Traveling to Nicaragua in February. Costa Rica and other questions...
November 14, 2013 4:42 PM Subscribe
Looking for a particular kind of vacation in Nicaragua. If it isn't possible, hoping for some advice on the best way to Costa Rica.
I was going to go to Turkey with the new wife for our honeymoon, but Istanbul in Feburary is not what we were looking for (thanks Metafilter!)
Anyway, we wanted beaches and sunshine, so we booked a flight to Nicaragua as it was incredibly, impossibly cheap and I've always wanted to go to Central America. We're landing in Managua and will be there for 10 days in the middle of February. We have nothing else booked, and are currently planning the trip.
While there are some awesome seeming things like surf camps and colonial sightseeing, we'd like to spend half the trip in a "people bringing you drinks on the beach" situation. I'm having trouble finding such a place without crossing into Costa Rica. We'd like to avoid a ton more travel than necessary.
- San Juan del Sur seems like a great spot, but I hear conflicting reports about it being a dangerous tourist hell hole or a tranquil beach town. I assume it can't be both....?
- Is it realistic to rent a 4x4 in Managua and drive to San Juan del Sur? I've read a bit about corrupt police shaking down tourists and the godawful roads. How long is the drive?
- Is getting to Costa Rica by car advisable? I've always wanted to go and it seems dumb to be this close and skip it. I especially would like to see Lake Arenal and Bahai. We have ten days, so a bit of driving is fine.
- If travel by car is bad, is there a particular bus line or car service that you would recommend? Not looking for caviar and foot rubs, but I'm a giant. A crowded, hot, multi-hour bus ride is not something I'd love to experience.
Sorry if this is a bit rambling.....
I was going to go to Turkey with the new wife for our honeymoon, but Istanbul in Feburary is not what we were looking for (thanks Metafilter!)
Anyway, we wanted beaches and sunshine, so we booked a flight to Nicaragua as it was incredibly, impossibly cheap and I've always wanted to go to Central America. We're landing in Managua and will be there for 10 days in the middle of February. We have nothing else booked, and are currently planning the trip.
While there are some awesome seeming things like surf camps and colonial sightseeing, we'd like to spend half the trip in a "people bringing you drinks on the beach" situation. I'm having trouble finding such a place without crossing into Costa Rica. We'd like to avoid a ton more travel than necessary.
- San Juan del Sur seems like a great spot, but I hear conflicting reports about it being a dangerous tourist hell hole or a tranquil beach town. I assume it can't be both....?
- Is it realistic to rent a 4x4 in Managua and drive to San Juan del Sur? I've read a bit about corrupt police shaking down tourists and the godawful roads. How long is the drive?
- Is getting to Costa Rica by car advisable? I've always wanted to go and it seems dumb to be this close and skip it. I especially would like to see Lake Arenal and Bahai. We have ten days, so a bit of driving is fine.
- If travel by car is bad, is there a particular bus line or car service that you would recommend? Not looking for caviar and foot rubs, but I'm a giant. A crowded, hot, multi-hour bus ride is not something I'd love to experience.
Sorry if this is a bit rambling.....
Also,talk to the other tourists on the tour and be open to changing plans. Sometimes they have fun ideas of their own and you can tag along on random adventures.
posted by empath at 5:19 PM on November 14, 2013
posted by empath at 5:19 PM on November 14, 2013
I was going to mention using one of the small puddle jumper planes in the area until you mentioned you're a giant. The planes I took were tiny for my 6'2 frame and they did have a 250 pound weight limit or you had to buy two tickets.
The benefit of flying is an all day drive to arenal is a 30 minute flight from San Jose. It would make getting to Costa Rica possible. I used not Sansa and Nature Air to get around. The runways in places like Fortuna or Tamarindo were barely paved but they did the trick. I've also gone via bus and have rented a car. You look at a map and see how close places are but when you see the roads you'll see why it takes all day to get from point a to point b.
posted by birdherder at 5:31 PM on November 14, 2013
The benefit of flying is an all day drive to arenal is a 30 minute flight from San Jose. It would make getting to Costa Rica possible. I used not Sansa and Nature Air to get around. The runways in places like Fortuna or Tamarindo were barely paved but they did the trick. I've also gone via bus and have rented a car. You look at a map and see how close places are but when you see the roads you'll see why it takes all day to get from point a to point b.
posted by birdherder at 5:31 PM on November 14, 2013
Feel free to memail me if you have more specific questions. I hadn't thought about flying, because it was out of my budget, but you can certainly fly to costa rica and back for a few hundred dollars if you want.
posted by empath at 8:00 PM on November 14, 2013
posted by empath at 8:00 PM on November 14, 2013
You don't want to drive to Costa Rica. The potholes are legendary and the other drivers are insane maniacs who place a fatalistic trust in God to protect them instead of practicing basic road safety. Take a plane.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:26 AM on November 15, 2013
posted by Jacqueline at 1:26 AM on November 15, 2013
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1. San Juan del sur is touristy, but neither dangerous nor a hell-hole. There was a lot of partying and drugs there, though. Not at all tranquil. That said, if you go to one of the resort-y hotels outside of town, you'd get your drinks on the beach without noticing all of that. There are also a bunch of beaches outside of town that you need to drive to that are less busy, if you don't want to spring for an expensive hotel.
2. Just take a bus to Grenada and then go to San Juan del sur from there. Stay in Granada for a day on one of the nice hotels on the gringo street near the cathedral. It's a great town to spend a day or two in, and there are a bunch of tourist agencies on the street there. I wouldn't want to drive anywhere in Central America, personally, especially my first time there. Keep your luggage close to you on public transport.
3. You can take a nice tica bus from Granada to San Jose, then take a shuttle from there to arenal and back. That'll be a lot of driving, basically a day to San Jose, and a day to arenal and back. I wouldn't recommend it on a 10 day trip.
4. Tica bus or Pullman buses, but the only travel between the capital cities for the most part. You can check their websites for routes.
There is a lot do in that part of Nicaragua for 10 days. I'd recommend basing yourself in Granada and when you get there, talk to the tourist agencies near the cathedral about visiting the following - The isletas, Laguna de apoyo, Masaya and the volcano tour, Ometepe (it's spectacular, like something out of King Kong, try climbing the volcanos-- IMO it's way more exciting than arenal was), and finally San Juan del sur. All of the agencies in Granada speak English and can arrange all the transport and everything.
posted by empath at 5:14 PM on November 14, 2013 [5 favorites]