Caribbean Nicaragua- Bluefields and Corn Islands

casa blanca on corn grande is a ramshackle frame building on the beach on the edge of town. cost about $5 US. I liked it. the island was lugubrious and phlegmatic. if not for some good company there, i would have moved on to little corn. some folks i met said the road wasnt as bad as it sounded in the guide book (consensus of forum is Moon guide be preferable). = Hint

We did this trip last year- you might want to search for my post- Nica Travelogue Final Chapter- I included costs etc. I loved Little Corn but it may be too quiet for you, however, the boat ride isn't that far between the two Islands. However, you do need to keep an eye out for tropical storms and hurricanes that time of year and maybe have a contingency plan like the Pacific or Panama.

Edited by: a601mom

Oh!! Absolutely the islands.

There's little to nothing on the coast for you. Bluefields isn't a tourist place, trust me. I go there for business occationally and try to get in and out the same day. Iv'e stayed for a few days at a stretch, and there's nothing there. You can get the Panga from Bluefields and go to Pearl Lagoon, but that is also very isolated, just a small town, all beach stuff must be done with a rented boat. Not only this, but it's rainy season and it tends to be worse on the mainland. The Islands are MUCH nicer.

dollyd,

I beg to differ. Bluefields is not touristy, and not particularly pretty in general terms either (I give you that), but it's definitely the place to savour Caribbean lifestyle. It's one of the most interesting and lively places in the country, a mindblowing mix of people, architecture, sounds, smells and tastes. Far too many people do exactly what you do, and get out as soon as they can.
If OP likes Caribbean culture, Bluefields is definitely worth a visit. Just be a tad more careful there than in other places in Nicaragua, especially at night.

OP, if you don't mind longish bus journeys, you can get from Managua to Bluefields easily in a day. Take the first early morning express to El Rama (Mayoreo market probably), shouldn't cost more than 200 cords. The busses doing that route are usually not chicken buses, so you'll travel comfortably.
That will get you into Rama at about lunchtime, and the last panga to BF leaves at about 3 pm. They leave whenever they are full (about 20 people), so make your way down to the pier (2 blocks) from the Rama bus stop as soon as you can after getting off the bus. It's 2 hours on the river, and 200 cords.