La Omaja Hotel (on Ometepe)??

Has anyone stayed here? Reviews?

Also, how long of a drive from the boat dock?

Thanks!

We stayed there for three nights in January. It was a fantastic place--really beautiful surroundings, totally peaceful, really friendly owners and staff. The food was quite good (which is good because there aren't many other places to eat in the immediate vicinity--it's a bit of a walk into the small town of Merida). They are good about arranging for guides for hiking or kayaking--and Jaime the owner will also give you a lift into town to meet your guide, if necessary.

The outdoor restaurant is a really nice place to have some Flor de Cana as you watch the sun set over the lake.

As for the ride from the boat dock, I think it depends on whether you are landing in Moyagalpa or Altagracia. We landed in Moyagalpa and it took approximately 1 hour, as the majority of the road is in quite poor shape. From Altagracia it might be quicker, but we never made it over to that side, so I can't say for sure.

Ditto on the above post. We stayed not so long after he opened. Nice relaxing place with great views and food.

just returned from nica yesterday. stayed two nights at la omaja with mixed feelings. one problem i think is that it is so far from the ports. it took more than 90 minutes when we first arrived on ometepe from rivas to get there. and took closer to 2 hours when we returned because our vehicle had to repaired midway from the terrible road. and the road is bad.

another aspect of la omaja is that there is really NADA nearby. if we had stayed at villa paraiso or some others that we passed on the road there would have been some other choices for food or small bodegas or even people to watch and smile. some stimulation. but this place is really isolated. however that is an appeal for some folk. sitting at the open air reception/dining area and looking out on to the lake and enjoying the quietude. the 5 cabanas and the main building are elevated high above the road and the edge of the lake, so there is a nice view through the tree tops of the lake. but because of that, the lake is a 10 minute walk down and there is no beach, just a scrappy looking dock with a pig going through the sand for food. the lodges on the road along the way to la omaja were at lake level and had great looking beaches and amazing sized waves. (some people say the lakeside lodges are buggy but we experienced strong winds.) la omaja had no beach, no sand. it was quite uninviting and we didn't even go in the water.

the food was hit and miss. tacos with chicken was really very tasty with a nice sauce inside. the pancakes and bacon were good. but some other dishes were horrible. on the hole, i am not impressed with the food in nicaragua.

all major tours are offered thru la omaja including horseback riding and kayaking. they discouraged us form doing the volcano climb (5 hours up and 4 hours down.)

the owner is a very easy going american fellow named Jaime who was generous with personal history and observations of nicaragua as an extranero who married a local gal and started a family. he drove us to the waterfall entrance, which happens to be close by and one advantage to being at la omaja. however, jaime left the premises on our last day to take his american parents to managua airport. he put his wife's relative in charge, and everything fell apart. we felt abandoned.

cabana #5 was fine, actually quite large, and cleaned with an antiseptic detergent daily. it was missing light bulbs in the fixture and on the ceiling above the shower and had one unworking electric outlet. additionally, one has to wonder how many months or years the toilet paper holder originally fell off and has yet to be repaired. when we asked for a way to hook up the electric fan, they came back within 30 minutes with a power strip and an extension cord, so that problem was quickly fixed.

you have to decide what to expect for the price point of $45/night.