Latin America Collection

From the bustle of city life, to the pastoral views of the
countryside, Nicaragua offers a variety of living options to fit
your lifestyle preference.
For people who like the stimulation and consumer-comforts of
urban life, the capital city of Managua is the closest thing
Nicaragua has to a big city. While it is a far-cry from the buzz of
a New York or London, Managua has most of the basic
ingredients of a city: fully stocked grocery stores, world-class
medical care, malls, multiplex movie theaters, banks, pleasant
eateries, cultural activities, sports teams, universities and night
clubs.
Located on the Central Pacific, Managua is the center of
commercial and political activity, and is only a short jaunt from
beaches and volcanoes. The city is home to 1.2 million, mostly
impoverished people. More than a quarter of the country's
population lives in the capital. Two out of three capital dwellers
live below the poverty line.
Managua has been wrought by natural disasters over the years. In
1972 a 6.2-magnitude earthquake leveled the city, killing
thousands. After the diastrophism, the second major temblor to
rock the city in 50 years, the downtown center was never rebuilt.
The result is a sprawling city with no proper downtown area to
speak of.





The city now seems to be centered around the Metrocentro
shopping mall (which just happens to be the geographical center
of the city) and several nearby hotels along the Carretera Masaya,
the main highway that connects Managua to Masaya and
Granada.
Like much of Nicaragua ­ and Central America ­ not all of
Managua's streets are named or numbered, and most directions
are given in terms of landmarks, some of which no longer exist.
The system takes some getting used to, but it is not
unmanageable. The mostly bricked streets are wide and generally
navigable. One of the benefits of a non-centralized capital is that
traffic is dispersed somewhat evenly throughout the city, and
bottlenecks and infuriating traffic jams are not usually a problem.
Managua has its share of banks, post office and currier services,
hotels for all budgets, first-class restaurants and other basic
services. Foreigners will be happy to learn that the brand-new
Vivian Pellas Hospital, considered the best in Central America,
was opened in southern Managua in 2004.
There are also universities, foreign-language schools, museums,
the Denis Martínez National Baseball Stadium, a large central
market and a new outdoor acoustical music venue.
The Zona Rosa, on the Carretera Masaya on the south-side of
town, is the in-place to get your party on, with some of the
country's best discos, bars and casinos.
The city is currently undergoing a construction-boom with new
malls, office buildings, overpasses and residential neighborhoods
going in all the time.Managua is also home to most of the familiar fast-food chains
found in the United States, including McDonalds, Pizza Hut,
Subway, Dominos and Burger King.
Managua International Airport is located on the northeast side of
town.
Due to Managua's proximity to other, more-attractive colonial
cities, most expatriates chose to live elsewhere and commute into
the city when they have to.
The colonial city of Granada, a one-hour drive from the capital,
is by far the most popular place for foreigners ­ both North
American and European ­ to live.
With a population of slightly more than 155,000 people ­
including some 1,000 foreign residents ­ Granada is a city that
feels like a village. Everyone knows everything about everyone
else, and what they don't know they invent.
Colonial-style houses give Granada its charm.





This city, rich with history and tradition, is a foreign investor's
dream (or nightmare as the case can be). In the mid to late `90s,
it was possible to purchase a colonial fixer-upper for $60,000 and
dump another $60,000 in repairs and remodeling into what
would become a mansion dream-home for less than $150,000.
While those deals are increasingly harder to find, buyers now
have the option of purchasing remodeled, ready-to-live-in
colonials for $160,000. Fixer-uppers still exist, but they're more
on the fringes of town.
Before buying a home to remodel, buyers are wise to carefully
study the city's building codes. The city is divided into three
sections, with different building restrictions placed on buildings
in different parts of the city. The town architect, who works out
of the mayor's office next to the central park, must approve all
building plans. Expect delays.
In Granada horse-drawn carriages are still used for transportation.Ask around town and talk to people who have gone through the
remodeling process to find out where to get supplies, and what
building contractors are reputable. Lots of foreigners have
already gone through the process, so there is no reason to head
into it blind. Learn from other's mistakes.
The influx of foreign capital has brought a dramatic
improvement of restaurant, bar and hotel infrastructure. The
city's oldest hotel on the Central Park, The Alhambra, recently
underwent a stately restoration process in 2004. Nearby, the
bright blue Colonial has become another mainstay, complete
with tourism and rental car services. On the other side of the
park, the elegant La Gran Francia is a beautifully resorted
colonial building that was once home to U.S. filibuster William
Walker in the 1850. Casa San Francisco, around the corner
from the like-named Convent, is a comfortable bed and
breakfast, complete with Mexican-fare restaurant. Dutch-owned
El Club, a restaurant/hotel/bar five blocks from the Central Park,
A view of Lake Nicaragua from Granada.


has become Nicaragua's newest trendy hotspot on the weekends,
drawing party crowds from Managua.
Backpackers are welcome at Central, Oasis and the Bearded
Monkey, both of which offer cheap lodging and eats.
Granada's big party night is Saturday, when drinkers old and
young pack into El Club, La Fabrica and Café Nuit, all located
within one block of each other.
The city's new mayor, Alvaro Chamorro, won the November
2004 municipal elections on the Sandinista Convergence ticket.
But that shouldn't scare anyone. Chamorro is a lifelong
Conservative who claims he is dedicated to attracting foreign
investment and increasing tourism, which he has identified as the
main priority for his government.
Among his first acts in office in 2005, Chamorro announced the
creation of a new tourism police unit, and set his sights on
building a new cultural center and massive tourism convention
center in the city's old, abandoned hospital.
Granada is a combination of old-world brick roads, colonial
buildings, elaborate churches and conservative values, mixed
with new-world infrastructure and services. The city has modern-
day banking options, including BAC, the country's most secure
and respected bank. Several Internet cafes are located around the
park.
A rundown 1970s movie theatre, complete with broken chairs
and bats that swoop before the screen, shows major U.S. releases
(albeit months later) for $1. And the Tres Mundos cultural
center near the park often has expositions of dance, theatre and
art.


Down on Lake Nicaragua, 5 minutes from the Central Park, the
rundown tourism strip has some dodgy late night discos that fill
up on the weekend. Further down the road, boats and kayaks are
for rent for people who want to explore the 360 islands known
as Las Isletas that dot Lake Nicaragua. Nicaragua's well-to-do,
who have built enormous weekend homes on the lake, have
purchased many of the islands.
Nearby Granada, Laguna de Apoyo and Mombacho Volcano
are becoming new hotspots for real-estate investment by people
who are looking for a slightly cooler climate.
Masaya (population 241,000), located 11 miles west of
Granada, is the smallest and most-populated department in
Nicaragua. Known as "cultural center of Nicaragua," the city is
located on the edge of a crater lake, Laguna Masaya. On the
opposite side looms the Masaya Volcano with a plume of steam
spewing from its crater. The Masaya Volcano National Park is the
most visited of all the country's parks, and is a perfect place for a
day hike and crater-ridge photo opportunity.
The city touts a beautifully remodeled tourist artisan market,
filled with stands displaying everything from leather goods to
hammocks. The walled market is a great place to spend a couple
hours shopping and stopping for a beer and some vigorón (a
local yucca and pork rind dish).
Masaya is also home to Roberto Clemente Stadium, considered
the coziest baseball stadium in Nicaragua. The park is home to
San Fernando, Masaya's home team.
The city, founded in 1883, has long been a Sandinista
stronghold, and was punished severely by Somoza's National
Guard during the Revolution. An earthquake also struck the city


more recently. Between the manmade and natural disasters, much
of Masaya still has a bombed out, rundown feel.
Only a handful of foreigners call Masaya home.
León, a 1 hour drive north of Managua, is Nicaragua's second
largest city (population 337,000). León was first founded the
same year as Granada on the shores of Lake Managua. But in
1610, it was forced to relocate inland, following repeated
earthquakes and eruptions from Momotombo Volcano.
León then served as Nicaragua's colonial capital city for more
than 200 years, before the honor was passed to Managua in
1851. The colonial city is, in some considerations, the anti-
Granada, a city with which it has a century's old feud. While
much of the architecture is similar to Granada, León historically
is a more liberal, and educated city.
In León, the weather is hot, and so too is the political activism.
The city is home to several universities, and always votes
Sandinista.
The city's narrow, paved streets, adobe homes with their gardens,
red-tiled roofs and weathered buildings have made the city's
architecture its main attraction. The centerpiece of the León is an
impressive Central Park, highlighted by the largest Cathedral in
Central America.
One "can't-miss" attraction is the Museo Rubén Dario, the
house where the country's most famous poet spent his
childhood.
León also has beaches that draw university crowds on the
weekends and vacations. Nearby rivers also offer a place to relax
and pass the time fishing.





San Juan del Sur, located in a large curved bay, is Nicaragua's
most popular beach town, with a booming real-estate market.
The town has hotels, good seafood, sportfishing and surfing.
Check out both Marie's Bar and Restaurant and Richard's Bar
and Restaurant.
Hotel options range from the expensive, Morgan's Rock, to less
expensive hostel options. Midrange places, such as Pelican Eyes,
are favorites among visitors.
Foreigners seeking the beach life are increasingly populating the
beach town and the surround strips of white-sand real-estate.
South of San Juan del Sur, not far from the Costa Rican border,
Playas Coco and Ostional are becoming popular new beach
spots to get away from civilization and work on your tan. North
of San Juan del Sur, Marsella, Majagual and Ocotal are popular
sun and surf spots that are starting to be quietly developed with
private beach homes and cozy lodging options.
In the department of Managua, about an hour from the capital,
Montelimar and Pochomil offer several large, all-inclusive
resorts, including the venerable Spanish-resort chain Barceló
Montelimar, located on property that used to be former dictator
Anastasio Somoza's beach home. Nearby Masachapa beach is
not as nice or developed. Just south, the Tola area is a favorite
for investors.
For those who don't like hot weather, Matagalpa (population
383,000) might be a better fit. Two hours from the capital, the
city is located in the highlands of north-central Nicaragua's
coffee-growing agricultural region. The climate is cool, but the
infrastructure and consumer products are in short demand. Estelí (population 175,000) is similar mountain town, with
slightly more infrastructure and a pleasant Central Park. Estelí is
cowboy country.
There is a lot of tobacco grown in the area that was the birthplace
of the Sandinista insurgency. A Sandinista Martyrs and Heroes
museum next to the fire station has a neat pictorial history of the
revolution.
Several new hotels, such as Los Arcos, make Estelí a nice place to
visit. Except for Peace Corp volunteers, not too many foreigners
live here.
Nicaragua's Ometepe and Corn Islands are also showing
potential as future real-estate options, although currently most
foreigners just visit these more remote areas, and aren't looking
to buy.
Located in Lake Nicaragua, Ometepe is the world's largest island
in a freshwater lake. The island is in the shape of a "figure 8,"
with two volcanoes on either end. Volcán Concepción, a 1,610-
meter tall cone, is easily visible from the highway running from
the Costa Rican border to Managua. Ometepe's other volcano,
Volcán Madera, 1,310 meters, is a favorite spot for hiking. The
Nicaraguan Tourism Institute strongly recommends that hikers
hire a local guide and always stay on the path when hiking on
Ometepe's volcanoes. In 2004, three tourists (U.S., British and
Salvadoran) turned up dead after getting lost on their un-guided
hikes up Maderas. Tourism has increased since, as curious
backpackers now flock to the area the hikers went missing.
Ometepe, known as the "Oasis of Peace," has several nice
beaches, including Playa Istian. Although tourism is growing
quickly on the island, there aren't many nice places to stay on the


island. The nicest hotel, far and away, is Hotel Villa Paraíso, and
Finca Magdalena is another cozy bet.
Big Corn Island (population 10,000) and Little Corn Island
(population 3,000) are also becoming new Caribbean tourist
destinations, with two daily flights leaving Managua on La
Costnea Airline (263-1228) for $110 roundtrip. Several budget
hotels can be found on Big Corn, with has nice swimming and
sunning beaches on Southwest Bay and Long Bay. But most
tourists prefer the even more remote Little Corn, which is
accessible by a water taxi that leaves from the North End of Big
Corn everyday at 10 am. Little Corn has no vehicles, no police
and very limited infrastructure. It is a good place to relax, and a
bad place to get sick or into trouble.
Nicaragua quite obviously has many other interesting cities and
towns to check out, including the northern agricultural and
baseball breeding grounds of Chinandega, and the mystic Río
San Juan, which is becoming a favorite spot for tarpin fishing.
However, the places highlighted in this chapter are those with
the most tourism and investment potential, as well as basic
infrastructure and safety standards.
And while basic safety considerations and common sense applies
everywhere in Nicaragua ­ as it does everywhere in the world ­
there are certain parts of the country that are more dicey than
others. Rural interior sections of the country, such as El Rama,
and the so-called "mining triangle" (Bonanza, Siuna and Rosita)
are still very much wild-west towns that are not used to seeing
tourists. Unless you have a reason to go there or really know
what you are doing, you are advised to not wonder into these
parts of the country just for the sake of exploring.