Paige R. Penland - Explorers Guide Granada, San Juan del Sur & Southwest Nicaragua: A Great Destination

Recommended by National Geographic Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines

A crisp and critical approach, for travelers who want to live like locals. USA Today

Great Destinations guidebooks are known for their comprehensive, critical coverage of regions of extraordinary cultural interest and natural beauty. Each title in this series is continuously updated with each printing to ensure accurate and timely information. All the books contain more than one hundred photographs and maps.

T HE A DIRONDACK B OOK

T HE A LASKA P ANHANDLE

A TLANTA

A USTIN , S AN A NTONIO & THE T EXAS H ILL C OUNTRY

B ALTIMORE , A NNAPOLIS & THE C HESAPEAKE B AY

T HE B ERKSHIRE B OOK

B IG S UR , M ONTEREY B AY & G OLD C OAST W INE C OUNTRY

C APE C ANAVERAL , C OCOA B EACH & F LORIDAS S PACE C OAST

T HE C HARLESTON , S AVANNAH & C OASTAL I SLANDS B OOK

T HE C OAST OF M AINE B OOK

C OLORADOS C LASSIC M OUNTAIN T OWNS

C OSTA R ICA : G REAT D ESTINATIONS C ENTRAL A MERICA

D OMINICAN R EPUBLIC

T HE F INGER L AKES B OOK

T HE F OUR C ORNERS R EGION

G ALVESTON , S OUTH P ADRE I SLAND & THE T EXAS G ULF C OAST

G UATEMALA : G REAT D ESTINATIONS C ENTRAL A MERICA

T HE H AMPTONS

H AWAIIS B IG I SLAND : G REAT D ESTINATIONS H AWAII

H ONOLULU & O AHU : G REAT D ESTINATIONS H AWAII

T HE J ERSEY S HORE : A TLANTIC C ITY TO C APE M AY

K AUAI : G REAT D ESTINATIONS H AWAII

L AKE T AHOE & R ENO

L AS V EGAS

L OS C ABOS & B AJA C ALIFORNIA S UR : G REAT D ESTINATIONS M EXICO

M AUI : G REAT D ESTINATIONS H AWAII

M EMPHIS AND THE D ELTA B LUES T RAIL

M ICHIGANS U PPER P ENINSULA

M ONTREAL & Q UEBEC C ITY : G REAT D ESTINATIONS C ANADA

T HE N ANTUCKET B OOK

T HE N APA & S ONOMA B OOK

N ORTH C AROLINAS O UTER B ANKS & THE C RYSTAL C OAST

N OVA S COTIA & P RINCE E DWARD I SLAND

O AXACA : G REAT D ESTINATIONS M EXICO

O REGON W INE C OUNTRY

P ALM B EACH , F ORT L AUDERDALE , M IAMI & THE F LORIDA K EYS

P ALM S PRINGS & D ESERT R ESORTS

P HILADELPHIA , B RANDYWINE V ALLEY & B UCKS C OUNTY

P HOENIX , S COTTSDALE , S EDONA & C ENTRAL A RIZONA

P LAYA DEL C ARMEN , T ULUM & THE R IVIERA M AYA : G REAT D ESTINATIONS M EXICO

S ALT L AKE C ITY , P ARK C ITY , P ROVO & U TAHS H IGH C OUNTRY R ESORTS

S AN D IEGO & T IJUANA

S AN J UAN , V IEQUES & C ULEBRA : G REAT D ESTINATIONS P UERTO R ICO

S AN M IGUEL DE A LLENDE & G UANAJUATO : G REAT D ESTINATIONS M EXICO

T HE S ANTA F E & T AOS B OOK

T HE S ARASOTA , S ANIBEL I SLAND & N APLES B OOK

T HE S EATTLE & V ANCOUVER B OOK

T HE S HENANDOAH V ALLEY B OOK

T OURING E AST C OAST W INE C OUNTRY

T UCSON

V IRGINIA B EACH , R ICHMOND & T IDEWATER V IRGINIA

W ASHINGTON , D.C., AND N ORTHERN V IRGINIA

Y ELLOWSTONE & G RAND T ETON N ATIONAL P ARKS & J ACKSON H OLE

Y OSEMITE & THE S OUTHERN S IERRA N EVADA

The authors in this series are professional travel writers who have lived for many years in the regions they describe. Honest and painstakingly critical, full of information only a local can provide, Great Destinations guidebooks give you all the practical knowledge you need to enjoy the best of each region.

I could not have done this book without a great deal of help, beginning with Kim Grant, who got me this gig, and Kermit Hummel, Lisa Sacks, Eric Raetz, Doug Yeager, Erin Greb, and the rest of the crew at Countryman Press. Thanks to my mother who, as always, kept my affairs in order while I was on the road.

I had an amazing support group here in Nicaragua, including Nadene Holmes, Janik Keddy, Amadis de Gaula, Kathy Johnson, Neil Cusacovich, Alvaro Miranda Bouill, Jessica Schugel, Colin Allen, Mike King, Salad Steve, Carlos Corea, Anne Thorne, Allan Blandon, Gustavo Ramirez, Enrique, Angela Lehman, Sarah Fahey, Karen Emanuel, Natasha and Jacob Follwell, Marlowe Mackenzie, Alexis Calderon, Andrew and Justin of the Whiteboard Project, and many, many others who helped me out along the way. Thanks to you all!

This is Southwest Nicaragua, the warm heart of the Americas. It is a lush and tropical land, defined by sculpted bays and sundrenched beaches, sparkling lakes and volcanic islands, where proud Spanish cities rise in a graceful architectural symphony above this epic landscape.

Pase adelante , step right in, past the oversized wooden doors and centuries-old adobe faades, today painted in dazzling hues. Granadas Colonial mansions, built for conquistadores and Spanish nobility, surround marble courtyards and exuberant gardens with a 16th-century elegance that these days seems all but forgotten. Horse-drawn carriages clip-clop past, and can take you to cathedrals that house miraculous virgins, or markets where youll find fresh, ripe fruits unlike any youve ever seen.

Or head to the soft sands, swaying palms, and rolling waves of Nicaraguas magnificent Pacific shore. The classic beach town is San Juan del Sur, inset into a deep horseshoe bay, protected by dramatic headlands. It still has a laid-back surfer vibe, but as the pretty city grows and goes inexorably upscale, more wonderful restaurants, relaxed nightlife options, and sophisticated resorts and hotels are opening for business.

If you are seeking a more secluded shore, fear not. Nicaragua remains much less developed for tourism than its more popular neighbors, though this is changing. Despite being Central Americas safest country, its reputation suffered in the wake of the brutal Contra War of the 1980s. Almost as soon as the guns were silenced in 1988, however, adventurous travelers began making their way here, to enjoy world-class surfing on empty waves, climb active volcanoes, or swim in sparkling crater lakes.

Today, plush hotels and ecoresorts are clustered in the most popular spots, accommodating even the most demanding travelers as they take day trips to less developed destinations: horseback rides through misty mountaintop coffee plantations, boat tours through 365 tiny isletas topped with gleaming resorts and delicate white herons, or day trips to the hammock workshops of Masaya, handicrafts capital of Nicaragua.