I was very impressed by the patience and diligence provided by Sandra during our booking process; she provided a good range of itineraries for us which was backed up by local knowledge and information on travel times, costs and points of interest. It was easier to communicate via email due to the time difference between the UK and Central America and I was given sufficient time to consider the final intinerary and costs involved. All the information in the itinerary was informative and accurate. From the time of our arrival and meeting our first driver/guide, we felt very comfortable and confident that we were in good hands with the local travel provider Va Pues.
Our itinerary started in the quiet hills of Matagalpa and Selva Negra, then on to the RIo San Juan at Guacimo Lodge, followed by the bustling island of Ometepe and then a seaside chill out on the Pacific at Hotel Punta Teonoste and finally into Grenada which was full of music, activity, interesting historic sites, great restaurants and colourful nightlife while staying in the beautiful Plaza Colon hotel - a great end to the holiday.
We enjoyed meeting all our drivers, especially Oscar Lopez, who was helpful, informative and patient when I spoke Spanish with him. He was always cheerful and welcoming on each occasion we came to meet us to drive us to our next location and even spotted a sloth in a tree one day and we stopped so we could take a closer look. All the other drivers were cheerful, positive and happy to chat with me in Spanish.
The hotels we stayed in were very comfortable with lovely big beds, clean and efficient bathrooms and friendly staff.
The guides on the various rainforest walks, bird watching walks, river and city tours were all very welcoming and experts in their fields and their enthusiasm was infectious and we thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of Nicaragua's exceptional features.
Having a Whatsapp group with Maria Jose in Nicaragua was very helpful and reassuring and she always responded quickly to our requests and this again made us comfortable, safe and confident on our travels. Having our trip organised with drivers, prebooked hotels and tours (plus the ability to add side trips) took all the possible worry and hassle from our 14 days journey around Nicaragua, and we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday - it is a great way to travel.
Hotel Reviews
Hotel Selva Negra (Bungalow)
Matagalpa
Fabulous location in a cloud forest on a fully sustainable coffee farm. Great walks, bird tour and farm tour with outstanding guide, Jose.
Authenticity & Character
The history of the family who have developed the hotel and coffee farm, the ethos behind the sustainability of the farm and hotel and the fact that the everyone who works there fully supports the ethos.
Location
In the hills above Matagalpa so the mornings were cool and fresh with warm sun during the day cooler evenings which was a relief after the heat of the day.
Staff
The staff were slightly reserved on our first day probably because we didn't speak Spanish very well and the fact that the hotel had been fully booked over the Easter week and weekend and they had been working very hard but a day later, we all relaxed and they were kind and friendly. Our guide during our farm and bird tours was outstanding, Jose Maria. We enjoyed his enthusiasm for his job and his knowledge was outstanding; we were lucky enough to find a bell bird in the morning on our 2 hour guided tour which turned into 3 hours with his determination to track down the bell bird we could hear calling/taunting us to find him. It was quite a moment. In the afternoon, we continued bird watching in various parts of the farm area and saw some beautiful birds in various areas. Thank you Jose Maria.
Cleanliness & Comfort
We were given the honeymoon cottage for our stay which was comfortable, clean, spacious and set in beautiful private gardens. The hotel dining room overlooked the lake and all the shared common areas were clean and modern. The grounds were very well cared for with gardens and plants in pots watered regularly and growing very well, a beautiful area.
Guacimo Lodge
Rio San Juan
Fabulous location on the River San Juan with great staff and excellent food.
Authenticity & Character
Our beautiful cabana had beautiful views, surrounding by flowering trees and shrubs, was cool and breezy, with a separate seating area. The ceiling fan and mosquito net made for a romantic setting and the huge bed was comfortable and cool at night. The swimming pool was a huge bonus as we couldn't swim in the fast flowing river so at the end of a walk or in early evening, the pool was great for a cool down.
Location
The shared dining and sitting area was a fabulous place to sit in at any time of the day but especially at night listening to the frogs and toads and other sounds of the night, gazing at the stars.
Staff
All the staff were attentive and kin. Marjorie speaks fabulous English and was very helpful. Orlando, our guide in the rain forest and on the river was so interesting, obviously loves what he does and was fun too.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The bed was super comfortable! The only word of caution would be to request a room/cabana at a lower level on the hill depending on your fitness.
Hotel Villa Paraiso
Santo Domingo
We arrived after a long day of travelling back up the San Juan river and across Lake Nicaragua to Rivas and then across the lake to Ometepe. The hotel is on the lake shore which was lovely and although we had booked a standard room, it was not in a great location so we asked to be moved to a better room. The receptionist was very helpful and understood our thoughts, (the standard room was quite small and didn't have a lake view). We were moved to a larger room with two double beds a separate shower and WC and a lovely sitting area outside with a hammock and lake view - perfect! The hotel was quite busy but service was good, except they had run out of fruit for breakfast the next morning. The hotel organised a motorbike for us for a tour of the island which was great fun.
Location
On the lake shore with nice walks along the beach, facing the sunrise.
Staff
Once I started to try to speak Spanish, there were a few more smiles from the staff - we think they had had a hectic Easter and were a bit tired of guests!
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very clean room and comfortable beds.
Hotel Punta Teonoste
Tola
Fabulous hotel on a huge sandy Pacific Ocean beach. Great architecture of main dining/sitting/entertainment area and spacious comfortable cabana.
Authenticity & Character
Fabulous beach side hotel, with a lovely cold pool which was perfect for cooling off - it was colder than the sea, which was a gorgeous temperature. We walked on the beach to watch the sunset, sunrise and do some rock pooling and we could have walked further along the dunes if we had had time. The sea had some great waves and a great expanse of beautiful sand and easy swimming.
Location
We were the only people on the huge, sandy beach - what more could you ask for? The hotel sits in its own extensive grounds with around 15 individual cabanas with no near neighbours.
Staff
Fun, friendly, cheerful and eager to please with good service skills. We enjoyed speaking to the staff in English which they were trying to learn and Spanish which I was keen to practice. The manager spoke very good English which we needed on one occasion when ordering a Snapper for dinner.
Cleanliness & Comfort
We had a two bedroom cabana, one room with air conditioning and one room upstairs which had a fan and huge window with fly screen; we chose the a/c room as it was very hot! The open air shower was fabulous and the rest of the bathing area was open air and discretely designed. We chose this hotel as we didn't want to be in a busy seaside resort or surfing town like San Juan del Sur and I would recommend that KimKim/Va Pues look at it as a recommended hotel.
Hotel Plaza Colon
Granada
Beautiful hotel in the centre of Grenada overlooking the main plaza. We had a room overlooking the plaza but it was incredibly quiet when the balcony doors were closed at night.
Authenticity & Character
The hotel was first renovated around15 years ago but all areas and our room appear to be freshly decorated and well cared for. The pool in the second courtyard was a welcome facility after exploring the city or being out and about on a tour of the Masaya volcano and the Pueblos Blancos. Breakfast was fabulous with a large choice and we especially enjoyed the wonderful fresh fruit and great Nicaraguan coffee!
Location
Great location in the middle of the small city of Grenada so it was very easy for exploring the beautiful historic buildings and finding lovely places to eat. The city buzzes with music in the square in the later afternoons/early evening but closes down around 9 pm each night over the weekend when we were there. We felt safe and secure walking around the city and people were friendly and helpful.
Staff
The staff at this hotel are outstanding especially Jamie who has been there for 18 years and she does everything from serving breakfast to staffing the bar in the evenings, brilliantly. She is so cheerful, her English is excellent but she also helped me practice my Spanish with great patience and humour. The security staff in the evenings were very attentive and friendly too, as were the reception staff.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The room was spacious with a huge bed, desk and chair and a wonderful shower, plus an iron and ironing board! The pool area was cool and comfortable with covers for the sunbeds and lots of towels.
Activity Reviews
Matagalpa - Sustainable Farm Tour Selva Negra
matagalpa
Outstanding guiding by Jose Maria.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Matagalpa - Birdwatching Tour at Selva Negra
matagalpa
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Rio San Juan - Night tour at Guacimo Lodge
Río San Juan
Outstanding guide, Orlando
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Canoeing Indio Maiz Nature Reserve
Río San Juan
Outstanding guide, Orlando
Quality of Experience
We saw beautiful birds and a pair of rare cats, Tyrahs.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Masaya Highlights : Masaya Volcano, The White Villages (Pueblos Blancos) , Catarina viewpoint, , Artisan Market
Nicaragua
Unfortunately we felt that our guide was a bit tired of taking yet more travellers on this tour, everything was a bit rushed and we had to tell him that we wanted more time at the Masaya volcano museum to look at photos and read signs after his good description at the beginning of the tour around the relief model of the volcano. In addition, as the volcano is a bit active at the time, only one small path and area where the smoke/heat vents are located, was open.
We enjoyed the visit to the pottery but again there, the potter and his staff were a bit bored with the presentation and we were in and out in about 10 minutes despite asking questions. The Pueblos Blancos were a bit disappointing overall as it was very touristy although the pre ordered lunch was nice and in a quiet spot away from the parking areas. In hindsight we should have chosen the Mombacho volcano tour which would have given us (hopefully) a more in depth visit to the area without the touristy part of the tour although we did want to see the handicrafts of the villages but only saw these at the market in Masaya.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Driver was good but the guide was a bit disinterested - we felt he had carried out this tour too many times!
Local specialist: Sandra Mejia
