General Info

[Grand Pollo]

You must not read very well: there is information on every casa in my posts, good and bad, prices and so forth. You can also get the daily casa availibility in the classifieds of Nuevo Diario, and since the whole paper is online and free at elnuevodirario.com.ni you don't even have to pay the 5 pesos. To get better info, you may have to read more than one or two pages of posts in the Managua section (you have read in THAT section, right?).

Salvador #2 is a good place for you to get killed or robbed with old skanks for $7. Read again, please.

Esteli has no more shopping than Managua, other than the onions you can buy at Sebaco. If you are a bicycle distributor there is a Rep. of China bicycle factory in Esteli, doubtful you can buy just one, vs. say 10,000 of them.

Where did you get information people are moving to Nicaragua from Costa Rica? If you mean locals it is the other way around, looking for work , if you mean extranjeros, I have not heard or seen that.

I am quite worried about what you have planned, local bars like Salvadoreno #2, and shopping where there is nothing to buy.

You are fluent or highly functional with Spanish right?

[Artisttyp]

Good info I just wish there was more info on casas in managua but salvador #2 could be a good place to start. Im sure the cab drivers know a few places.
I was reading that Esteli has some good shopping so maybe it is worth a trip.
I still need to do some more research but I will give an update later on.
Besides mongering nicaragua sounds like quite an adventure. I was reading people are moving there from costa rica.

[Grand Pollo]

You can cut and paste anything to anything in Windows.

Get either Moon's Guide to Nicaragua or Richard Leonardi's book about Nicaragua and bone up on the geography before you commit to the Atlantic coast, Nuevo Segovia, etc. As you get farther north on the east side the more risk there in from criminals, narcotraffickers and land mines. You can fly to Corn Islands from Managua directly, why you would is beyond me but it is not hard to fly there, or you take a boat after flying to Bluefields.

For photography it is an OK idea, but fly. Those buses start in Managua so don't count on getting off and I am not all that sure that there are many places to stop anyway (that you could not go to on a shorter trip from Managua anyway). There is one decent road map from a company in Vancouver. Or the Guia Mananic if you can find one which is not easy.

The smaller the town the less the casas - hard to get staff , can't use locals since everyone knows everything, and I think really small towns the men would concerned about being seen or caught. The girls from Leon and Esteli come to Managua to work in their casas. There is supposed to be some girls on the highway in Leon and a casa in Esteli, that would be a long trip for just that.

Note any part of Nicaragua outside the major cities (Managua, Leon, Granada, Matagala, Esteli) has a malaria and dengue risk - if there are a lot of trees and it gets wet you have mosquitoes, with them are dengue and malaria.

Remember there are casas for middle class and tourists and then there are places for locals (like Salvadoreno #2 in Managua - you like your waitress you can bang her for 30 minutes for C$130 or $7), you won't really fit in all that well and will be the guy with lots of money. Watch your back.

[Artisttyp]

I have been researching a possible trip to nicaragua since I have a certain amount of AA miles accumulated .

I am intrested in managua due to monger possibilities and the carribean coast. I read something about el rama being a port town with hookers but grand pollo said it was a waste of time.

The coast also has alot of malaria , dengue fever.

Bluefields is a major coast city used as a stepping stone to get to the corn islands off the coast. I thought I would go there after managua and use that as a base to get around the carribean side. There is a overpriced casa there according to grand pollo. I have no idea how much overpriced comes out to be..grand pollo?

You can take a plane to bluefields from managua but I was more intrested in a bus eventhough it takes 10 hours. I could stop along the way.

I would be going for photography and adventure but also to monger. I would start and end up in managua so if managua worked out for me with pfp and bluefields as well the trip would make sense.

Any advice...comments?

There was also some mention of towns being too small for girls to work unnoticed by relates, friends . I guess that would be true in many places but maybe more in nicaragua?

Can you cut and paste a PM to the forum?

[Grand Pollo]

Not busy in the post-Xmas season.

Tours are available all the time, call Tours Nicaragua, they are the better one of the few there. If you like that sort of thing there are good ones to Ometepe. The Granada tours are for geezers. Ditto Masaya (good craft shopping though) and the Catarina overlook.

Note other than Montelimar in Pochomil which is a Barcelo AI resort, I haven't seen "seasonal" pricing aywhere. The rates stay constant more or less.

[Artisttyp]

I have a question regarding high season and low season pricing.

If I was to come down in the middle of januarary after the holidays would I have trouble finding a hotel moving around the country without a reservation?
Can someone give me an idea of how expensive it gets in reference to decent food and tours etc.

Many thanks.

Artisttyp

[Sexy Boy]

Do yourself a favor and take my recommendation to avoid problems in Managua. You could walk to Metrocentro get some girls and take them back to the Hotel so you’ll save on transportation. I stayed in that hotel about five months ago so I know what I’m talking about.

One final word: beware because Managua is considered a dangerous city and some locals don’t like Americans because of the previous US policy towards the country.

[Juan Carter]

Thanks SB,

$45 beats previous recommendations but still over budget. I expected cheaper prices in Nicaragua. Your link didn't work for me today but I found HOTEL BRANDTS BED & BREAKFAST. De la Galería Casa de los Tres Mundos. 1 cuadra Abajo #238. Managua, Nicaragua. Teléfono: (505) 2702114 . I found recommendations for www.estancialacasona.com at $40 and www.hoteldlido.com at $30 but doubt they are chica friendly. I have plenty of time to shop before my trip, additional suggestions are greatly appreciated. A lodging thread for this forum might be a good idea.

[Grand Pollo]

Since he said no more than $30 how does $45-50 help this guy at all? He can stay at Conquistador with breakfast for that and they are the most girl friendly place in the city.

I can't help him with flophouse recommendations because I don't know any flophouses and I wouldn't recommend a $17-$25 hotel to anyone, as they won't be clean, safe or likely A/C, well for you I might think about that.

Your opinion (of me) means nothing. Your posts as for this city have contributed this one hotel recommendation twice. Not really an expert at all. Your link for this hotel is dead as well and launches an Apache test page. Gee thanks for that.

If you mean the hotel in Las Robles that calls itself the Hotel Los Robles it is US$75 and is absolutely no guests allowed. Here is a working link: http://www.hotellosrobles.com/en/habitaciones/

It is however a very nice hotel in the area, just no girls and 300% of his budget.

To the original poster, your budget needs upward adjustment.

[Sexy Boy]

Golly, GP, I did hotel thread searches and found some great chica friendly hotels in the $45 to $90 range but I'll be in Managua on the cheap. Chica prices are great but it seems there are better hotel deals even in Costa Rica. Poor Vic Nate tried 18 months ago but evidently was unable to find recommendations in the $20 to $30 range. I'll be there in March. Anybody have recommendations, especially in Managua?

If you are planning a visit to Nicaragua, I gladly recommend the Brand’s Hotel Los Robles (http://www.brandtshotel.com.ni). It’s near (by foot) to all the action in Managua. There you could go to Metrocento in less than 5 minutes walking. In the same area you could find restaurants and a famous disco in Managua called “Chaman” where you could find some local girls (non pro).

The price is between USD 45 – 50 and includes breakfast, Internet, hot water, air conditioning (split units) and the most important is clean.

And don’t lose time asking to the big chicken because he’s not going to help you.

[Grand Pollo]

$20 to $30 I know of nothing and would not trust anything I found at that price. If you include the IVA 15% you are looking at $17 to $26 before taxes. Good luck. Watch your back in such dives.

There are hostels in the Martha Quezada area near the Nica Bus terminal along with backpackers and muggers and the like. I guess that is where you start, as long as you don't mind carrying your luggage with you every day.

[Juan Carter]

Golly, GP, I did hotel thread searches and found some great chica friendly hotels in the $45 to $90 range but I'll be in Managua on the cheap. Chica prices are great but it seems there are better hotel deals even in Costa Rica. Poor Vic Nate tried 18 months ago but evidently was unable to find recommendations in the $20 to $30 range. I'll be there in March. Anybody have recommendations, especially in Managua?

[Grand Pollo]

Title insurance is available and adviseable. There are a lot of contested titles to land expropriated (stolen) by the Sandinista government (which as of 1/10/07 is the government again, too bad, really) . Title searches to prior to the civil wars are essential as is a lawyer that deals with gringos.

You obviously have never been as you have 10 "how long is a string" questions. Go there then post back.

Information on visas, residencias etc., are freely available on other forms like Nicaliving as one.

[Acaryu]

I am an american thinking of buying some property in Nicaragua. Does anybody familiar with the law there for american to buy property? What are the expenses like: lawyers, transfer tax, value added tax etc? Is the title safe? Do you own the land or all the land is leased? Which is the best place to buy as an investment? I like beachfront lots or houses. Is it de sur? How much do you need to live there? Are you allowed to stay there? What is medical care like? What is a good real estate firm?

If you have some info, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

[Grand Pollo]

When I was in Hollywood 8 months ago, it was US$88 for 20 minutes one girl with not much ability to do anything. Are you saying they have doubled the time, reduced the price and opened it up to do whatever you like? With the wine etc., what was the total tab, in cordobas or US$? I ask about the wine since 1/4 bottle of run worth $1.50 was $14.

Also this area was somewhat open to viewing, not enclosed.

Hollywood and Elite are renowned as real clip joints so their open policy for less money sounds unlike them. For those who crave strip joints, Cueto Club done right (e.g. limit the lady drinks) is not too bad, Venus is cheap with onsite rooms as is Polancos, in a dodgy area (they both are).

Vale Todo (the original) is manageable more to get dates for daytime than do anything onsite, though the "VIP" private room is $20 for 3 songs, and totally private.

The situation with the SW's is not unusual, combining 2 of them and a taxi and their choice of hotel is not a wise move since they could also be setting you up. It is possible to find OK girls but with MP's at 200 or 250 why bother?

This thread should be under Managua since it is about Managua.