was a sharp lens) the 20mm is 10% off up here.

[MizBrown]

We will def be checking out Leon and Matagalpa, our next trip down in March 2016. Not ruling anything out, except the DAC. Gotta be some kinda crazy to live there, it seems.

Matagalpa and Boaco are similar, just that Matagalpa is bigger with more expats and further left politically. Boaco is smaller, but still functions as a city rather than a small town. No beggars -- I was impressed by that. Two hotels on the upper level town square -- the Tijerino which is $40 a night without AC, $50 with (not really needed), and an older hotel that was quite cheap without AC, maybe $30 with. I've reviewed the Tijerino for Trip Advisor.

Both have similar bus schedules to Managua (hourly) and use the same bus station in Managua. Matagalpa has more to do, but you wouldn't be riding a horse to a bar there, I don't think. San Ramon, yes. If you go back to my Flickr page, I have an album on El Chile that has a couple of shots of San Ramon in it.

[Little Corn Tom]

We will def be checking out Leon and Matagalpa, our next trip down in March 2016. Not ruling anything out, except the DAC. Gotta be some kinda crazy to live there, it seems.

And your name is "DangerGirl" ?

You will miss the absolute best part!

You have not lived until you make the panga ride to LCI in December!

[MizBrown]

I did not see any Zeiss stuf in that store last visit - The FE35/2.8Z is regularly an $800 lens - Because it is Full frame.

Not sure what you are looking for, but the 16mm is 15% off (Had that one for a couple years - Was a sharp lens) the 20mm is 10% off up here.

They had a used copy of the 16mm for $50, kept saying "usado." I kept saying, "Fine." The shot of the woman standing in front of the cathedral was taken with it. I also bought the ultra wide adapter from B&H.

I bought my Sony/Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 from them, too, though not such a deal. Took this with that on my a3000 at Mike Quinn's hotel:

[IMG]MikeWPuppy1 by rbb_56, on Flickr[/IMG]