Has anyone stayed at Hacienda Merida, and if so, how did you like it?
Can anyone recommend any other hostal on Ometepe that is better for 2 people in their late 20's who would like to stay in dorms/hammocks, like to be out in nature, and are highly active?
Thanks,
rb.
Finca El Zopilote - near Santa Cruz/Balgue, pretty chilled out place and alsohas a woodfired bread oven. Kind of like a commune.. look it up!
I stayed at Hacienda Merida in January this year and it's really rurual. Some friends of ours stayed less than a 5 minute walk away at Monkey Inn (or something like that) which was cheaper, only $3 per person for a dorm. There's so much walking and hiking and kayaking that you can do from there, but it's pretty isolated from the rest of the island. Charco Verde is also really cool, we stayed at Chico Largo (the only hostel in that part) and there's a beach to swim at. Have fun, we LOVED Ometepe :)
I also stayed at Hacienda Merida during the last week of December. I loved it there. Like others mentioned, there are some many things that you can do. Mountain biking, hiking, walking, kayaking and even sailing. What I really appreciated was that after 22:00, it is quiet time and it is enforced too. One can still stay up and talk of course, but quietly. Overall, a lovely place.
As #2 mentioned, a few minutes walk from Hacienda Merida is Monkies Island (yes, they figured out it should have been Monkey's). I stayed there three years ago during the weekend of Semana Santa and have great memories of the place. It is very rustic but what made it special was the hospitality of the family. There was no tv, just a boombox but the men are expert checkers players and were always up for a game. The preteen daughters were sweethearts and eager to talk with tourists who had some knowledge of Spanish- they'd hang out with me in a hammock and ask all sorts of questions about what my life was like back home. They were eager to learn English, as was their Dad, and they would join in when I and an Italian tourist sat around studying Spanish...a really fun language exchange.
I visited the waterfall (which I learned from another thread has been ruined by a landslide) and went to the little beach for swims (the girls always tagged along). The oldest son leads hikes up Maderas volcano (I wasn't up for that but a German tourist told me it was great, with spectacular views).
I had a private cabin with a double bed with comfy mattress and impeccably clean bedding (the Mom is often hunched over the wash basin, all done by hand!) and the bathroom is a few metres away, shared. They also have dorms with four beds.The place is very rustic but well kept and very cheap. I think I paid approx $5 a night and the food, prepared to order was also very inexpensive.
It's a great place to chill out and has an excellent vibe. I highly recommend it for easy-going people who can handle rustic.
I still occaisonally email one of the sons and though he and his Dad were building more cabins and making other improvements to the property, he always writes that Monkies Island doesn't change.
If you're not too attached to Merida, Finca Magdalena is an excellent hostal on the opposite side of Volcan Maderas. We read that it was the best place to start the hike to the top of the volcano, and it didn't disappoint. We rented bikes and rode to Playa Santa Domingo. The finca is a 100 year old coffee plantation farm house.
Stayed in merida in December.
Good grub. clean. decent hammocks. wifi. good value. lots of kayaks you can take to explore the river estuary and monkey island. You can also do the volcano from here. Absolutely don't miss the horse-riding. we hired 2 very game horses and cantered off to the waterfall for the day. absolutely awesome.
I suspect Hostal merida has started to do well....we enjoyed it but it had the feel of a place that was just about getting too big for its boots....you know the sort of place where they start to believe the compliments of gushing backpackers and then take their eye of the ball and start to act like the paying guests are lucky to be there.
its very quiet and a long way from anywhere....but it seems like most places in ometepe were the much the same....unless you stayed near the port....which you would n't want to.
we really enjoyed ometepe.....its a uniquely chilled-out spot with quite a bit to do. Enjoy
If anyone ios interested in a place that is a bit off the beaten path and a bit more rural, I HIGHLY recommend La Peñita in Sabana outside Altagracia. It is a family run hospedaje and the faily makes it quite a uniquely beautiful experience. They have a few bedrooms, home cooked meals and tons of laughter to share. The son and daughter know the Island extremely well and are more than willing to show you about. We rented bikes and rode around the volcan concepcion together. It was awesome! Lezzet, the daughter, took us to a local party, which happened to be the Miss minifalda competition in altagracia.
The whole time we were there I felt completely welcome and at home. A wonderful place and well worth going to Ometepe just to stay at la Peñita.
