Along one beautiful coastline of Nicaragua runs the bright blue waters of the Caribbean, and on the west, the crashing waves of the Pacific. In between are some incredible volcanic landscapes, with lush, hardly-explored forests and breathtakingly underdeveloped islands and beaches. Nicaragua's history, too, reads like a novel and includes the founding of some beautiful colonial cities and towns. So choosing the best places to stay in Nicaragua revolves around the reason you want to visit this Central American beauty. Below, we have listed hotels in four main geographic regions, from colonial boutiques to remote ecolodges.
If you’re here for the history and drama of old Nicaragua, then the best places to stay are in elegant Granada, which is one of the country’s best preserved colonial towns. Or, if you prefer your history a little more dramatic, then vibrant, working-class León might be for you, with its revolutionary murals and architectural masterpieces now housing very work-a-day stores and offices.
If you’re here to surf then the Rivas Isthmus on the Pacific coat, to the south west, is one of the best places to stay in Nicaragua. It offers perfect sandy beaches and some secluded areas only accessible by 4WD. And if you’d rather snorkel, dive or muck around with boats then the Caribbean Corn Islands will entrance you, while for mangrove swamps, thick jungles and tropical ports, consider the Caribbean coastline itself. And if you’re here for the coffee and or tobacco, then the best places to stay in Nicaragua are in the Northern Highlands.
But one of the unique things about Nicaragua is how underdeveloped it is. It doesn’t take long for the tourist trail to ebb away and you’re on your own, exploring its wonderfully varied interior. Its amazing mountains hide volcanic lakes, unmapped jungles, pre-Columbian runs and old Spanish fortresses. Elsewhere you will find wetlands, remote farms, acres of empty beaches, and welcoming arms to visitors.
