Nicaragua and where

Hi we have a very short holiday in Nicaragua on an 11 night guided trip, Managua, Granada, Leon, Ometepe Island, San Juan del Sur and back to Granada. We have 4 more days before we have to return home so the question you may be able to help with is, should we travel to Costa Rica, the corn islands, the rio platano biosphere reserve or perhaps go to Honduras?

I know it's crazily short but any suggestions would be welcome

Cheers

Steve

Hi Steve, Hey, It's your vacation. What sounds best to you? Ask 4 different people and you will get 4 different answers. I liked them all.

We recently spent 13 days in Nicaragua, on our own. Our breakdown:
3 days Little Corn
2 days Big Corn
4 days Granada
4 days Ometepe

I'm glad we went to Little Corn. It gives you a whole other lifestyle/feeling of Nicaragua. That and it's naturally gorgeous.

Go to the Corn Islands and chill for a few days before you go home. Running to another country for 4 days hardly seems worth it. By the end of your guided tour, you may be ready to just relax.

Corn Islands, I have not been but its a no brainer, and would round out the ultimate Nica trip...and a good way to chill after so much go go go...

Skip SJDS the town,.,,,,
and insert,,,,,,
Or, Rio San Juan and the El Castillo area refuges.

Or the North...depends on your interest...

I'd scrap the guided tour and spend the time visiting those places (minus SJDS) at a more rewarding pace.

If you don't want to do that...depends on your interests.What kind of place do you like?

Hi All

Thanks for your comments. Corn Islands it is...

Any recommendations for hotels?

Steve

Depends on your pocket book. Big Corn, the best is Casa Canada then Arenas. Sunrise is nice for a bit less money and has a good location. There is also a couple newer places, the sea star spa on Long Beach and eco tents on the hill behind the batik house at Sally Peachy. I would just stay out of Brig Bay. Head to the South side or Sally Peachy area.
Little Corn Beach and Bungalow on the little island. There is a web site for the Corn Islands with all of the lodging listed for both islands. it's pretty up to date. Not sure if the eco tents are there yet though.

I stayed at LC Beach Bungalows. Booked 2 months in advance and still couldn't get exactly what I wanted. So, for Little Corn, book NOW to get your first choice.
LCBB was probably the nicest there (save the new Yemaya which, is in a league of it's own there).

Lots of the accoms on that side of the island looked pretty cute though. Elsa's and Grace's stand out for me.

Casa Iguana comes up for a lot of people but there's some strife there. The owner is absent, not paying employees on a regular basis and they get Trip Advisor to take down negative comments (there are some there right now, check back in a week to see if they are still there).

Yemaya is not open yet.

don't skip SJDS completely.. it is a GREAT leaping point to some of the most beautiful beaches in central america... there is one quite close to the south of SJDS called playa hermosa... this beach is Beautiful and romantic and any surfer/beach lover/flor de cana drinker's dream! I highly, highly suggest staying at least two nights, especially after hustling around the rest of the country... its a great place to spend the last days of a trip.. there's one hotel that was built from the wood of only one tree! Enjoy! I think this is one of my favorite places i have ever travelled. its such a gem!

What about booking flights & accomodation should I book them before I leave the UK and how reliable is the airline? Any advice would be great again.
Steve

I'm wondering if the original poster has a trip report of the 11 day tour - was it any good? Did you enjoy your experience? From the sounds of it we're looking at the same or similar...