`Nicaragua`s Montelimar` PDF

Getaways
  TRAVELER • August/September 2006
M
Nicaragua’s
ontelimar
Traveler Report Card
Accommodations (B+): The staff at Montelimar is very friendly (many speak English
well), the lodging is comfortable and the ambiance is excellent, with Mediterranean-inspired architecture, breezes wafting through
coconut palms, flaming acacia trees and fragrant flowers. Don’t expect gold-plated fivestar luxury, though. This is the best resort in
Nicaragua and one of the best in all of Central America, but it isn’t Paris.
Relax in a former
dictator’s beach resort
Article and photography by Don Douglas
The swimming pool at Montelimar
is surrounded with lush and
well-tended tropical greenery.
Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle was known for his cruel
and iron-fisted rule, but also for hospitality on a grand scale. Among his
personal retreats was a coconut and
sugar plantation on a beautiful stretch
of beach on his country’s Pacific coast.
Guests would land at the estate’s private
airfield to be entertained
at Somoza’s lavish cliffside home, where they
enjoyed plush accommodations with commanding
views of the sea and the
seemingly endless beach.
After the Sandinistas
ousted Somoza in 1979, they occupied
the estate as a kind of high-end military
barracks. Then came Herty Lewites.
Always more of an entrepreneur than a
revolutionary, Lewites (who died in July)
was an arms smuggler during the revolution and a minister of tourism in the
Sandinista years. He looked at the beach
An ox cart makes
its way with
passengers along
Pochomil beach.
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house being used as a barracks and
thought it would better serve the country’s interests as a resort that would bring
in foreign money. To the chagrin of some
military people and diehard anti-capitalists, Sandinista president Daniel Ortega
liked Lewites’ idea. After all, Nicaragua
badly needed hard currency, even if
bourgeois European and
North American tourists
were to be the source of it.
The government invited
Italian architects to do the
makeover. The mansion
was remodeled into a
casino and entertainment
center. A hotel, bungalows, swimming
pools and restaurants were built. The
airstrip was expanded to its jet-capable
current size (6,500 by 150 feet) with the
intention of developing a full-fledged
international airport.
But these improvements didn’t change
the fact that the communist regime was,
Food (A+): From lobster to swimming fish
to tropical fruits to crepes sautéed in butter
and rum, the food is first rate. Also, the
aged Flor de Caña brand Nicaraguan rum is
superb. The resort’s surprisingly low prices
include three meals a day at a buffet restaurant, and they’re much better than you
might expect from a buffet.
in its own way, easily as harsh as the
dictatorship it replaced. So tourists and
their money mostly stayed away. When
democratic elections loosened the
Sandinistas’ grip on power 16 years
ago, however, things began to change.
Elbow Room
Now under private ownership,
Barceló Playa Montelimar is well
worth visiting, yet still relatively
undiscovered. Certainly it is obscure
enough to afford plenty of elbow room
while you sample the food and drink
at its several restaurants and bars. Your
palate will definitely not be bored
(and it’d be a pity to try to lose weight
at Montelimar–unless it’s by playing
tennis, working out in the gym, swimming in the pools and ocean or running on the beach).
If you want to combine business
with pleasure, Montelimar won’t disappoint. Its full-service business center features conference facilities for
meetings and functions, plus the necessary fax and Internet capabilities.
You might well be content at Montelimar to just stretch out in one of the
many hammocks by the beach, read
books and sip the local beverages.
Since it is a private resort on a private
beach, however, the only Nicaraguans
you’ll encounter will be on the staff. If
you want local color, you have to venture beyond the facility.
You needn’t go far, though.
Pochomil beach is less than four miles
south and easy to reach even without a
car. You can take one of the bicycledriven carts–an enjoyable ride in the
Nicaraguan equivalent of a rickshaw.
(Their drivers aren’t allowed into the
resort, but they wait just outside the
security gate near the airstrip.) You can
also opt for an air-conditioned taxi,
which can pick you up outside the hotel.
Situated between Montelimar and
Pochomil, the town of Masachapa has
excellent seafood restaurants and markets, as well as an array of souvenirs.
We heartily recommend having lobster
here. We ordered it in garlic butter–langosta al ajillo–and it left us thinking up
excuses to remain in Nicaragua.
To go farther afield, we rented a
car and hired a driver who knew the
A motorboat passes by one of the
many small islands on Lake Nicaragua.
territory and was adept at dodging the
many potholes. Nicaragua is one of
those places–especially in certain
urban and densely populated tourist
areas–where you need to mind your
pockets. Driving at night away from
the main roads isn’t advised. Having a
local pro behind the wheel and watching over you means you’ll have a lot
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Traditional dancers perform
on stage at Masaya.
Activities (A): There are swimming pools
(including shallow ones for children and a
Jacuzzi), two tennis courts, volleyball and
soccer on the beach, swimming and snorkeling in the sea, horseback riding, a zoo
and a gym. For evening entertainment,
don’t forget the discotheque and casino.
Quietude (A+): Disco and casino notwithstanding, the place is serenely quiet. A tram
takes guests to the bungalows, so there is
no vehicle traffic noise. The breezes rustling
through the palm fronds, the occasional
tropical bird call and the ocean surf are usually the only sounds you’ll hear.
The hotel at Montelimar basks
in sunset light.
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Getaways
  TRAVELER • August/September 2006
uContinued from preceding page
less to worry about.
“The revolution and war set us
back 50 years,” a civil engineer told
me. “Look at the state of development of the other Central American
countries–the condition of their
roads, for example–and you’ll see
we have a lot of lost ground to
cover.” True, but the Nicaraguans
are covering much of that ground,
literally. Continual paving projects
are making the country’s roads
more negotiable by the day.
With our driver Roque (“Rocky”)
at the wheel, we headed out to see
some of the country. The first stop
was Granada, the oldest colonial
city in Central America. The conquistador Francisco Hernandez de
Cordoba founded it in 1524, naming
it after his hometown in Spain. His
expedition had followed the San
Juan River from the Atlantic in
search of a navigable route to the Pacific. Rather than the Pacific, however, the river opens into Gran Lago
Cocibolca. Commonly known as
Lake Nicaragua, this huge inland
sea is home to the world’s only
freshwater sharks.
During the Gold Rush of 1849,
Cornelius Vanderbilt made a fortune transporting men bound for
California from the Atlantic, via
the San Juan River, across the lake
and overland to the Pacific coast.
About the Airport
The accompanying article uses the
term “airstrip” instead of “airport,” since
the facility at Montelimar (MNMR) lacks a
control tower, hangars, fuel service, lights
and a guidance system. It is simply a wellpaved 6,500-foot tarmac. Managua International (MGA), also known as Augusto
Cesar Sandino airport, handles air traffic
control. Montelimar has no customs facilities, so you’ll need to stop at Managua
anyway and inform officials there of your
intention to land at Montelimar.
The resort staff can arrange for ground
transportation to meet you and transport
your party and luggage the short distance
to the lobby for check-in. Call at least an
hour ahead to +505 269 6769 to allow
the staff time to make arrangements and
notify authorities of your arrival.
n
Actually, that route was the first
choice for what later became the
Panama Canal, since it comprised
an almost complete nautical passage between the oceans, leaving
only a short stretch to be excavated. The Nicaraguans wanted
control of ship traffic through their
country, however, and the United
States decided to build the canal in
Panama instead.
Looming over the lake is Mombacho, an extinct volcano. Close to
Continued on page 32 u
Hammocks are strung between
every available pair of trees near
the beach; take your pick.
People gather in the Parque
Central near the old cathedral in
Granada, a city that was founded
in 1524 and is the oldest in
Central America.
Traveler Fast Facts
Montelimar
What it is: Montelimar is one of the
best and largest beach resorts in all of
Central America. Located on
Nicaragua’s Pacific coast, west of
Managua, it is served by its own jetcapable airstrip.
Bookings: You can book your stay at
Barceló Playa Montelimar through your
travel agent or the Web site of Barceló
People at the Catarina viewpoint
looking over the Apoyo Lagoon.
Hotels & Resorts (www.barcelo.com),
the parent company based in Palma
de Mallorca, Spain.
Climate: Nicaragua’s wet season usually runs from May through November,
the rest of the year being relatively
rainless. A little rain can be quite welcome in the tropics, so Nicaragua is
really a year-round destination.
Visas: Visitors from the U.S., Canada,
most European countries, Korea,
Japan, Australia and New Zealand
don’t need visas. (Upon entry at Managua, you’ll be issued a tourist card for
$5.) For information about entry from
other countries, contact Nicaraguan
Migración at +505-244-2111.
Inoculations: Special shots aren’t required unless you plan to spend time
in the jungle. Current normal inoculations are generally considered sufficient, but to be on the safe side you
might consider a gammaglobulin shot.
The water at Barceló Playa Montelimar
is treated and safe, but use customary
Third World precautions on trips into
the countryside.
Rental cars: Because of the rough
roads in outlying areas, a four-wheeldrive vehicle is recommended, as is
hiring a Nicaraguan driver. Alamo,
Avis, Budget or Hertz will all deliver a
car and driver to Montelimar, and all
are based at Managua International
Airport. In addition, Rica Nica Travel &
Tourism offers multilingual driver/guide
service with Landcruiser tours. Call the
company at +505 846 2583, write to
Oficina de Correos Central, Caja #36,
Granada, Nicaragua, or visit www.ricanica.com/Nicaragua/tourist_info/car
_rental_services.htm.
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Getaways
uContinued from page 30
Granada you’ll discover numerous islands that some say
were dropped into the lake by a
massive eruption of Mombacho centuries ago. Today, most
of these islands are occupied,
each by a single house. One island is inhabited exclusively
by monkeys. Tour boats cruise
among these islands, a trip we
quite enjoyed.
From Granada and the lake,
we went up to the rim of Mombacho. It isn’t possible to drive all
the way, but large, low-geared,
all-wheel-drive trucks take visiApoyo Lagoon, Lake
Nicaragua and the city
of Granada visible in
the distance.
tors from a parking area past
huge coffee plantations to the
edge of the crater. Once there,
we hiked the trail that leads
around the rim through an
amazingly dense ecosystem–
home to 50 species of mammals, 174 of birds, 30 of reptiles
and 750 of flora. It also affords
spectacular views of Lake
Nicaragua and Granada below.
A completely different kind
of volcano–smoking and appearing to be right on the verge
of eruption–is Masaya. The likelihood is that it will go on looking as if it might erupt at any
moment indefinitely. However, a
sign advises visitors to back into
parking spaces, the better to beat
a hasty retreat if necessary.
Not far from the volcano is
the town of the same name. Just
17 miles south of Managua on
the road to Granada, Masaya is
known for its souvenir-packed
arts & crafts market, where you
can find traditional Nicaraguan
hammocks, tropical wood products, black pottery from Matagalpa, indigenous furniture,
soapstone carvings from San
Juan de Limay, leather goods
and much more. On Thursday
evenings, there are presentations of Nicaraguan folk music
and dance and they also serve
food and drinks. We enjoyed the
whole experience.
In fact, with the exception of
potholed roads in the hinterlands and evidence of some
fairly dire Third World poverty,
we found Nicaragua in general
to be delightful. And we loved
Montelimar, which is much too
good to stay little known for long.
Savor it now, before the rest of
the world discovers it.
o
Don Douglas, a frequent contributor
to this magazine, is a travel writer
and photographer based in northwestern Germany.
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