Granada

 

Despite being bored with León, Granada immediately captivated me. The houses are painted bright colors and the Central Park is lovely with its fountain, gazebo and huge yellow cathedral. If you continue down Calle La Calzada there are twinkly lights in the sky and an assortment of restaurants with cheap happy hour specials. This street is one of the more touristy places I’ve been in Central America. During dinner many street performers and vendors stopped by our table. Another tourist gimmick is horse drawn carriages lining many of the streets. Granada is located on Lake Nicaragua which is a lovely place to go for a bike ride or a walk.

Activities

Thrift Shopping-Megaboutique
Located off the main highway is a huge warehouse with piles and piles of clothing. If you have the patience to sift through the bins, you’re bound to find something great.

Kayaking
Many tour agencies and hostels will take you on a kayaking tour of the many small islands in Lake Nicaragua. A four hour tour costs around $20. I rode my bike to the end of the peninsula and a local man with kayaks rented us two kayaks for $15. We had no time limit but also no guide. We followed the tour boats and were able to find Pirates Bar which is a bar on a tiny island that has a beautiful swimming pool.

Wednesday Booze Cruise
Once a week you can take a speed boat through the islands while enjoying drinks pre-made in a cooler. I heard it is fun but not a typical booze cruise because everybody sits on the speedboat and there is no room to dance.

Masaya Volcano
A tour to Masaya will cost $20 from Granada. The entrance fee is $10 so if you can find 3 friends and split a taxi, you could possibly do this for $12-$15. I opted out of this because after summiting Acatenango in Guatemala, I didn’t feel the need to see more lava. I’ve heard mixed reviews; people that have never seen lava loved it, people that have were disappointed. This tour does not include any hiking, they drive you to the top for a sunset viewing. There is a huge crater and you look down and see the lava inside.

 

Recommendations

Burrito Loco
A delicious vegetarian friendly burrito and quesadilla restaurant.

The Garden Cafe
A great place to use the wifi and have a coffee. There are many tables and they don’t mind if you stay awhile.

Pita Pita
Not cheap, but a great place to enjoy falafel and hummus.

Oasis Hostel
A popular hostel with a pool and ping pong table. They also own Paradiso Hostel on Lake Apoyo and if you stay four nights between the two hostels you get your fifth night free.

Townhouse
My favorite hostel in Granada. It has a swimming pool, a kitchen you can use and many hammocks to chill in. The owner also owns the Treehouse Hostel and offers free shuttles to the Treehouse as well as half price tickets for the Friday night jungle rave.

Treehouse
A Hostel built in the jungle outside of Granada. If you don’t mind the daunting amount of steps that lead to it, you’ll enjoy escaping from the city and being surrounded by howler monkeys. The main building is a treehouse and on Friday nights a jungle rave takes place there. I would describe this as a classy party. Sunday Funday in San Juan Del Sur (the other infamous party on the Gringo Trail) has a trashy vibe with its emphasis on alcohol and outdated top 40 music. However, the Treehouse Party attracts what I would call a mature, older crowd. Alcohol is not the main thing happening on the dance floor which keeps people from being sloppy. Most importantly the music ranges from techno, trance and music of the world.

Lake Apoyo
This lake is a 25 minute shuttle ride from Granada. You can book a $3 round trip shuttle from Oasis Hostel. A dorm bed at Paradiso is $9 a night. Alternatively, you can go for a day trip which costs $15 and you still have to pay for your lodging that night in Granada. Paradiso is a luxury resort made for a backpackers budget. The lake is pristine, warm and deep. Paradiso has kayaks you can use for free and there is a floating dock in the water. The restaurant makes delicious food and the bar is well equipped to make most cocktail. I spent five nights here and truly felt out of touch with reality in this paradise resort.

Many people rush to San Juan Del Sur on Sunday morning so they can squeeze in Sunday Funday after experiencing the Treehouse in Granada. If you’re on less of a time crunch, I’d recommend spending the week in Ometepe and hitting up San Juan Del Sur the following weekend.