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What a Difference a Decade MakesNicaragua - RevisitedBy Sandra Scott
All travel starts in Managua. After thirty years of moldering in the tropical sun, the city center of Managua, leveled by the earthquake of 1972, is rising like the Phoenix. Blocks that were a grassy oasis for so many years now have malls, convention centers, new hotels, and fountains. In the city center, only the stark remains of the old cathedral destroyed during the ’72 quake, the Rubin Dario Theater, and a few other buildings stand as reminders of the past.
Perhaps, the most intriguing site in Managua is the Acahualinca Museum. Here preserved forever are 10,000-year-old footprints of men, women, children, and animals desperately fleeing the deadly rain of volcanic ash.
Nicaragua is on the way to being “the new Costa Rica” - it is prefect for a wedding, a honeymoon, or an adventurous vacation featuring smoking volcanoes, pristine beaches, colonial villages, rainforest, artisan markets, and friendly people. As the tourist brochure proclaims, Nicaragua is "a land where the sun greets you every morning" and it is just waiting to be discovered. Nicaragua in marching into the 21st Century with a new resolve – what a difference a decade makes! If you go: Photos by Sandra Scott and John Scott |
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A decade ago my husband I sat in our
hotel room overlooking the small Nicaraguan harbor town of San Juan del Sur and
agreed there was no need to ever return. The hotel, the best in town at that
time, had all the ambiance of the Bates Motel. Other than brilliant sunsets the
small town had little to offer. The crescent beach was littered with debris, a
rusting hulk of a ship lazed lopsided on the beach with a sign, “Do not urinate
on the beach.” That alone was enough strengthened our resolve to check San Juan
del Sur off our “we-have-to-return-some-day” list.
But resolutions are made to be
broken. A decade later the view from 4-star Pelican Eyes Hotel showed a
different San Juan. The harbor was dotted with small yachts, fishing boats and
sailing boats. High on the hill to the right of the protected harbor expensive
private homes afford their owners a sweeping view of the ocean. The area is
abuzz with building and energy. How things have changed! Pelican Eyes is a
boutique hotel with unique free-form construction nestled among the jungle
vegetation above the town. While eating a gourmet dinner al fresco by hotel’s
infinity pool, we marveled at what a difference a decade makes. Two weeks
driving around Nicaragua made us we realized not only can one go back, one
should go back. 
Another “survivor” of the ’72 quake is
the Crown Plaza Hotel, still the “best of Nicaragua” when it comes to
accommodations. The pyramid style makes it a Managua icon. Once its unique
profile was visible from every part of the city center. Clearly it is still the
top of the line when it comes to accommodations but now it shares the skyline
with a massive convention center, a mall, and a casino. 
Nicaragua is a country of lakes,
volcanoes, and beaches. Between Managua and the colonial town of Granada are two
volcanoes, one with a crater suitable for swimming! The waters of Laguna de Apoyo, a volcanic crater lake, are perfect for swimming and sailing. However
the nearby Masaya Volcano is not. Visitors can peer into the crater of a
smoldering volcano and visit the artisan market before continuing on to Granada,
the jumping off site for travel on Lake Nicaragua.
Colonial Granada, the oldest city in the
Western Hemisphere, is getting a new facelift. Located on the shore of Central
America’s largest lake, the central plaza still has the ambiance of colonial
times as horse and carriages go clip clopping along.
Old
buildings are getting a fresh coat of paint or being reinvented. The 19th
Century La Gran Francia, once a private home, is now a beautiful boutique hotel.
The rooms surround the small pool with a feeling of privacy yet it is but steps
from the Central Plaza. Boat rides to the Las Isletas are a do-not-miss.
North of Managua is the old
capital, Leon. It is beginning to realize that their colonial heritage is a
tourist draw. It is a city of churches and museums including the Metropolitan
Cathedral where Ruben Dario, Nicaragua's famed poet, is buried. Adjacent to the
San Francisco Church is El Convento, a new hotel with an old look.
The central
garden in manicured, the halls filled with colonial artifacts, and while the
large rooms have the simplicity of a convent they also have all the conveniences
of today. It is close to several museums, including the Museo de Arte Fundacion Ortiz-Gurdian, Nicaragua’s premiere art museum.
In the mountains near Matagalpa is a coffee plantation
resort, Selva Negra – the Black Forest of Nicaragua. Scattered in the lush green
forest at the foot of mountains crowned with fluffy white clouds, are quaint
half-timbered cabins nestled under the trees. It is a place to relax, to hike
through the forest, and even a place for a wedding. A stone church built in
2000 is the perfect setting for a fairytale wedding. 
A few days at Montelimar is a must
– it a tourist paradise. The all-inclusive, Barcelo resort has all the features
one expects at a luxury resort including the largest pool in Nicaragua, an
amazing beach, a day full of activities, and nighttime entertainment. A great
place to kick and relax.