Overview
About an hour's drive from the capital, Managua, Granada is the oldest colonial city in Nicaragua and the entire Western Hemisphere. On Samantha's journey around this charming town, she met people who against all odds had managed to keep the beauty of their country and their culture intact and were happy to share it with others.
Nicaragua Tourism Office: This government-sponsored office is a good source of information when planning your trip to Nicaragua.
Web: www.visit-nicaragua.com
Hotels
La Gran Francia Hotel & Restaurant: In Granada Samantha chose to stay at this beautifully restored Spanish colonial hotel, located just off the main square. Each of the 21 spacious rooms opens up to the beautifully tiled inner courtyard; there is even a small pool that does the trick when you need to cool off. The hotel offers four styles of rooms and suites, ranging in price from $90 to $160. For Samantha, however, the best part of the experience was having AC and wireless Internet!
Web: www.lagranfrancia.com
Shopping
Central Market: Samantha knows that it is best to just dive right in when you're traveling to a destination vastly different from your own hometown. In Granada she takes her own advice and heads straight to Granada's Central Market, located a few blocks from the main square. One step inside and Samantha's senses are overloaded! Most folks in Granada don't have refrigerators, so they must shop for fresh ingredients each day. In addition to fish, meat, fruit and vegetable vendors, the market has a food court of sorts - but Samantha isn't brave enough to try it. Central Market is open daily.
Calle Atravesada: Just outside the Central Market area is Calle Atravesada - one of Granada's original streets. If you want to buy anything, you're going to find it here. Samantha strolls around and discovers ATM machines of the "human kind." The locals call them coyotes - they're men carrying big wads of cash, and they give a good exchange rate too! (They're sanctioned by the local banks.)
Food/Restaurants/Bars
Zoom Bar: Everyone in Granada knows this local spot as "Wayne's Zoom Bar." When you walk inside, it's like stepping into a sports bar back home (the bar has a lot of football and baseball banners, flags, jerseys, etc.). Sam's tip: Zoom Bar is the place in town for a great hamburger!
Nacatamales: Now, you can't get this food in a restaurant - you have to go to the homes of the women who make them. Some of the best can be found at "Theodosa's." Nacatamales are like tamales, but with a Nicaraguan twist. Cornmeal, butter, salt, pork, chicken, onion and lots of other good eats are stuffed into a banana leaf and simmered for hours. The Theodosa women have been selling their home-made nacatamales for nearly three generations. They make about 200 each weekend, and the price is well worth it, at about $1 a pop. Sam's tip: Any good taxi driver in Granada will know exactly where to take you if you tell them "Theodosa casa, por nacatamales."
Sights/Landmarks/To Do
La Esperanza Granada: During Samantha's stay in Granada, she discovered a unique volunteer organization called La Esperanza Granada. It's made up of volunteers from around the world who come to Granada to help out in the local schools, support women's working groups, and build community centers for the impoverished in the outskirts of the city. Tuesdays and Thursdays visitors can join one of the weekly visits to the nearby pueblos (village) and schools. Samantha and Carolyn, one of the volunteers, walked through the pueblo of La Prusia.
Web: www.la-esperanza-granada.org
La Prusia Village: During her visit with Carolyn, a volunteer at La Esperanza Granada, Samantha visited the little village of La Prusia. On Sunday mornings, the community gets together for a baseball game in the open fields.
Las Isletas: This group of 365 little islands was created nearly 20,000 years ago when the Mombacho Volcano erupted, hurling its top half into Lake Nicaragua in the shape of massive rocks and lava forms. Samantha, along with her friends Julio and Jacqueline, hires a boat to cruise around the islands. Many of them are still owned by the original families of fisherman who first occupied them. You can hire boats at either Cabañas Amarillo or Puerto Asese; both are about a 10-minute drive from the center of Granada. Sam's tip: If you cruise the islands, keep an eye out for Monkey Island!
Top of the Line Tours: Whenever you can get a local perspective on things, take it. Samantha meets up with Julio, a licensed guide whose company offers customized sight-seeing activities in Granada, or anywhere else in Nicaragua. Whether you're seeking an action-packed eco-adventure or just want to stroll around town, being in the company of a local expert brings a whole new perspective to any trip.
Sultan Cigars: What item can you bring home from Granada that you can't get in the U.S.? Samantha stops into the Sultan Cigar shop, just a few blocks from the center of town. She places an order for something that is really hand-made in Nicaragua - cigars! But these aren't just any cigars; they're made from 100 percent Cuban seeds. A box of cigars will cost you around $50-60, depending on the variety. The best part is you can see them being made - and then take them home with you.
Mombo Tours: From almost every corner in Granada, you can see the towering volcano Mombacho. Sam wanted a closer look, so she signed up with a company called Mombo for one of their canopy tours. The tour consists of 2,000 feet of cable stretching between 17 platforms ranging in height from 10 feet to 100 feet. Zipping through a forest on the side of a volcano - it doesn't get better than that! Basic canopy tree tours start at around $35.
Web: www.mombotour.com
Chicken Bus: If you find yourself in Granada, you simply must take a ride on their mass transportation system - the bus. But as Sam found out, these aren't your usual city buses. They're old school buses painted in all sorts of colors. And inside you'll find yourself surrounded by chickens! Many of the women riders are taking their chickens to sell them at the market. For Samantha, the 25 cent fare and the company can't be beat!
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