Nicaragua's Riviera is Northwest of Managua

Just published fares from L.A., Houston and Miami to Nicaragua (Managua) were between $400- $500. I haven't heard of a better get-a-way fare in a long time. Nicaragua lured the reality TV show "Survivor" for only one reason, it is a "natural"unknown tropical destination. It exudes adventure and beauty. A developing country, the largest in Central America, with less than 7 million inhabitants and hundreds of thousands of square miles of beach, mountains, lakes (second largest in Western Hemisphere), two oceans, highlands with breathtaking waterfalls, rain forests, wildlife, volcanoes and inexpensive prices. Others say they have low prices, but compared to Nicaraguan "inexpensive", they are relatively expensive.
Nicaragua is the home of the world famous , Flora de Caña Rums, smooth, fragrant Internationally renowed cigar and coffee plantations that are all located in northwest Nicaragua.
At Playa Roca Beach Hotel in Las Penitas, Leon, you can enjoy beach front private rooms with or without A/C within five yards of the ocean for $50 or less, private single rooms with private bath from $25, or a small dorm (6 person maximum) room for $7 a NIGHT! A full bar and restaurant are nestled on the beach, with the water at high tide lapping right to the perimeter of the property. A whole fresh fish dinner and beer costs less than $10. Bonfires on the beach coupled with great International cool music sets the scene for many a late night on the coast.
Isla de San Juan Venado Wilderness Preserve has crocodiles, herons, egrets, iguanas, nesting sea turtles, mangrove forest and river withing a ten minute walk on the beach from your hotel room. Surfing, fishing, cycling, horseback riding are all right here. You can visit and stay in this piece of paradise for a week for the price of a single day in similar popular tourist venues. You will have more than double the variety of activities (skiing down a volcano?) for less money. You can learn a new language in a beach setting in paradise, including accommodations for less than most people pay to live in their own homes for a month. The new "snow birds" of the north are now flocking to Nicaragua to perch for the winter and are actually are finding they have more money when they go home. Plus they go home with a tan and a new language if they enrolled in the language school at the beach. (See below for language schools in Las Penitas, Nicaragua). We even have Nowegian classes for those who want to add to their linguistic repetoir!
Nicaragua has had a questionable international image ; however, when I scouted out Nicaragua as a vacation or retirement alternative, the only truth was a civil war happened and a democracy was established. The only gorilla would be 'IN' a tree eating a banana, not a "guerrilla" hiding behind one with a gun. Nicaragua might be the second poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere next to Haiti, but most people would be very surprised to know that it is only second behind Canada for safety. It is not a violent country, rather a friendly place to be (you never hear about abductions or homicides here like other Latin American countries) and the advantages are multi-fold.
The infrastructure here is substandard that which most travelers are accustomed to at home, so the expectations of having TV, Internet, or even paved roads and dependable electricity can be found in only select locations. Las Penitas (and Playa Roca) just had a new highway built to and from Leon. The road was fully funded by the United States Millennium Challenge Corportation This makes the drive time from Leon to the beach only 15 minutes.
Stay home if you don't want to have miles of unspoiled beaches and roaring waves and spectacular sunsets. Everything is here. The country is underdeveloped and ripe for the new traveler to explore without the crowds. It will change with the exposure of the "Survivor" TV series, but only for those brave enough to change their way of thinking about Nicaragua.
I know the difference. My brother and I lived in Hawaii (Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii) for more than 36 years. This was before golf courses and condos. Nicaragua, in my opinion, has better weather, diversity, fewer mosquitoes, and best of all, it's affordable! (ocean front homes under $100,000 and non ocean front a fraction of that). More money for pleasure than just daily living.
Check out Las Penitas, northern Nicaragua's counter to the San Juan del Sur, the tourist trap of southern Nicaragua (close to the Costa Rican border). Playa Roca is only 20 minutes from the charming historical colonial capital of Leon, home of the oldest cathedral in Cenral America.
Few people know about it, but now you do. Don't wait. Ski down a volcano in the morning and surf the great Pacific that afternoon. Enjoy the most beautiful sunsets known anywhere. It's so easy, you can be a "Survivor" too!
Playa Roca Beach Hotel
Las Penitas-Leon, Nicaragua
www.playaroca.com
nicaliving.com/node/17414 $45 Ocean Front to a $6 ocean dorm The "Survivors" choice of destination, survivors are interested in experiencing paradise for dimes on the dollar Learn Spanish "ON THE BEACH!" http://www.nicaliving.com/node/17621 http://www.laspenitas.net/