Cheap and clean San Juan Del Sur abode?

September 17, 2005 10:47 AM

Can anyone recommend a cheap and safe place to stay in Managua and San Juan Del Sur (in Nicaragua)? I want to hear it from someone I trust! :-)
posted by wavejumper to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

I was in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua until late 2001, and made several visits to both of those places. San Juan del Sur is a small beach town with several nice and cheap hostels/small hotels; you could just walk around and check out a few until you found one you liked. I used to stay at Elizabeth Guest House; it's not the fanciest of places, but it is cheap, safe, and has a friendly staff. Watch out for the pet monkey, though, it bites. Not kidding. Managua is a different story- the city is large, confusing, and can be dangerous. One place that meets your requirments is Hotel Los Felipe, near the Tica Bus station.
posted by emd3737 at 12:15 PM on September 17, 2005

I dont know about Managua, but I stayed a weekend in Casa Oro, small hostel in San Juan del Sur, right in the heart of town. I was something like $5 a night for a hostel bed, but it . The Moon Handbook to Nicaragua is the best guidebook written about the place. I really enjoyed my time in San Juan del Sur..cheap and enjoyable. Lots of good beaches. Anyways, i really urge you to check out the Moon Handbook.

I warn you to take EXTREME caution when traveling outside San Juan del Sur. There's was a huge uptick in crime there, and my friends and I got held up at machetepoint by five teens a half mile outside the town when walking to a beach. Other people at the hostel had gotten robbed too (like a grab and go with a purse)....and a few week s before, someone had gotten held up with pistols. Mind you, there were seven of us walking at 2pm on a sunday on a open, bright road. This was this summer.

I spent a few months in Nicaragua, and that was the only bad experience i had. Good luck and be careful.
posted by jare2003 at 12:20 PM on September 17, 2005

In Managua, look for a place called "Fat Maria's". An eight-room B&B owned by the son of Sandinista leader and former President Daniel Ortega.

Maria la Gorda
Reparto El Carmen, de Pinolero, 1 1/2 arriba
Managua, 00000 Nicaragua
phone: [phone] x8-2455
posted by cior at 7:09 PM on September 17, 2005

Thanks Jare2003, wow that sounds intense. 2pm on a Sunday on a bright road! Yikes...
posted by wavejumper at 10:44 AM on September 18, 2005