Just got back from an amazing week on the corn islands. Thorntree was so helpful in our planning that I felt the need to return the favor!
Day 1: Flew into Managua and stayed one night at Hotel La Pyramide. Manfred, the innkeeper, was waiting for us at the airport when we arrived and drove us to the hotel. Nice place... very unique architecture and very clean room. 5 blocks from Zona Hippo, a strip of bars and restaurants of every price point. Wish I remembered the names of the places we went, but those Nicaraguan beers just go down too fast in the heat of the afternoon! One thing is to make sure you check your receipts before paying. There were 'accidents' on just about all of them.... an extra beer here, an arithmetic error there.... ect.
Days 2-3: Flew to Big Corn Island and stayed at Casa Canada. Definitely the most posh joint on the island. Everything else is pretty rustic. Our room was a stone's throw from the ocean. Nice, clean pool for swimming and a shady bar/restaurant. Food here was just okay. Across the street at the Sunrise, the food was much better and cheaper. Big Corn as a whole is a pretty yucky place. Trash is EVERYWHERE. Also, when the islanders do dispose of their trash, it is by burning it. The entire island smells like a mix of burning plastic and rotting human waste. Don't waste your time.
Days 3-6: Took the panga to Little Corn and were met at the dock by representatives of Casa Iguana, where we had reservations. During our 20 minute walk to Casa Iguana, it became obvious to us that we had wasted those last two days staying on big island. Little Corn is an amazing and special place. Much warmer and friendlier vibe from the locals, much nicer village, and much MUCH cleaner. Ate lunches at Bridget's place or Havana Libre. You have to try the grilled lobster at both places. Ended up having dinner every night and breakfast every morning at Casa Iguana, the food was that good. Most of our time was spent snorkeling the amazing reef just off the shore of Iguana beach, exploring the beauty of the island, and sitting around drinking beer and rum. The only 'structured activity' we did was a fishing charter through Little Corn Island Charters (Same owners as Casa Iguana). at $50/person it was a bit pricier than Dolphin charters but let me tell you Chris knows what he's doing. We were catching more fish than we could reel in. Kept three beautiful Mahi Mahi and brought them back to Mark, the chef at Casa Iguana, who used them to make dinner for the entire resort on our last night. What a feast!
Overall, I can't recommend Casa Iguana enough. Great cabin, great beach, beautiful well-kept grounds It is definitely one of the pricier options on the island but you get what you pay for. Also they are committed to environmental sustainability and they have several ongoing projects to convert the resort to renewable energy supplies, so your money is being well-spent. My only complaints were that the screen door on our casita had a huge hole in it, and our mosquito net did as well, so we ended up getting bitten at night. For what we paid ($75/night), I think they need to be on top of details like that.
I know that many people suggest planning on staying on Big Island on the day of your arrival and/or departure due to uncertainties associated with the weather, but if your stay is short, just go ahead and risk it. The ideal amount of time to spend on Big Corn is the 5 minutes it takes to get from the airport to the dock.
Good report- One of my favorite places in Central America. We stayed at one of the cabanas on the beach but managed to make our way to Casa Iguana every morning for breakfast on their deck over the water. Then picked up mangos on the trail back to our casa for lunch.
Maybe you should have gone further on Big Corn then across the street from your hotel. You missed all of the good stuff. Friendly people, great local foods, nice swimming beaches ggod biking, walking. Next time stay until you have a real sense of the place, don't just cop an attitude.
i liked big corn as well. i stayed there for 2 nights before heading to little corn. actually cut my time there a bit and went back to big corn for 2 more nights. little corn has great beaches but is mostly travelers (nothing wrong with that). big corn had much more local flavor and i enjoyed just hopping on and off the super cheap collectivos that constantly circle the island.
heehee - CD you many need another vacation now, huh? :). sadly, one seems to often get a certain about of "judgement" on the LP. just know that your posts help many more people than those who comment here. thicker skin will give you peace of mind and keep you from throwin' around the C word (tho i know we yanks have a different sensibility about it's usage). cheers!
I thought maybe we could bring this around full circle to happy fun share time.
I spent 4 nights on Big Corn and have to agree that I was not a huge fan. The highlight was when I was walking the road around the island I encountered a tiny little house full of middle aged men celebrating a birthday. They asked me to come in and join them. At first I just continued on my way (I am a solo female traveller) but a few hours later I decided to return and pop in to buy the birthday boy a beer (it was actually a bar in the making and not a house). It was pretty open and on the water so I didn't feel a threat, and there would be no beer buying for me. They wouldn't hear of it. I stayed until an hour before sundown (4 hours) as my place was an hour walk away and I didn't want to walk in the dark, and had a great time chatting and learning all about the history. All the hurricanes and the near huricanes. They talked about the islands relation with the rest of the country and about the war. It is one of my most memorable times in Nicaragua.
Little Corn was more the remote Island getaway I was looking for but held no moments like that for me.
trusted partner
