NICARAGUA

CORN ISLANDS
Hotels
●Casa Iguana – Iguana Beach (Little Corn Island); casaiguana.net; ocean view casitas; well-run beach house collection on cliff-top over deserted, southern end beach; palm trees line sandy paths, and colorful cabanas sit close to shoreline, surrounding central common area with lots of books and comfy chairs; 4 bungalows are rather basic with shared bathrooms, while further 10 are more upscale, with private bathrooms and verandas; rooms are simple, with lots of light, double beds, and rainbow-colored furniture, though they could do with some curtains for privacy’s sake; run sustainably with solar- and wind-powered energy, recycling program, and fruits and vegetables from on-site garden; fantastic snorkeling reefs are within paddling distance; book early.
●Hotel Los Delfines – Little Corn Island; 011-505-8411-3572; hotellosdelfines.com.ni/d_english.htm.
Restaurants
●Cafe Desideri – beach front (Little Corn Island); 011-505-3412-6341; facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Desideri/256631707755832; Italian-ish; great lobster.
Services
●Dive Little Corn – Main Street (Little Corn Island); 011-505-8856-5888; divelittlecorn.com.
●Dolphin Dive – Main Dock (Little Corn Island); 011-505-8917-9717; dolphindivelittlecorn.com.



GRANADA (& Jicaro Island)
Bars & Nightclubs
●El Tercer Ojo – Calle Arsenal (San Francisco, contiguo al convento); 011-505-552-6451; eltercerojo.com.ni.
Hotels
●Eco-Lodge Jicaro Island – Granada Isletas (Jicaro Island); 011-505-8403-1236; jicarolodge.com.
●La Gran Francia – Esquina Sureste del Parque Central; 011-505-2552-6002, 6007, or 6012; lagranfrancia.com/eng; 21 rooms and atrium surrounding small pool
●Hotel Alhambra – Central Park, west side; 011-505-2-552-4486; hotelalhambra.com.ni; on central plaza; certain, neocolonial charm.
●Hotel La Bocona – Calle La Libertad; 011-505-2552-2888; hotellabocona.com; lovely, 8-room boutique in 19^th Century mansion.
●Hotel Plaza Colon – Parque Central; 011-505-2552-8489; hotelplazacolon.com; 4 star hotel with pool; lovely.
Restaurants
●El Zaguan – Calle La Sirena; 011-505-2-552-2522; superb local cuisine (behind Cathedral).
Shopping
●Mombacho Cigar Bar – 422 Calle Calzada Granada; 011-505-8775-9137; mombachocigars.com.
Sights & Sites
●Alhambra – Palacio de Carlos V; 011-505-95-822-0912; alhambra.org/eng.
●Convento de San Francisco – north of Plaza de Leones; 011-505-2-552-5535; old monastery turned national museum
●Laguna de Apoyo Nature Reserve – Granada; 011-505-2-558-0456 or 011-505-8-854-9344; apoyolalaguna.com; swimmable fresh water volcanic crater lake; high above it is Mirador Catarina, beautiful overlook.
●MiMuseo – 505 Calle Atraveseda; 011-505-2-552-7614; mimuseo.org; in former, Spanish colonial home; best place to see Nicaraguan, pre-Columbian art and artifacts.



MANAGUA (includes Masaya)
Bars & Nightclubs
●Bar Cultural El Caramanchel – Bolonia (Del Hospital Militar, 3 cuadras al norte, ½ cuadra al oeste); 011-505-8-931-4199; hippie do-gooder hangout; music ranges from electronic to house to salsa.
●Nau Lounge – Costado Sur Centro Comercial (Metrocentro Carretera Masaya); 011-505-2-276-8989; ichotelsgroup.com; sushi-oriented.
●Reef – Carretera a Masaya km 7 (Centro Comercial, at Galerias Santo Domingo); 011-505-2-276-9289; galerias.com.ni; popular bar with live DJs and outdoor deck.
●El Tercer Ojo – Zona Hippos 1 (½ Sur); 011-505-2-277-4787; eltercerojo.com.ni; cocktails beneath enormous carved Buddha; also, small shop inside (AnM) sells leather purses.
Hotels
●Casa Naranja – Carretera Masaya del Tip-Top (city center, km 4.5); 011-505-2-277-3403; hotelcasanaranja.com; boutique with great breakfasts.
●Hotel Contempo – Masaya Highway, km 11 (400 ms south of residential “prairie”); 011-505-2-227-9226 or 011-505-2-278-8994; contempohb.com; boutique; 18 rooms; clean, modern design, featuring white marble and travertine tile; offers excursions, such as Mombacho Volcano zipline tours or volcano boarding at Cerro Negro.
●Hex – Frente al Centro Comercial Multicentro Las Americas; 011-505-2-277-7925; hotelhex.com; modern; small, well-designed rooms.
●Hotel Intercontinental – Costado Sur Centro Comercial (Metrocentro Carretera Masaya); 011-505-2-276-8989 or 877-859-5095; ichotelsgroup.com; enormous pool; luxurious.
●Hotel Los Robles – Del Restaurante La Marseillaise (30 m al sur, Los Robles); 011-505-2-267-3008; hotellosrobles.com/en/bienvenidos; only hotel with any real charm; 13 well-appointed rooms.
●La Posada del Angel – Bolonia (del porton del Hospital Militar); 011-505-2-268-7228; hotelposadadelangel.com.ni; bed & breakfast kind of place.
Restaurants
●Le Bistro – Planes de Altamira (de la Embajada de México ½ cuadra al norte, at Alliance Francaise); 011-505-2-267-2811; allianzafrancesca.org.ni; French wines by glass and light French fare.
●La Casa de los Nogueras – 17 Avenida Principal Los Robles; 011-505-2-278-2506; Mediterranean influenced food.
●El Churrasco – Carretera a Masaya km 7 (Centro Comercial, at Galerias Santo Domingo); 011-505-2-251-9258; galerias.com.ni; steakhouse.
●La Cocina de Doña Haydee – Carretera a Masaya km 4½ (Optica Matamoros 1 cuadra abajo #71); 011-505-2-270-6100; lacocina.com.ni; more traditional fare, such as Indio Viejo (“Old Indian,” beef stew), vigoron (pickled cabbage salad), and gallo pinto (fried beans and rice).
●Quesillos el-Pipe – Carretera a Masaya km 12½; 011-505-8-823-3556; roadside restaurant with shiny-clean kitchen and ingredients made on site; quesillos are sort of breakfast burrito: yoghurt-like cheese, boiled and salted, served with diced, vinegar-fermented onions, wrapped in tortilla, and drenched in cream; breakfast and lunch snack.
●Los Ranchos – Bo Altagracia (Montoya, 3 cuadras al oeste); 011-505-2-266-0526; facebook.com/pages/Rest-Los-Ranchos/205686472784061?rf=111835475503914; steakhouse where Nicaragua’s dealmakers eat; grilled pork, steak; also, guapote (“big handsome,” freshwater white fish).
●Sushi Itto – Carretera a Masaya km 7 (Centro Comercial, at Galerias Santo Domingo); 011-505-2-270-3120, 011-505-2-3230, or 011-505-2-278-4886; galerias.com.ni; sushi.
●Tacocontento – Carretera a Masaya km 7 (Centro Comercial, at Galerias Santo Domingo); 011-505-2-276-5390 or 011-505-2-276-5389; galerias.com.ni; taqueria.
●Taska Kiko – Funeria Monte de los Olives (1 cuadra al este, Casa #6); 011-505-2-270-1569; where expat Spaniards serve pulpo (octopus) and excellent pargo (red snapper) grilled with garlic and olive oil.
●Zacate Limon – El Tiangue (Modulo 2 del Club Terraza, 300 m arriba); 011-505-2-255-0504; known for breakfasts, especially huevos norteños (sunny-side-up egg on refried beans and tortilla, topped with salsa ranchera, cream, and Parmesan cheese. Shopping
●Mercado Municipal de Ernesto Fernandez – at central bus station (Masaya); gritty.
●Mercado Nacional de Artesanias – Carretera Masaya-Granada (Masaya); visitamasaya.com; brightly woven hammocks, carvings, ceramics, and other crafts; enclosed within 19^th Century walls; on Thursdays, dancers perform.
●Mercado Roberto Huembes – at central bus station; disturbing.
●Simplemente Madera – Calle Principal Los Robles; 011-505-2-276-8840; simplementemadera.com; hardwood furniture, handmade.
Sights & Sites
●Alliance Francaise – Planes de Altamira (de la Embajada de México ½ cuadra al norte); 011-505-2-267-2811; allianzafrancesca.org.ni; art exhibits, concerts, and talks.
●Coyotepe Fortress – Masaya Cerro de los Coyotes; manfut.org/masaya/coyotepe.html; built in 1893; worth climb just for view: Laguna de Masaya; Lago de Managua; Mombacho Volcano; and, if clear, Momotombo Volcano; profoundly historically significant: here that Benjamín Zeledón, 1912 hero of resistance to US intervention, drew his last breath; US marines may have taken fortress, but they were watched by young Augusto Sandino, who vowed revenge.
●Museum of Sandinista Victory – Frente del Estadio Nacional; odd location; small but evocative collection.
●Nueva Catedral de Managua (Catedral Metropolitana de la Purisima Concepcion) – Carretera Masaya Zona Rosa; 011-505-2-278-4232; gcatholic.com/churches/centralamerica/2946.htm; designed by architect Ricardo Legorreta; construction 1991-1993; created much controversy, particularly about its architectural style and finance; locals refer to it as La Chichona on account of numerous cupolas adorning it (like so many “chiches” (breasts).
●Parque Historico Nacional Loma de Tiscapa – Barrio Martha Quezada; 011-505-265-0635 or 011-505-2-265-0150; manfut.org/monumentos/tiscapa.html; national historic park was once Presidential Palace site (where Augusto Sandino and his men were executed in 1934); his silhouette, hastily erected by departing FSLN government in 1990, visible from almost anywhere in town; what looks like dilapidated parking structure was for decades among Nicaragua’s most notorious prisons; also, Monumento Roosevelt, constructed in 1939, with lovely lake views, which is today memorial to those killed in revolution; hilltop actually Tiscapa Volcano’s lip; beautiful little crater lake, with incredible views over city out to Momotombo Volcano; zip-line tour begins in park and continues through cloud canopy.
●Parque Nacional Volcan Masaya – Managua Highway (6km from Masaya); 011-505-2-522-5415; described by Spaniards as Hell’s gates; craters here are country’s most easily accessible active volcanoes; 2 volcanoes, Masaya and Nindirí, in park; together, they comprise 5 craters; of these, Santiago Crater still quite active, often smoking and steaming; several marked hiking trails, many of which require guide; don’t miss Plaza de Oviedo, clearing by Santiago Crater’s rim, named after 16^th Century Spanish monk who, suspecting bubbling lava was gold, descended to crater with bag and shovel yet came back alive; strong sulphur smell.
●Teatro Nacional Ruben Dario – Zona Monumental; 011-505-2-266-3630; tnrubendario.gob.ni; named for country’s most famous poet; even if no event, halls, filled with modern Nicaraguan art, worth seeing.
●Vieja Catedal de Managua – Zona Monumental; hollow shell because shattered by 1972 earthquake and, despite promises, never restored; still beautiful and serene, attended by stone angels and dappled in golden light.



OMETEPE ISLAND
Hotels
●Totoco Eco-Lodge – El Callejon Publico la Palmera (Balgue); 011-505-8425-2027; totoco.com.ni; amazing and gorgeous layered by little bit basic worry (because day-long journey to Ometepe, involving roughly 9 hours travel on shuttle bus, public bus, ferry, and 2 taxis); front-row-center view of 1 of island’s 2 volcanoes, Concepción; main common space, which is open on most sides, consists of dining area, bar, and inviting rocking chairs and hammock (all with amazing view); compost toilets, greywater recycling system, and organic farm.



PLAYA GIGANTE
Hotels
●Aqua Wellness Resort – 1 Redonda Bay; 011-505-8-849-6235; aquanicaragua.com; wellness & yoga retreat.



PLAYA MANZANILLO
Hotels
●Mukul Resort – Guacalito de la Isla; 011-505-852-99-829; mukulresort.com; 1- and 2-bedroom beach villas or Bohio, perched dramatically on hillside with wooden viewing deck and private plunge pool; hike forest trails, spend time at beach, or lounge by pool; opt for helicopter ride over spectacular coastline to Pellas family’s sugar cane plantation for private tour of their rum distillery.



SAN JUAN DE NICARAGUA
Hotels
●Rio Indio Adventure Lodge – Indio Maiz Biological Reserve; 011-505-8363-4259 or 011-506-2231-4299; therioindiolodge.com; great for birders.



SAN JUAN DEL SUR
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
●El Gato Negro – Town Center (1 block east of Timon); 011-505-8809-1108; cafe; premises-roasted coffee beans.
●Pan de Vida – Town Center (50 ms west of Texaco Gas Station); 011-505-8-379-7549; facebook.com/PanDeVidaNicaragua; banana bread, cheddar bread, chocolate chip cookies; camouflaged by street businesses and houses, easy to overlook if driving; large brick oven makes day-to-day lineup.
Hotels
●Buena Vista Surf Club – Maderas Beach; 011-505-8863-4180; buenavistasurfclub.com; zen-like retreat.
●Maderas Village – Maderas Beach; 011-505-8796-7243; maderasvillage.com; stylishly rustic; nestled in jungle.
●Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Eco Lodge – Playa Ocotal; 011-505-8670-7676 or 011-505-2254-7989; morgansrock.com; charming jungle lodge; tropical forests and spectacular Pacific Coast beach; public areas are understated and cool, each indoor-outdoor space morphing gently into next, lobby to lounge to restaurant to pool; floors are polished dark stone, walls rusticated volcanic rock, roofs red tile and thatch; view, unmediated by windows, killer, mile-wide Pacific cove with perfect white crescent beach, nearly devoid of buildings.
●Pelican Eyes – De la Parroquia; 011-505-2563-7000; pelicaneyesresort.com.
Restaurants
●El Colibri – Parque Central (east side); 011-505-8863-8612; name is Spanish for hummingbird; set within funky-colored clapboard house with large veranda overlooking lovely garden; adventurous and organic menu includes hummus dip, beef kebabs, and filet mignon in bacon and vodka cream sauce; homemade pâté is revelation, made from chicken, bacon, and sherry.
●Taco Stop – Del Mercado Municipal 1c; 011-505-2568-2294; fish burritos.
Shopping
●El Gato Negro – Town Center (1 block east of Timon); 011-505-8809-1108; bookstore.



SOLENTINAME ISLANDS
Elvis Chavarria Island
Hotels
●Albergue Celentiname – San Fernando; 011-505-8893-1977; riosanjuan.com.ni or celentiname7@yahoo.es; 8 bare-bones rooms with cold-water showers in semi-detached cabins.
●Cabañas Paraiso – San Fernando; 011-505-8894-7331; hcp.nicaragua-info.com; less rustic than Albergue Celentiname but not hot water.
Sights & Sites
●Corredor de los Pintores – main path's walk through artists' displays.
●Musas – small museum.
●Pre-Columbian Petroglyph – volcanic boulder with intertwined snakes carving.

Mancarron
Sights & Sites
●Church – open-air stone structure built by Father Cardenas.