Nicaragua is home to Casa Castillo on the rim of Laguna de Apoyo, this lake is considered the crown jewel of Nicaragua. Located 20 minutes from Granada and 45 minutes from the city of Managua and its airport on good paved roads. The home is available on a weekly basis for US700 per week.
Visiting Nicaragua is easy and flights from the US and Canada are reasonable. You can fly on Continental, Delta and American Airlines directly from Houston, Atlanta, LA, Ft Lauderdale or Miami. The airport in Managua, the capitol city, is modern, clean and easy to navigate. The fee for entering the country at the airport is currently five dollars, immigration and baggage claim is painless.
Once landed the country has excellent bus services and taxis all of which are reasonable and for the most part clean and safe. Vehicle rental is available at the airport and is easy, convenient, and economical. Car rental information is available at this website.
Managua offers all the modern amenities you could need from fine dining to air conditioned movie theatres and live performances. For a more native and charming ambiance you need to travel south to Granada which offers historical colonial charm.
Granada is a hustling little city with horse drawn work carts and horse drawn taxis in abundance. You can buy fruit on the street from one of the fruit ladies in from the fincas (farms) that morning, lounge at one of the many delightful cafes or restaurants with outdoor seating or you can sip a glass of excellent wine in the wine bar. The town square with its large trees and views of the churches is a delight to the senses with music, water fountains, jewelry and native crafts for sale along with cashew vendors and coyotes ( money changers ) who change your dollars to cordobas at a fair rate and allow you to avoid the lines at the bank. There are usually somewhere between 18 and 19 cordobas to one American dollar.
Because Granada is on the shores of Lake Nicaragua there are most always breezes and rarely a lot of humidity. It is safe to walk in the evening and something fun is on the go every day. One evening while in the city for a meeting we were walking to our car and heard to our delight the sound of amplified moody flute music floating across the square from a second story balcony at a local restaurant.
During the day there is lots to do including a boat cruise of the Isletas near Granada on Lake Nicaragua where you will see monkey and wildlife along with some island homes that are quite special. Granada offers one of the most extensive private collections of Nicaraguan native pottery in the world and if you get to meet its owner you will find a humble and delightful gentleman who truly “gives back” to this country. Granada has several beautiful churches to visit and some art galleries that offer and interesting blend of styles and techniques.
A trip to Mombacho, the closest Volcano is easy and offers the cool breezes of higher altitude and a chance to try out the canopy tour; this is a series of cables through the forest upon which one glides to view the jungle and its occupants. Mombacho also allows you to enjoy its park and climb to the coffee finca where you can sample the wonderful coffee or buy their wares in the modest shop.
A visit to the outlying town of San Juan del Oriente will provide you with a first hand opportunity to see how the Nicaraguan Pottery is made and several shops that offer more variety and craftsmanship than the colorful pots sold by street vendors in Granada.
Direa is a town that offers a mirador (overlook) area on the rim of Laguna de Apoyo across the way from our little castle. There are several restaurants that offer reasonable food, cold beer and fabulous views of the Laguna with Granada and Lake Nicaragua in the distance. Although I have never witnessed one I have heard the sunrise from the Direa mirador is spectacular.
Off to Catarina, a town where you can purchase or admire plants of all kinds and colors along with gaudy pottery that is a little more whimsical than the beautiful pottery of San Juan del Oriente. Catarina also has a mirador area with shops, restaurants, music and a small entry fee. This mirador is more noisy, windy, commercial and crowded than the mirador at Direa but fun to visit none the less.
Masaya is a bustling little city with a very large market where you can buy wood crafts and leather goods along with all the other typical native goodies. The city is not as pretty as Granada and not one of my favorites but the Masaya volcano is one which you can visit after dark and see the actual lava glowing inside.
For the exercise enthusiast there are bicycle rentals in Granada and also long hikes along very pretty rural bumpy and almost impassible roads that lead throughout the countryside. We did a 4.5 hour hike from lakeside Laguna de Apoyo to Granada that was fun and exhausting.
All of these adventures are surrounding our little castle and can be enjoyed all in one day or spread out over a few.
Farther afield you can travel north to Leon to see the largest cathedral in Central America, even further north to the seaport of Cortina where the cruise ships visit. Heading south to San Juan del Sur the popular ocean city close to the border of Costa Rica you will see rustic little Palopa bars on the beach that offer food and cold beer. Near this city there are many beaches that offer world class surfing destinations and at certain times of the year some of the best sea turtle activity in the world.
