1

Forget SJDS

add to Ometepe or CI.

2

Thanks SoloHobo. Why skip SJDS? Can you elaborate? What about the nearby ecolodges?

What about the weather and crowds in June?

3

June weather is hot and afternoon rains, its fine, its the tropics. SJDS is a tourist ghetto, nothing unique or authentic about it, town is gringo partyvilles and you have to commute to good beaches, Nica is about culture...sink your teeth into Granada (very romantic) and Ometepe (Magical) and CI (Gorgeous)

4

Plus you dont have a lot of time, slow down, Nica is a slow paced place, smell the coffee, if you werent going to CI then a Pacific beach would be in order, but going all the way to CI, no need for the Pacific beach too....promise.

5

Other than your four days in the Corn Islands, you plan has you moving around a lot, which I hope fits both of your travel styles. June is in the rainy season (sometimes marketed as the "green" season), which should not discourage you from travel to Central America as it is also not high tourist season. Rains in western Nicaraguan fall typically in the afternoons and one returns out doors or to the beach after the rain is over. I would personally fly to the Corn Islands from Managua and back on morning flights to more likely avoid landing in a rain, but that is my personal view. Your daily budget is more than ample and you should be way under in the Corn Islands and Ometepe even when staying in some of the best places (not including CI airfare in your budget). I would stay two nights in Granada in one of the romantic small inns/B&Bs there and daytrip loop through Mambacho for a volcano/cloud forest hike, Catarina (Pueblos Blancos), Masaya market back to Granada tour,. I agree overall with TT on SJDS being a potential disappointment for you but with an over the top exception. If you are in Rivas anyway, coming back from Ometepe, you have been well under your daily budget most days, its your honeymoon, blow US$160 each ($320 up for two) on ONE night at Morgan's Rock (near SJDS) to get a one day gilded Pacific coast beach experience-see their website if you think it would be worth it. Good luck.

6

Much appreciated Bwiley8 and SoloHobo. Very informative and I think we have definitely decided to skip SJDS. A couple of follow-up questions.

First, I have seen a lot of suggestions/itineraries for 4 or more days on ometepe. For a honeymoon, would two or so suffice? We are both adventurous travelers but want some relaxation. What all is there to do on Ometepe?

Also, I have heard about Morgan's, but what about some of the other ecolodges (e.g, Aqua Wellness, Mukul, etc.)?

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated.

7

Its interesting that someone would sayskip san juan del sur because its a gringo hellhole....and then tell you to spend days in granada.
In my opinion, granada is way more of a gringo infested town. To me granada feels like any european town, and is by far my least favorite place in nicaragua. At least san juan has the nice beach
But i also know im in the minority on that opinion.

Ometepe is wonderful. You can check out la cascada for an easy hike. You can climb volcan maderas for a medium hike. Volcan concepcion is a decently tough hike, but well worth it.
If you dont like hiking, ojo de agua is easily the fan favorite of the island. Its a fresh swimming hole. You can see monkeys in charco verde. You can do ziplining right next to charco verde. The black sand on the beach by istian is cool too.

If you are worried about crowds you might wanna find a different pacific beach town than sjds as there are just as nice of beaches up and down the coast.
Other popular places not too far away you may wanna research are masaya / catarina / volcan masaya / laguna de apoyo. Leon is another fan favorite. Colonial and tourist heavy like granada. Corinto beach by chinandega is wonderful too.

8

SJDS does not have a nice beach, you cant even swim off the main towns beach, you have to commute to a nice beach. At least Granada has culture, charms and nice scenery, which is something completely void in SJDS, its a dump on a grand scale.

9

i have been to granada many times in the past 14 years and was impressed way back then but i have to agree it is gringo infested and not all that great. but if your don't speak much spanish, go for it. i agree with poster 5 and 7. when was the last time you were in nicaragua poster 8?

10

You will want to spend more time on Ometepe Island because there is so much to do and see and it is just beautiful and relaxing too. Stay on the beach in SantaCruz - the Linda Guest House has a perfect casita for honeymoon couples! You will get special attention and lots of assitance to make your visit special and easy too. She will make you delicious meals - complementary desserts and lots of extras...it is not a hotel. Tony is an islander and offers hikes to various places with unique perspectives on the island. Don't miss out on the petroglyphs and statues, or kayaking the River Istiam wildlife refuge! Can't wait to go back in a couple weeks - but we take up the main house which can sleeps larger groups.
email lindaometepe@yahoo.com