blu

Going to Managua in January of 2009. Never have been there. Can anyone give me ideas as to what to do and where to go. Also, would like names of a nice clean hotel with swimming pools in Managua and in other areas. Not too expensive. Any help would be appreciated for a first-timer to Nicaragua...

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Define "not too expensive."

Are you set in your plans to stay in Managua? Very few visitors actually do that. They fly in and then head to Granada or San Juan del Sur or Leon. Managua is this big, sprawling city that does have several nice hotels and restaurants, but it's not the Nicaragua that most people come to see.

I know that the newest edition of Fodor's guide to Central America is just out. The Nicaragua chapter would give you some ideas.

ttraveler

We visited Nicaragua last Oct. and had a great time. We didn't stay in Managua but headed to Granada as Jeff suggested to you. It's a short ride from the airport.
Once in Granada you can enjoy Granada itself or you can take some nice day trips out to volcano's, hiking, kayaking ect.
We stayed at Casa San Francisco and it was only around 50 dollars a night.
We also went to San Juan del Sur for a few days.
Let us know what you are interested in so we can give you better information. Enjoy

chgeeb

I agree with the other comments....Granada would be the best bet. It's a much nicer place, and I think it has more history (first city discovered in Western Hemisphere..and only body of water with fresh water sharks in it).
Also, while you're there, take a trip to the volcano Mombacho!!! If you spend your time right, you'll probably find Nicaragua to be one of the most beautiful places you'll ever visit.

blu

Not too expensive to me is around $60-$65.00 a night. I would appreciate any hotels in that range that are nice in all differnet cities that you would recommend. We have absolutely no plans at all and no itinerary since we have never been there. I would really appreicate some help with that. Anyone that could give us an itinerary of where we should go and what to do would be great. We do like the beach, authentic cities, volcanos, really anything of interest. What do you think about the Corn Islands. Are they worth it??

SusanInToronto

I am hoping to go to Nicaragua next February, so I've been reading whatever I can on it. So I'm far from an expert! But we'd like to go for 2 weeks, and so far, I think we'll spend time in Granada, Ometepe, and the Corn Islands. Not sure about Leon. Also Lago de Apoyo sounds nice, but that might just be a day trip from Granada.

There's lot of info and reviews of hotels on Tripadvisor and I've been checking there regularly.

jamamac

Spent 3 weeks in Nicaragua last year. Great country! Granada, Big Corn Island, San Juan Del Sur, Morgans Rock & Pochomil. Give me your email if you are interested in trip report.