Vapues Travel

I absolutely loved this hotel! So clean, wonderful staff, great breakfasts, and nice icy cold AC! One of the best hotels I stayed in during my trip. Great location as well right in the middle of the city. Would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Not my favorite hotel, but my guide told me it is one of the best in Esteli, so there you go! On the plus side, it was very quiet, had working AC, there is a restaurant downstairs, and the staff are all very nice. It is in walking distance from the city center. On the not so great side...the rooms look out into a hallway, the lights are fluorescent (feels sort of like a hospital), the hot water in the shower does not work, and I ended up being attacked by bed bugs (at least 30 bites). The room felt clean, but I had bites all over my stomach and legs and torso for days after. I would try to find someplace else if I go to Esteli again.

Loved this hotel! The hotel gets 5 stars, and Victor at the front desk gets 10! :) The hotel itself is just gorgeous and you feel like you are walking around at one of the finest resorts in the world. The rooms are huge, with patios and huge bathrooms. My room was spotless, and the AC was so nice to feel after walking around in the hot / humid city! This was one of the few hotels I stayed in as well which actually had working hot water in the shower. I could have stayed here a week. The breakfasts were very yummy, and they had a pool. It's right smack in downtown and within walking distance of everything. Victor at the front desk is a total star...helped me out and answered questions...always smiling and happy to help. I was ready to move in and only wish I could have stayed here longer! I saw other people mention the noise, but my room was in the back away from the street, so it was very quiet at night. Totally loved this hotel!

Who would have thought there would be a 5 star experience like this on the island of Ometepe? Truly this is one of the most unique and most amazing places I have ever stayed. I had my own little bungalow right on the beach, and only heard the waves and monkeys at night. It was so peaceful and serene. One of the few places I stayed in all of Nicaragua with a hot shower as well! It was super clean. The staff were so friendly and helpful, and the restaurant provides great service and food at very reasonable prices. I only wish I could have stayed here longer (like a month!) It is a magical place and I can't wait to come back.

I really enjoyed this quaint little hotel, and don't judge the hotel by its facade! It looks a bit odd on the outside and rundown, but the interior rooms are very clean, bright, spacious, and well decorated. I had my own little balcony and it is mere steps from the beach. I picked this one over the Hotel Victoria and I am overall glad I did. My only not so great comment would be that the breakfast included is served across the street at a restaurant, and while the view from there is amazing (you are right on the beach!), the breakfast itself was probably the worst I had in Nicaragua. It was edible, but I would not pay to eat there again, which is odd, as I had a dinner there the night before and it was really tasty. Anyways, the hotel was great and I would stay there again...had a mini fridge which I found really nice to have while traveling.

Oscar did a wonderful job showing me the city.

Really enjoyed the hike to the top and then sliding down. Oscar made me feel very safe and it was super fun. Wish we could have done it again, but would have been quite a hike again to the top!

This was so fun! The guide was so good at spotting things to see!

Probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. Our guide, Carlos, was amazing. Started out as a 20 minute walk and turned into 3 hours...and a great jeep ride back to the city!

Really enjoyed this day. Oscar went out of his way to make sure I saw the whole reserve, the waterfalls, and an extra hike to the top of a mountain so that we could make the most of our Sunday. I was supposed to have the afternoon off, but it was Sunday, and everything was closed. Oscar found an extra hike we could do and filled the day with more fun things for me. Above and beyond treatment. I was so grateful.

This was very fun! I loved the hike to the active volcano, and Oscar made sure I got the best views. I enjoyed the little artisan market and seeing how pottery was made. We made a few stops and got to do some extra walking.

This was much more than I expected! I loved seeing all the little islands, getting to take a walk on one, and being able to feed a mango to a monkey!

Loved our hike to the top! Oscar made sure I got to see everything, was able to take my time.

Oh, I loved this island! I only wish that I could have had Oscar as my guide instead of Donald. Donald was very good, but I got very spoiled by Oscar and all the extra things he did for me. Nonetheless, Donald was quite good and made sure I got to see as much as possible. The driver of the car, Elma (Alma?) was also really nice and I enjoyed having a woman along for a bit!

Super fun! It was much more than I expected, and the ride to the top was scary but the driver made me feel safe. Great value, and I was so happy Oscar could do it with me.

We hiked so much! Oscar showed me all around the city and was willing to keep going much longer than I was! I loved getting to see so much of the town.

The location of the hotel is perfect and the hotel itself is beautiful and relatively comfortable. The room we got for 3 people was *very* small - we could really not all be standing at the same time without bumping into each other. If it were just 2 of us, I would have given it 5 stars. But the room was clean, staff were very friendly, breakfast was delicious.

Los Mandarinos was probably one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed at. The views of the mountains from the hotel AND the pool were incredible. Our room was very comfortable, and the location was quiet and peaceful. I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone traveling to/through El Valle.

The Palmar was a very nice hotel and the only reason I gave it 4/5 stars is personal preference. Our room was very comfortable (A/C was critical to cool down once or twice a day), staff very friendly and helpful, RIGHT ON THE BEACH. The restaurant and bar were very nice and we enjoyed the variety for a week without tiring of the menu. The only drawback of this hotel (for us) is that some nights can be a little more of a party atmosphere - nothing too big and certainly not loud enough to keep us awake. I probably would have loved this in my 20s....

I think this was one of my favorite days of the entire trip. Our guide Jose was very knowledgable about the rainforest plants and animals, as well as the fort at San Lorenzo. The drive to the fort and the walk down there road were spectacular - we saw so many animals and really got to quietly observe and have branches dropped on us by howler monkeys! The views were beautiful, and even though the workings of the Canal Locks was not my primary interest of this outing, I found them fascinating and am very happy we were able to watch a huge container ship going through the lock system.

Beautiful setting for a kayak trip!

Loved this tour - what an amazing place. If we could put videos below, I'd add the 3 species of monkeys we saw up close. We also saw a crocodile, numerous bird species, iguanas, and turtles. Our boat driver knew where to find certain animals and being on the lake with the big ships nearby was surreal. Also, being in the shade on the boat kept things a little cooler and more comfortable in the heat.

It could have been the timing of the particular tour we took, but we were a little disappointed with this tour. We shifted the time to 4pm to try and avoid the hottest part of the day. We did not get to do the chocolate tasting that our son was looking forward to b/c of the day it was scheduled for, and we were only able to see the interior of one church in town (and not the one directly across from the hotel). We also weren't even aware that the Presidential Palace was in the area until our driver the next day mentioned it while we were leaving town. My guess is we only experienced a portion of what this tour should have been... and again, this could have been b/c of the shifted time. It was a little disappointing b/c those were our surroundings during our stay and I would have liked to learn more about it. What we did see and learn about was very interesting. But there was not really any discussion about the current political environment around some of the changes the area has undergone to revitalize tourism (eg; we saw some signs on our own that locals were trying to resist gentrification - would have liked to learn more about how the will of the locals is balanced with tourism).

The island is beautiful, the water was warm, the food and drinks were delicious. It was a nice relaxing day after a few busy touring days.

This day was beyond amazing - tied for my favorite day of the whole trip. Cecelio was such a kind, fun, and warm host for us and the mountains are breathtaking. I kind of wish we had more days like this!!!! The slot canyon swimming hole is SO beautiful and refreshing - I cannot imagine a more perfect place.

We were in a cabana overlooking the lake and “bird island”. Beautiful spot. Food and service was great. Lots of wildlife. It’s super windy but the restaurant did a good job of putting up screens to block the wind but still allow a view. We loved the private remote feeling of this place - if you need to be where the action is , look elsewhere.

We were in a private cabana overlooking the lake and gorgeous grounds. Loved the sound of the howlers and birds every day. Loved our deck with comfy hammock. Very luxurious accommodations. Staff were super friendly and accommodating. Food was good.

Loved this rustic cabin in the middle of a forest. Lots of wildlife!! Great hiking trails. Very interesting coffee tour of a large coffee producer.

What a surprise to find such a high end feeling newer hotel in northern Nicaragua!!! Food was great. Comfy bed. Loved the town of Somoto. Just small enough to easily explore and quickly feel at home in.

Wonderful location on the beach with comfy bed and great view from our balcony. The included breakfast was ok but we added a fruit platter for an extra charge that was fabulous. The lunch and dinner items need work. I had what I thought was going to be a fresh fruit bowl with chia and granola but the fruit was puréed into a smoothie - such a shame when the fresh fruit in season is outstanding. The flavours all just blended together- disappointing.

Older hotel that needs some work. The architecture is amazing and some areas were well maintained. But the main stairs to the hotel were uneven / being repaired. Funky smell - mildew? In the lobby. The room itself was nice with good amenities and comfy bed.

We visited the stone man and did an artisanal coffee and farm visit from Esteli , all of which were awesome. The city itself is BUSY and we were warned to not be walking around our hotel after 10 pm. The hotel was near Central Park and church and the area was totally fine during the day and early evening. The room was fine, the staff ok. Might look into a home stay if we were to visit Esteli region again. We are not busy city people but if you like being in the centre of action you might not mind this hotel

Highly recommend. The place itself is beautiful and serene- a real retreat. They have their own beach with the restaurant above so it felt like the tropical vacation I was looking for. Thank you Chris and Choco!