Nomad : Nicaragua + Costa Rica > 3/2 UPDATE : Ometepe, Nica military, and beachfront in San Juan Del Sur (1 Viewer)

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Getting the Itch to get out of dodge again.... 

We were exploring southeast asia but unfortunately the time zone shift would make working remotely there pretty challenging without procuring special permission from our bosses. Given the large number of meetings and the GF's customer-facing role... that's not in the cards at this time. 

That got me to looking into other areas in this hemisphere. We LOVED Playa Samara, Costa Rica, but the GF is more inclined to explore other areas. I happened upon Outsite.co via r/DigitalNomads... and happened looked at their digital nomad-centered lodging options in Latin America. They currently have spots in Costa Rica, Mexico, and.... Nicaragua. 

Did a bit of digging into San Juan Del Sur, NIcaragua and thus far am impressed. 

It's a bit north from Samara on the same Pacific Coast. Samara is NW Costa Rica, SJDS is SW Nicaragua. 

Small beach town inside a tranquil Bay... lots of English speakers.... very affordable.... Central Time Zone.... Seemingly very safe aside from the usual petty crime stuff. Water supposedly safe, but more risky than Costa Rica. Probably would stick to filtered / bottled for the most part. USD Accepted but obviously local currency (35 Cordoba = 1USD) is preferred. 

Power can be an issue with outages (moreso than guanacaste costa rica), but I'm being told they built a power station on the edge of town that has significantly stabilized power. Cell coverage good. Solid reasonably-fast internet available. 

Considering 2-3 weeks for this jaunt... but we shall see. Can find spacious, clean beachfront 2BR apartments (heart of town, 100% walkable) for ~$1000 for 2 weeks, or luxurious modern casas with infinity pools overlooking the Pacific (need a ATV/Car) for ~$2000 for 2 weeks. 

Anyone been? 

 

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Have sign off by the GF. Talking 3-4 weeks. We are eyeing two places so far but still early in the search: 
 

One down in the heart of town. Walkable. Across the street from the beach with two balconies overlooking the pacific with great sunset views. ~$1500US for a month. 

One a bit out of town. Would need a rental car or quad for the month (additional cost). Still a short walk to a beach but a bit more time/effort to get into town. Beautiful unit with epic views from bedroom and infinity pool overlooking sunsets on pacific. $3600US for a month. 

Given our experience in Playa Samara, Costa Rica last year, the value of being 100% walkable right in town was very high. Add in the dramatic gap in price and we're leaning toward the less posh accommodations in favor of convenience and value. 
 

More to come.... I welcome any input! 

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Love the idea. Isn’t Nicaragua is a little sketchy?   My wife’s cousin went a few years ago and we hooked her up with a local “fixer” that @krista4 knew. He was awesome. 

 

[Ron Swanson]

Between those two I'd go with the much nicer out of town place and hire a driver when needed. I bet you can have a driver on speed dial for cheap.

 

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Now the Parents want a family trip for their 50th Wedding Anniversary, with the GF and I, plus my Brother, SIL, and my two nieces. They would like to do this in Samara, Costa Rica based on our raving about the place. My brother and his wife came to visit us last year and had a blast as well. This would have to coincide with the kids' spring break. 

SO... Looking like we are going to do San Juan del Sur for 3-4 weeks before that trip, then hire a shuttle to take us across the Nicaraguan/Costa-Rican border to the Liberia Airport to greet them, then shuttle down to Samara to get settled in for 9 days in town before all flying back together. 

Inventory getting SPARCE in Samara so trying to move fast.  

 

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Love the idea. Isn’t Nicaragua is a little sketchy?   My wife’s cousin went a few years ago and we hooked her up with a local “fixer” that @krista4 knew. He was awesome. 

Nicaragua gets a bad rap, from what I understand. Yes it's a socialist dicator state where the leader is effectively imprisoning or killing any opposition... which sucks. Yes there have been some uprisings around election time... however it seems pretty stable now.  By all accounts, San Juan del Sur is a fairly touristy and safe area of Nicaragua so I'm not too worried about it.

Having spent a 6 weeks around Costa Rica and a week in Ecuador is a splash in the bucket compared to many here, but it has done wonders for my confidence in travelling in central and South America.   

Between those two I'd go with the much nicer out of town place and hire a driver when needed. I bet you can have a driver on speed dial for cheap.

Excellent call. Once we anchored the week in Samara Costa Rica, it kind of made our minds for us... The affordable 2BR place with a great location is only available for part of the 3 week window before we cross into Costa Rica, so we're splitting it up: 

Memphis to Managua was $1600 (#### that) so I'm splitting it up and saving a ton of cash. Flying MEM > MIA (Prob Southwest). ....  then MIA > Managua Direct for $160  on Avianca Airways (El Salvador Airline). 

SCHEDULE IS FIRMING UP:

Feb 19 to Feb 27th > San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua - Have requested to book this place for $2500 for the week. Not cheap and it's currently just two of us, but good chance another couple or two will join the fun. If not, we'll have plenty of space to work remotely  

Feb 27th to to March 12th > San Juan del Sur, Stop #2 - Have confirmed this place for $920 for 13 nights. Not nearly as fancy, but amazing location on the main drag with two balconies overlooking the beach/sunset. 

March 12th we're hiring a private shuttle to drive us to the Costa Rican border and drop us off ($40usd). Will go through immigration to enter Costa Rica, and then be picked up by another shuttle that will drive us to LIR (Liberia Airport) where my two Parents, my brother, his wife, and my two nieces (14 and 11) will jump in the shuttle with us and we will continue the 2 hours down to Playa Samara again. 

March 12 to March 20th > Playa Samara, Costa Rica - We've booked this 4BR Condo overlooking Samara. Its kinda on the outskirts of town so we'll have a bit more of a walk than the last time we stayed (100m to beach, 500m to heart of town). That said, my folk are "resort/cruise" travelers so I didn't want to freak them out with rustic accommodations. We will likely use taxis sometimes ie when hauling groceries, or at night as the road out of town is kinda narrow with no lighting but otherwise it's a VERY manageable 3 min walk to the sand and 6-7 min walk to the heart  of town. 

Plan is to not have a car for the entire duration of the trip. Use shuttles between areas... taxis as needed, but mostly just walk everywhere.  

 

[The Z Machine]

sehorn

 

[Hawks64]

 

[johnnycakes]

 

[ProstheticRGK]

 

[krista4]

Love the idea. Isn’t Nicaragua is a little sketchy?   My wife’s cousin went a few years ago and we hooked her up with a local “fixer” that @krista4 knew. He was awesome. 

Nicaragua gets a bad rap, from what I understand. Yes it's a socialist dicator state where the leader is effectively imprisoning or killing any opposition... which sucks. Yes there have been some uprisings around election time... however it seems pretty stable now.  By all accounts, San Juan del Sur is a fairly touristy and safe area of Nicaragua so I'm not too worried about it.

Having spent a 6 weeks around Costa Rica and a week in Ecuador is a splash in the bucket compared to many here, but it has done wonders for my confidence in travelling in central and South America.   

Somehow I missed this before, despite being tagged.  You hit it just about right.  After the issues in Nicaragua in the late 80s, once Ortega took over it actually became the safest country in Central America for a long while (yes, even safer than Panama or Costa Rica).  There are benefits to a dictator in this regard, in that he managed to keep the drug running out of the country while it ravaged nearby places like Honduras and El Salvador.   This peace continued until 2018 when huge fighting broke out over his policies, and Nica was on fire for a while.  It was terrifying at that time and I was beyond sick for my friends there, but basically Ortega got rid of all his most outspoken opponents and things have again calmed down.

Despite being generally very safe w/r/t violent crime, petty street crime is a huge issue, so you'll want to be extremely careful about that.  At some point it was the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (Haiti "won"), but not sure if that's still the case.  In any case, it's very poor.  I know, you live in Memphis, but having lived in both, please believe me that it's much worse for that.  Just be careful; the only time I had an issue was when former welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga stole my phone at a party, which was documented here and is now a memory of great humor and fondness (my friends who were throwing the party got it back for me). 

As RAIDERS mentioned, I have "a guy" there, Julio, who does anything one needs.  Seriously, he knows everyone and can get literally anything done (I suspect including hiding a body, but haven't tested that yet).  One thing right up front where he could be helpful is to get you a ride from MGA to SJDS, if you'd like.  Do not take a taxi; if you don't use him, pre-arrange with someone else.  He could also likely arrange the shuttle for you from SJDS to Liberia.  But again, anything you might need.  I still laugh at this one:  I had a two-tiered glass coffee table that was sort of kidney-shaped.  The cleaning lady broke one of the two levels, and Julio said, "Don't worry about it."  Within a couple of hours, he showed up at my house with the exact same shape and size of glass to replace it.  He "knew a guy."  

In addition to Julio, I have various friends down there, including a Canadian ex-pat named Andy whom I think you'd get along great with.  He's awesome and a riot, and recently married a gorgeous Nica (his second Nica bride, but muuuuuuuuch cooler than the first one).  Andy's the one who had the party with Mayorga, as Andy owned a boxing gym at one point.  Anyway, I lived in Granada not SJDS, and all of the people I know are in Granada, which you definitely should spend time in, but they could help you out with SJDS stuff as it's not that far.  I haven't spent a lot of time in SJDS but do like it.  Much sleepier than Granada, but great if you just want beach relaxation and especially for surfing.  They've held international surfing championships there.  You should definitely visit Ometepe while you're there, do a boat trip of the isletas near Granada (sooo cool), go to Mombacho (beautiful inactive volcano/cloud forest/rainforest) and to Masaya (very active volcano), maybe Laguna de Apoyo.  Julio could arrange all of this.  If you have time to get back up to MGA and take a short plane trip, go to the Corn Islands, which I somehow never managed to get to but are supposed to be cool.  Arrrgggghhhh, there's so much!  

Open to any questions, by the way.  Oh, and you're right; power outages can be a problem, but they don't usually last long.

Also @Uruk-Hai stayed in one of my houses in Granada several years ago and could offer perspective, too.

 

[krista4]

Oh, a couple more things.  There's a huge international poetry festival in Granada sometime in February, or at least there used to be though I don't know with COVID.  Even if you don't like poetry, it's just a cool event to attend as there's stuff going on all over town.

I think you're a cigar guy, so you probably know that many people consider Nica cigars on par with Cubans.  Going to a cigar "factory" (which is more like a few people hand-rolling stuff) is fun even for those who don't partake, like me.  The one at Dona Elba is good.  The country is also known for coffee, so there are good coffee farms to visit, too, if you're into that.

 

[The Z Machine]

Damn, awesome stuff, @krista4.  Didn't know you spent that much time down there.

Good luck, ike.  Sounds like Krista has you covered.

As for me, my wife is making rumblings about doing another stretch again.  I said Colombia, she said, Dominican Republic.  We might do a different spot in Mexico again.  Who knows.

 

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Somehow I missed this before, despite being tagged.  You hit it just about right.  After the issues in Nicaragua in the late 80s, once Ortega took over it actually became the safest country in Central America for a long while (yes, even safer than Panama or Costa Rica).  There are benefits to a dictator in this regard, in that he managed to keep the drug running out of the country while it ravaged nearby places like Honduras and El Salvador.   This peace continued until 2018 when huge fighting broke out over his policies, and Nica was on fire for a while.  It was terrifying at that time and I was beyond sick for my friends there, but basically Ortega got rid of all his most outspoken opponents and things have again calmed down.

Despite being generally very safe w/r/t violent crime, petty street crime is a huge issue, so you'll want to be extremely careful about that.  At some point it was the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (Haiti "won"), but not sure if that's still the case.  In any case, it's very poor.  I know, you live in Memphis, but having lived in both, please believe me that it's much worse for that.  Just be careful; the only time I had an issue was when former welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga stole my phone at a party, which was documented here and is now a memory of great humor and fondness (my friends who were throwing the party got it back for me). 

As RAIDERS mentioned, I have "a guy" there, Julio, who does anything one needs.  Seriously, he knows everyone and can get literally anything done (I suspect including hiding a body, but haven't tested that yet).  One thing right up front where he could be helpful is to get you a ride from MGA to SJDS, if you'd like.  Do not take a taxi; if you don't use him, pre-arrange with someone else.  He could also likely arrange the shuttle for you from SJDS to Liberia.  But again, anything you might need.  I still laugh at this one:  I had a two-tiered glass coffee table that was sort of kidney-shaped.  The cleaning lady broke one of the two levels, and Julio said, "Don't worry about it."  Within a couple of hours, he showed up at my house with the exact same shape and size of glass to replace it.  He "knew a guy."  

In addition to Julio, I have various friends down there, including a Canadian ex-pat named Andy whom I think you'd get along great with.  He's awesome and a riot, and recently married a gorgeous Nica (his second Nica bride, but muuuuuuuuch cooler than the first one).  Andy's the one who had the party with Mayorga, as Andy owned a boxing gym at one point.  Anyway, I lived in Granada not SJDS, and all of the people I know are in Granada, which you definitely should spend time in, but they could help you out with SJDS stuff as it's not that far.  I haven't spent a lot of time in SJDS but do like it.  Much sleepier than Granada, but great if you just want beach relaxation and especially for surfing.  They've held international surfing championships there.  You should definitely visit Ometepe while you're there, do a boat trip of the isletas near Granada (sooo cool), go to Mombacho (beautiful inactive volcano/cloud forest/rainforest) and to Masaya (very active volcano), maybe Laguna de Apoyo.  Julio could arrange all of this.  If you have time to get back up to MGA and take a short plane trip, go to the Corn Islands, which I somehow never managed to get to but are supposed to be cool.  Arrrgggghhhh, there's so much!  

Open to any questions, by the way.  Oh, and you're right; power outages can be a problem, but they don't usually last long.

Also @Uruk-Hai stayed in one of my houses in Granada several years ago and could offer perspective, too.

@krista4 : this is incredible. Thank you! 

Was currently pricing shuttles (def not taking a taxi for any distance).. so I'll PM ya for your buddy's Whatsapp. Guessing local guy will get better price than gringo first timer  

We wont have a ton of time to excursions inland sadly... we will be working remotely M-F but may consider a single weekend excursion on our open weekend,  

I'll be in touch. Thank you again for this and any future pointers  

 

[krista4]

@krista4 : this is incredible. Thank you! 

Was currently pricing shuttles (def not taking a taxi for any distance).. so I'll PM ya for your buddy's Whatsapp. Guessing local guy will get better price than gringo first timer  

We wont have a ton of time to excursions inland sadly... we will be working remotely M-F but may consider a single weekend excursion on our open weekend,  

I'll be in touch. Thank you again for this and any future pointers  

Yeah, I realize you're not going as a tourist so your time will be more limited.    Ometepe boats go out of Rivas, which is very close to SJDS, so just a day trip for you.  If you go to Nica and just stay in SJDS, you're (1) gonna get bored, and (2) not getting a full Nica experience, so I'd definitely say take a weekend just to make your home base in Granada (the coolest colonial town in Central America) and go at least to Masaya, with the isletas or Mombacho as my second must-do if you do another.  It's insane to go right up to the rim of such an active volcano as Masaya.  I mean, not really safe-seeming in the least, but all bets are off in Nica.       

Also worth mentioning, the roads are much better in Nica than Costa Rica, so getting around doesn't take as long.  Everything I've mentioned to you is a relatively easy trip.  If you're feeling adventurous, you can also take the "chicken bus" between places.  They're old US school buses that cost like a dollar between routes and are fairly efficient.  But other than at the airport, I'd be comfortable with taxis for short distances.  Just agree on a price in advance and make sure only to pay that amount.  The thing is, private cars are just as cheap as taxis, so I always take those instead.

Oh, also, more people speak passable English in Nica than in Costa Rica, for whatever reason.  I'm sure your Spanish is good by now, though!

Definitely PM me for anything at all!  I'm envious as I really need to get back down; have only visited a few times since moving back to the US.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Can’t recommend Julio enough. My über blond, beautiful, gringa, wife’s cousin went down there, with a girl friend, and Julio took care of everything. They were blown away with how great he was. Stoked to have made this connection. Have fun!

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I'll 3rd the recommendation for Julio. He took care of me when I was in Granada staying at krista's rental. Great guy. As krista mentioned, that dude must know every single soul in that town. No matter where we stopped, someone on the street would call out his name. 

I have lost all of the photos I took during my stay - "Hell no, I don't need to back them up to some damned 'cloud'; they are on my computer and my phone"  - but it's a gorgeous town. I went to Masaya and that was really cool - I sat on the edge of the smoking crater. I also did the isletas tour on Lake Granada (including the Isle Of Monkeys!) and I would definitely try to make time for that. I also wanted to charter a boat for fishing on the lake, but time got away from me.

I met several ex-pats there, most of them just by sitting on the stoop of the house I stayed in (the rest, in the beer section of the grocery store  ). There are (or, were) fireworks every night down by this massive flea market, parades at seemingly random times of day, folks walking down the streets selling produce. Also love the architecture (especially the churches).

 

[gump]

We visited San Juan Del Sur for 4 days in Jan ‘17. Was a bit sketchy getting there from the airport, passing thru armed military…but the town was extremely safe and quiet. We walked everywhere from the top of town to the beach, and north. Incredible views of the bay from our Santa Maria Resort…with the statue on the peak in view…we’re spectacular. The best place to eat was El Timon, but a couple of good breakfast and lunch spots in town also.  Took a local guide over to a Playa to surf.  Fun and safe night life north end of town. Great time to the point our friends looked in to buying (which they dropped after the govt issues).

I’ll never forget flying over Mumotumbo. We did not trek over to Conception since we’d already seen volcanos in CR.

If you have any specific questions I can look thru some notes/pics to help…but you’ll love it.

 

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Damn you guys are amazing. We were not even CONSIDERING Grenada area, now it's officially penciled in for either the weekend of feb 26-27 or mar 5-6.

We will have to take a shuttle up and back, and stack some lodging but we did something similar in CR and it worked out great. 
 

THANK YOU 

 

[beer 30]

I'll sign up for another rendition of where in the world is @[icon] on two conditions:

1. Don't turn this into the dating thread the other dude that pulled this off tried to do. Forget his name but was disappointed with the thread. Do better 

B.) answer my DM

 

[[icon]]

I'll sign up for another rendition of where in the world is @[icon] on two conditions:

1. Don't turn this into the dating thread the other dude that pulled this off tried to do. Forget his name but was disappointed with the thread. Do better 

B.) answer my DM

I'm so sorry GB, no idea how I missed that one. Response sent! 

 

[krista4]

There are (or, were) fireworks every night down by this massive flea market, parades at seemingly random times of day, folks walking down the streets selling produce. 

  How could I forget to mention these?  Nicas love their fireworks and parades!  And one of my favorite parts of living there was buying literally anything from someone who comes by the front door.  I don’t know if they do this in SJDS (though assume so?), but guys just walk down the streets with whatever they’re selling, yelling out whatever they have.  “Mariscos, mariscos!”  It’s charming.  The Nica version of Amazon!

Damn you guys are amazing. We were not even CONSIDERING Grenada area, now it's officially penciled in for either the weekend of feb 26-27 or mar 5-6.

We will have to take a shuttle up and back, and stack some lodging but we did something similar in CR and it worked out great. 
 

THANK YOU 

Let me know if you need any advice on where to stay in Granada.  Generally you want to be near La Calzada in any direction other than toward the lake.

 

[krista4]

Oh, I just remembered…someone who stayed in one of my houses loved it so much there that she ended up buying.  I’ve been in her place, and it’s small but very lovely and charming.  Extremely well located.  And apparently very cheap!  Casa Romantica

ETA:  She was featured on House Hunters International when she bought it.  The famous Julio even had a cameo when he took them to the isletas.    

ETA2:  I’ve sold both my houses there, in case anyone wonders why I’m not offering.

ETA3:  I just read the listing and see that Julio is mentioned many times there and is the star of the reviews.  Ashley the owner hired him on my recommendation.

 

[The Z Machine]

@krista4, you got me thinking about Grenada and Nica as a location for an 8 week stay this summer.  I would have 2 9 year olds that would need some sort of daily supervision.  Would anything like that be available in Grenada?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

  How could I forget to mention these?  Nicas love their fireworks and parades!  And one of my favorite parts of living there was buying literally anything from someone who comes by the front door.  I don’t know if they do this in SJDS (though assume so?), but guys just walk down the streets with whatever they’re selling, yelling out whatever they have.  “Mariscos, mariscos!”  It’s charming.  The Nica version of Amazon!

Do you know if our buddy - can't recall her name, but she was a little person - is still across the street from La Paloma?

 

[krista4]

@krista4, you got me thinking about Grenada and Nica as a location for an 8 week stay this summer.  I would have 2 9 year olds that would need some sort of daily supervision.  Would anything like that be available in Grenada?

Oh definitely.  

 

[krista4]

Do you know if our buddy - can't recall her name, but she was a little person - is still across the street from La Paloma?

Doña Lucia!  Yes, she's still there.  Such a sweet woman.

The guy who bought Paloma from me renamed it Casa Basel and did some upgrades (granite countertops!), rented it out for a short time and then stopped.  Maybe he had trouble with rentals because he had such ####ty pics taken.  I get a little sad to see all my furniture and art there.

 

[krista4]

Oh definitely.  

I should expand on this a little.  I used to rent out my two houses through vrbo before I moved there full time.  If requested, I arranged for childcare for my guests, or a cook, or Spanish lessons, or whatever they needed.  You can get pretty much anything, and it is cheap.  Like, so cheap that even if you pay twice the going rate you still feel guilty.  Rentals in Nicaragua come with cleaning ladies (there could be exceptions but they would be rare) who come every day unless you tell them not to.  Sometimes the cleaning ladies end up doing the childcare, though they usually don't speak a lot of English, so if more fluency is required there are other options.

Ohhhh, speaking of cheap, I can only think of two things in Nica that aren't dirt cheap:  cars and electricity.  The former won't impact a tourist, but the latter can.  Some places charge for the electricity usage for their guests.  Most don't, but it's becoming more common.  So a watch-out I'd give is make absolutely sure you are not paying for that.   Electricity is offered by a Spanish company that bills you seemingly random and often outrageous amounts.  

OK, with that, I'm going to try to post less here and give it back to icon.  I didn't mean to take over the thread!  I do get very excited when people want to visit Nicaragua.  I left part of my heart there.  The people are kind and hard-working and astonishingly happy given their circumstances.  Tourism was becoming huge there before the issues in 2018 and then COVID, and then it dropped off a cliff.  The country really needs people to go and visit again.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I should expand on this a little.  I used to rent out my two houses through vrbo before I moved there full time.  If requested, I arranged for childcare for my guests, or a cook, or Spanish lessons, or whatever they needed.  You can get pretty much anything, and it is cheap.  Like, so cheap that even if you pay twice the going rate you still feel guilty.  Rentals in Nicaragua come with cleaning ladies (there could be exceptions but they would be rare) who come every day unless you tell them not to.  Sometimes the cleaning ladies end up doing the childcare, though they usually don't speak a lot of English, so if more fluency is required there are other options.

Ohhhh, speaking of cheap, I can only think of two things in Nica that aren't dirt cheap:  cars and electricity.  The former won't impact a tourist, but the latter can.  Some places charge for the electricity usage for their guests.  Most don't, but it's becoming more common.  So a watch-out I'd give is make absolutely sure you are not paying for that.   Electricity is offered by a Spanish company that bills you seemingly random and often outrageous amounts.  

OK, with that, I'm going to try to post less here and give it back to icon.  I didn't mean to take over the thread!  I do get very excited when people want to visit Nicaragua.  I left part of my heart there.  The people are kind and hard-working and astonishingly happy given their circumstances.  Tourism was becoming huge there before the issues in 2018 and then COVID, and then it dropped off a cliff.  The country really needs people to go and visit again.

Carmen was my cleaning lady's name, right? She was a sweetheart.

 

[krista4]

Carmen was my cleaning lady's name, right? She was a sweetheart.

Yep.   Carmen. 

 

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OK, with that, I'm going to try to post less here and give it back to icon.  I didn't mean to take over the thread!  

On the contrary, your input here is priceless. Post away, sincerely! I love the tips, the connections, the anecdotes, all of it! 

 

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About 40 days out from the trip now... getting into the weeds.

I figured I'd share updates on some stuff for those either travelling to either of these countries, or just curious about costs, logistics, etc. 

TRIP INSURANCE:

We book everything on Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa that covers excellent trip interruption, cancellation, baggage delay/loss, rental car, etc. insurance. However we still wanted health insurance. We used Trawick International successfully last time, so we used them again. Costs went up a bit.. $168 total for both of us for a 35 day trip (I always extend it out a few days in case we miss flights)... $500,000 health coverage with $250 deductable. Covers everything from detal, medical, airlift, repatriation, death and dismemberment... blah blah blah. 

NICARAGUA: 

Entering Nicaragua requires a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. It must be uploaded to the airline 36hours in advance for government approval. It must be PCR, and must include stamp/signature or ID code from the lab. 

We are flying Avianca (El Salvador Airline) from Miami to Managua. We will have about a 3.5 hour layover in Miami (wanted to allow for delays out of Memphis). If we're on time, the Priority Pass Lounge Membership (Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Reserve Card) will get us into a few different nice lounges for free cocktails/breakfast and a comfortable place to relax before the next flight. 

Krista and Julio have been a huge help. Julio is dealing with some family stuff right now but should have quotes on everything in a bit. He is going to handle driving us from Managua Airport to our house in SJDS. Then from SJDS to the Liberian Airport (with a transfer to a new driver at the CR border).  

We are also now looking at a long weekend in Granada (2 nights likely). Goal is to hit a tour of the islitas, including monkey island... and definitely spend the bulk of the day touring the city of Granada... sights, history, people, food, etc... we will lean heavily on Julio for his expertise here. Finally we definitely want to see the volcano Masaya around dusk on the way in or back.  We may expand upon this based on feedback, but this is our plan. 

Upthread I explained lodging in SJDS. 1 weeks in the nicer 4BR house, then 2 weeks in the smaller beachside 2BR apartment. 

The plan is to get a Claro SIM. Looks like 14 days / 7GB is ~$6USD. That's hard to beat. 

We are really wanting to check out turtle nesting grounds but we are past peak season. Will have to check on if that's worth still doing. 

COSTA RICA: 

Entering Costa Rica requires either Vaccination Card OR a Health Insurance policy that covers covid lodging/hospitalization (Trawick is great). It must be uploaded to the Ministry of Health 72 hours before entry to get a QR code for entry. No COVID testing is required. 

Lodging is posted upthread... Veneto Condos. 

Because my parents are a bit older (72) and my mother's knees make a lot of stairs and steep hills rather challenging... we've opted to rent a pair of golf carts for the main week. (mar 12-20). The plan is still to mostly walk around town, but getting up the hill to the condo, and for longer excursions over into Cangrejal (For Casados at Soda la Perla) and such... or when lugging groceries, the carts will come in handy. I was quoted $60/day per cart. I got him to $600 for the 8 days for both carts. 

We discovered my folks could save $700 by flying out the following wednesday (the 23rd) and we could save a few hundred as well. SO we booked 3 nights at Locanda : Samara Beach), a gorgeous beachfront property in the heart of town. My GF and I will spend the first night in one of their rustic but cool Bungalows, the rest of the time we will all be in Standard Double Rooms (with AC). Total cost was ~$600 for 3 nights, two rooms. 

We've booked Samara : Local Fishing yet again for a fishing charter on Monday Mar 21. $600 for the day including lunch, beers/drinks, all bait, etc. Captain Frank and his mate were awesome when we went around that time last year. We landed a large Sailfish (released boatside) and multiple Mahi including a monster 62" Bull (See my brother and his fish in the tall photo on the right) that fed us nicely for the month. We are going early in the week so we can enjoy eating what we catch for the week. We will obviously tip with both fish and cash on this trip. Last trip we kept most of the fish because were explicitly fishing for food for the month (we were upfront about that). 

My brother, his wife, and my two nieces will head back on the 20th (work/school) and my folks, my GF and I will stay until Wed the 23rd. 

RETURNING TO THE US:

Returning to the US from ANYWHERE abroad currently requires either a positive COVID test within 90 days of entry, OR a certified Antigen or PCR test within 1 calendar day of entry. These BinaxNow Ag cards with online Doctor validation work great, getting you results within an hour. They are confirmed to be accepted for entry. My parents ironically both got COVID last week so they'll have positive tests to use for entry.

In being prepared for all things, we're bringing spare tests just in case they have issues. Also going to give a few extras to expat friends in Samara who may need them to get into the US sometime. They're cheap here but can't be purchased there... and normal testing there is $100-200 per person. 

less than 40 days to departure now... 

 

[krista4]

NICARAGUA: 

We are also now looking at a long weekend in Granada (2 nights likely). Goal is to hit a tour of the islitas, including monkey island... and definitely spend the bulk of the day touring the city of Granada... sights, history, people, food, etc... we will lean heavily on Julio for his expertise here. Finally we definitely want to see the volcano Masaya around dusk on the way in or back.  We may expand upon this based on feedback, but this is our plan. 

I know we discussed Masaya a bit on messenger, but it's not between SJDS and Granada.  It's north of Granada, between that and Managua.  If all you are doing is the volcano (and not the town of Masaya or Caterina or anything else nearby), consider hitting it on the way from Managua to SJDS on your arrival date?  If just going to the volcano, you don't need much time there.  I realize you arrive in mid-afternoon, but you'd have time.  You can ask Julio about adding it.  

 

[[icon]]

I know we discussed Masaya a bit on messenger, but it's not between SJDS and Granada.  It's north of Granada, between that and Managua.  If all you are doing is the volcano, consider hitting it on the way from Managua to SJDS on your arrival date?  If just going to the volcano, you don't need much time there.

#### I thought it was south from a quick check. Thank you!  

We land (theoretically) at 3:30. It's ~40 mins drive. Sunset at 5:37.... don't know that we'd be through customs in that 90 mins? 

It feels like getting there about 15-30 mins before sunset would be ideal to get there.. to get the day and night view? 

 

[krista4]

#### I thought it was south from a quick check. Thank you!  

We land (theoretically) at 3:30. It's ~40 mins drive. Sunset at 5:37.... don't know that we'd be through customs in that 90 mins? 

It feels like getting there about 15-30 mins before sunset would be ideal to get there.. to get the day and night view? 

I've usually gotten through Nica immigration and customs very quickly, like as little as 10 minutes sometimes.  I'd expect, but couldn't guarantee, that given restricted numbers of flights coming in now that you might sail through.  I assume with your extended stay that you might be checking bags, but even that seems to go pretty quickly most times.  I'd definitely try to be there for a daytime view, and your daytime/nighttime combo sounds ideal.  Tough call...definitely might work, though.

 

[krista4]

I've usually gotten through Nica immigration and customs very quickly, like as little as 10 minutes sometimes.  I'd expect, but couldn't guarantee, that given restricted numbers of flights coming in now that you might sail through.  I assume with your extended stay that you might be checking bags, but even that seems to go pretty quickly most times.  I'd definitely try to be there for a daytime view, and your daytime/nighttime combo sounds ideal.  Tough call...definitely might work, though.

To give fuller info, when you arrive, you go into an immigration line.  As long as you have your little form and your $10 per person in cash, they send you through quickly.  The lines there could get long if multiple flights arrive at the same time, but like I said I doubt that right now.

Then you pick up your luggage.  They'll usually check your claim tags against your luggage.  Then you proceed to the next little space and put your luggage and hand luggage through an x-ray machine.  This is "customs," and I've never been stopped there for any reason.  Again usually very fast.  That's the end of it.

 

[[icon]]

Well ####. Sounds like that's the plan if we can jump in with Julio by 4:30 or so.  
 

Sweet to hear they don't get too far up your ### on inspection. In Cr the X-ray dude literally got up and walked away when I ran our bags   THEN two hardcore lookin dudes told me to stand against a wall while their Belgian sniffed my bags. 

Thankfully the dog sucked at their job

 

[krista4]

Well ####. Sounds like that's the plan if we can jump in with Julio by 4:30 or so.  
 

Sweet to hear they don't get too far up your ### on inspection. In Cr the X-ray dude literally got up and walked away when I ran our bags   THEN two hardcore lookin dudes told me to stand against a wall while their Belgian sniffed my bags. 

Thankfully the dog sucked at their job

Oh...well I guess it depends on what you're bringing in.   

 

[steelerfan1]

Will be stalking you again in this thread @[icon]

just curious if you can expand on your Spanish speaking ability? I believe you had said you and the mrs. speak a little bit.

What do you consider a little bit? Could you get by living there and enjoying life? Could you explain a medical emergency, order food, handle legal matters, etc.

thanks for these threads and a thanks to @krista4as well. Tons of great info!

 

[[icon]]

Will be stalking you again in this thread @[icon]

just curious if you can expand on your Spanish speaking ability? I believe you had said you and the mrs. speak a little bit.

What do you consider a little bit? Could you get by living there and enjoying life? Could you explain a medical emergency, order food, handle legal matters, etc.

thanks for these threads and a thanks to @krista4as well. Tons of great info!

I know how to say "Lo siento por mi español"... that help?

My Spanish is basically LOW level transactional Spanish (I need a table for 4 folks, I need to pay my check, where's the bathroom, etc).  My girlfriend's Spanish is several steps above mine but is still WAY short of fluent or conversational Spanish.

Thankfully in many areas of Costa Rica (unsure about Nica yet) it's not really needed. I try to use it where I can out of a courtesy, however it often leads to the other person taking off talking like I'm fluent and I have to back them up and explain. 

Google translate with its optical reading and "conversation" mode is VERY handy... and several times we'd find ourselves handing the phone back and forth letting it to the heavy lifting. 

Im starting up Duolingo for 20-30min a day again but I'm under no delusions about being conversational anytime soon if ever (unless we move south then I 100% would want to be fluent). 

 

[Ron Swanson]

We are really wanting to check out turtle nesting grounds but we are past peak season. Will have to check on if that's worth still doing. 

You aren't missing anything. They aren't nearly as tasty as the locals claim.

 

[Ron Swanson]

Thankfully in many areas of Costa Rica (unsure about Nica yet) it's not really needed. I try to use it where I can out of a courtesy, however it often leads to the other person taking off talking like I'm fluent and I have to back them up and explain. 

Google translate with its optical reading and "conversation" mode is VERY handy... and several times we'd find ourselves handing the phone back and forth letting it to the heavy lifting. 

Can't tell you how many times I've had this happen.  We also found many Ticas want to practice their English and prefer that. This was mostly interior CR.

Google optical translate is awesome for menus and in a jam.  Great for street and business signs when needed as well.

 

[[icon]]

You aren't missing anything. They aren't nearly as tasty as the locals claim.

Need laughing smiley react  

The GF LOVES turtles... Loves em. We were in NOLA with another couple many moons ago and my buddy who likes to troll people ordered turtle soup. 

The GF got a little mad at first, but then when it showed up a the table she glared at him, got up and walked outside to the bar next door and refused to talk to him for at least an hour  

 

[Dez89]

I'll sign up for another rendition of where in the world is @[icon] on two conditions:

1. Don't turn this into the dating thread the other dude that pulled this off tried to do. Forget his name but was disappointed with the thread. Do better 

B.) answer my DM

 

[krista4]

Regarding English/Spanish...we lived in Nicaragua despite neither of us being fluent in Spanish.  I speak Italian so was always able to pick up a lot of Spanish, and with each visit and then the benefit of time I got more conversant, but never fluent (or really near that).  Mr. krista spoke what we called "kitchen Spanish," in that he'd worked in restaurants his whole life so knew a lot from there, though mostly curse words.    

I'd been to Costa Rica numerous times before visiting Nicaragua, and found surprisingly more English speakers in Nica.  That is in Granada, though.  The farther you are from the central tourist locales, of course the fewer English speakers.  In SJDS I'd expect fewer people to speak English as it's smaller and more remote, but I don't think anyone would have an issue getting by there at all with nothing more than bits and pieces of Spanish.

 

[[icon]]

So now we are considering an audible... 

Cut the fancy beach house in SJDS (which we'd burn 3 days in Granada)... just stay in Granada the first week. 
 

So what if we got a 250yo 6,000sqft colonial villa with an epic courtyard for the week.  

https://abnb.me/tpp5skftPmb

.... for 20% less than the beach house. And we get to experience Granada more properly... we'll still have 3+ weeks at the beach. 

Krista has been a big help on all the things.  

 

[The Gator]

So what if we got a 250yo 6,000sqft colonial mansion with an epic courtyard for the week.  

https://abnb.me/tpp5skftPmb

make this happen so i can tag along here

 

[Uruk-Hai]

So now we are considering an audible... 

Cut the fancy beach house in SJDS (which we'd burn 3 days in Granada)... just stay in Granada the first week. 
 

So what if we got a 250yo 6,000sqft colonial mansion with an epic courtyard for the week.  

https://abnb.me/tpp5skftPmb

.... for 20% less than the beach house. And we get to experience Granada more properly... we'll still have 3+ weeks at the beach. 

Krista has been a big help on all the things.  

That looks awesome, man. 

 

[ProstheticRGK]

Outrageous. When a 50+ year old man's first impression of a place is the unironic use of the word: "baller", that is a nice house.

@[icon], I love living vicariously through you in these threads.

 

[krista4]

Granada, for those who aren't familiar, was founded in 1524 and lays claim to being the first established city in the Americas.  (Other cities also claim this, but Granada has the most compelling argument.)  It retains its colonial flavor and architecture, and one of the parts I find most charming is that the houses look like nothing from the outside, but they can be spectacular behind the front doors.  Outside they will look like this or this.

Generally the front door will open into the main sala, beyond which there is an open-air courtyard.  While they probably exist, I've never seen a home in Granada that didn't have a courtyard in the middle of it.  Sometimes it is just a garden/courtyard, and sometimes there is also a pool.  So the houses will look just like the one icon posted (albeit smaller than that one!), with the living, cooking, and sleeping areas surrounding an open-air space.  I'll try to find some pictures of my houses there to show it. 

As you'd imagine, central air is therefore not a thing in Granada, but richer people (i.e., usually the gringos) will put strong A/C units in the bedrooms of the houses.  The sala and kitchen will just be open to the courtyard/pool area.  It does make for some discomfort due to mosquitos and sometimes to bats.  OK, often to bats.  You'd think those little jerks would at least take care of the mosquitos.

Another charming aspect of Granada is the tradition of repainting the front of the houses every year around Christmas, or upon a change in ownership.  Despite being such a poor country, people take great pride in the front (and possibly only the front) of their houses.  It's a way to express their own family's heritage and personality.  I think that the tradition to repaint every year is dying out a little now, but it was still a big thing when we lived there.  I loved going to the store and choosing the new colors when we bought!