Francis' Central American Adventure

Where in the world...  
By: Francis Contreras

Costa Rica to Nicaragua!

A trip through Costa Rica and Nicaragua was the perfect summer kick-off. Costa Rica... endless outdoor activities, rain forest, volcanoes, and of course tropical beaches all around. While, the beautiful beachfront villas of Mukul Resort in Nicaragua serve as the perfect home base with their private pools, incredible golf course and luxury spa.

Costa Rica, here I come...

 

The flight from San Diego is quite tiring due to the connections to Liberia but I chose to do it this way as it is not recommended to arrive at San Juan, given that it´s a four hour drive to Liberia. Flying into Liberia cuts down your drive to the hotels to only 45 minutes.

The most luxurious part of Costa Rica is the region of Papagayo. I recommend staying at the Four Seasons Papagayo, which has three types of rooms to choose from:

• Homes, which are beautiful, updated 3-room houses that serve as a wonderful home base- I highly suggest going this route
• Villas, which were nice but could use a bit of a facelift 
• Normal rooms, which are nice but could also use a bit of remodeling

The Four Seasons Papagayo boasts an incredible golf course with access to the Beach Club, along with clay and grass tennis courts with professional instruction if you want to polish up your swing. Di Mare restaurant and adjoining Tico Bar are great ways to end your beach days with a full belly and the pools and activities offered make the hotel perfect for a family getaway.

Another option for luxury accommodations is Villa Manzu (website still under construction). The 8-room villa, in terms of luxury, is the best I have seen. The rate per night includes all meals and drinks. There is a chef and a daily cleaning service. The chef prepares the most extraordinary dishes and they include superb wines. Villa Manzu is about a 10 minute drive from the Four Seasons and the guests are granted access to the Four Seasons amenities. There is access to a beautiful Spa located within the house. The whole house must be rented; they do not rent by room. 

Costa Rica as a whole is the perfect vacation with it's endless outdoor activities, rain forest, volcanoes, and of course tropical beaches all around. 

Now off to Nicaragua....

To get from Papagayo to Nicaraguan border only takes approximately 1.5 hours by car. The road is not bad and the drive is pretty but when you get to the border it´s a different story. Though the country is beautiful and the resorts are spectacular, there are some things to be aware of in terms of actually getting there, as the Nicaraguan infrastructure is still developing. The process of getting into the country takes quite a bit of time, as one must go through a Costa Rican office where passports are stamped then onto the offices of the country of Nicaragua, which is considered third world. The weekend we passed through, the offices were packed with people so the process took us about 4 hours. It is very tiring and there is a lot of corruption; we constantly had to pay bribes to pass through the lines which were enormous.

The road from the boarder to Mukul Resort is not in the best condition; therefore the drive takes about another 1.5 hours.  Shortly, this drive will be cut down significantly as the owner of Mukul Resort is arranging with the migration offices to make this easier by giving a free pass to guests in order to avoid lines. If you prefer not to deal with the roads at all, there is always the option of getting there by helicopter but the cost is extremely high at about $4,000 USD.

The resort itself is a whole experience though it is a bit difficult to get there.  Located 2.5 hours from the airport of Managua by car, the trip can be made by helicopter and the negotiated price is $1500 per helicopter. The cost is cheap as 4 to 5 people can fit in each helicopter. On the way there, there is a visit to the colonial city of Granada, although there is not much to see there. 

Mukul Resort is the first luxury hotel Spa in Nicaragua- it opened its doors on February, 2013. The 12 beautiful beachfront villas, known as 'Bohios', consist of 23 constructions among the trees with an ocean view and a private pool in each one. The property boasts 6 separate SPA buildings, each one offering a different Spa experience. This was truly incredible, the perfect amenity for a luxury getaway.

The golf course, Guacalito de la Isla, designed by David McLay Kidd, is considered one of the best- it is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

All in all, Nicaragua's new luxury resorts and beautiful beaches while still being a bit rough around the edges serves as a great adventure to an up and coming tourist destination.