A look-see trip

London's Sunday Tmes carried a report of several US retrees settling round a delightful bay far from the madding crowd.

I haven't been to Nica for over 30 years and now considering a look-see visit, I'll travel using the latest LP when I decide to go, but can any of you knowledgeable ones suggest such a location.

Also which is the best way from Europe - are there any premium economy routes and I wish to avoid Miami and Houston.

I would suggest the MOON Nicaragua guidebook.

You may find cheaper to fly to San Jose (SJO) Costa Rica with so many flights and usually the lowest prices of any capital in CR, at least from the US. Iberia via Madrid, and Condor via Germany? There direct flights in US via the following cities to all capitals in CA, and also, there is a newer airport closer to Nica border in CR Liberia (LIR), just 2 hours bus ride to border.

American is via Miami (MIA), United is direct from Chicago now (ORD), and I think from Newark New Jersey (EWR), and check TACA from JFK NYC.

Delta/KLM from Atlanta (ATL)

American from Dallas (DFW), and United from Houston (IAH).

Taca also serves all of CA capitals, though not all direct from each capital to another,

The bus from San Jose CR to Managua is direct on King Quality or Tica Bus.

You can sometimes catch the same bus in Liberia, or there are direct busses to border every 30 minutes. From border, you can taxi hire to San Juan Del Sur or to San Jorge via Rivas for Ometepe. Or just wait for the busses to Rivas and switch there.

As you asked in your question, the cheapest from Europe to avoid US is to go through Cancun. Iberia sometimes has some cheap flights to San Jose and then bus with Transnica, Tica, or King Quality.

The bay featured in the Times is San Juan Del Sur which I agree looked good from the aerial shot be is too popular to be far from the madding crowd. Its a popular resort in Nicaragua but CA generally has a whole lot better to offer...

Ehhh...SJDS looks great in photos, but in reality is about as nice as the worst beach in Costa Rica, you cant swim off the main town beach, you have to commute to the good beaches, and the most the good lodging is pricey and above town, far from the ocean and its also very hot there, not very sophisticated in a bad way, lot of backpacker yahoos and gringo partying deadheads...the good land and ocean front is all snapped up by developers and its gated communities like Morgans Rock Etc, and thius was when I was last there in 2006, if you need a beach and some surf waves, its a quick and easy fix, otherwise, I would avoid it...

Look at flying into PTY or MEX also.

Amsterdam-Panama City by KLM, PC to Managua with Taca....

THank you all so much for your efforts. Compared to the Indian TT site, this is great.

I visited CR from 78 thru to about 98 , but it is comparitively expensive for a retired Brit and has lost its old character.

I'll have to think further about a suitable Winter retreat which inevitably means SE Asia that cant be bad and I know it quite well.

You can live just as cheaply in Nicaragua, El Salvador or certain places in Guatemala as SE Asia & with way less visa issues.

I rejected SE Asia for that reason!

I thought they were kicking you out of ES Rayito?

Like I said before, I think costs are comparable but what you get for those bucks in SE blows CA away. Asian street food vs CA ??? really?

I got an immigration lawyer that knows what he's doing so it's now looking good now.

You can legally buy property in CA in your own name, can't be done in SE Asia! Your buck sure goes BANG when wifey kicks you out & moves the bf in LOL

I do thank you for all your continuing efforts but would gently say that I have spent half of my adult life abroad (outside Europe), so am au fait with situations worldwide, starting in Bombay in 1963.
I wouldn't now consider spending any capital buying ptoperty in a foreign land - renting yes - buying NO.

I lived and worked in and into latin America for 15years, not seen French Guyane though and was in Praguay when it had just commissionecdits first traffic lights.

If the British Govt forced me into permanent exile to stay in just one country in the Americas - I'd probably choose the Pacific Coast of Chile .

#10- I think most would agree that buying a property whether in your own name or not is hardly a necessary goal in itself. Also the whole "when wifey kicks you out scene" is just too murky for words...boy, I/m glad I'm not you...

Ray must have first hand knowledge of wifey kicking him out, or expats in Thailand marrying bar girls, you get what you pay for...LOL...he is the most bitter and negative person on the TT forum

#13 is without a doubt the biggest teller of tall tales on TT albeit with a limited imagination, ers is trying to catch up but has no hope!

Mr Tim, that reminds me. How are things going, with the chinese wife marriage thing?