What does the Santo Domingo beach area on the island of Ometepe look like?  Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.  It’s worth mentioning that the lake levels are high as the rainy season has just ended in December.  From January to May the waters recede and much more beach becomes available.

¿Cómo se mira la zona de Playa Santo Domingo en la Isla de Ometepe?  He aquí algunas fotos para tu disfrute.  Cabe señalar que el nivel del lago está alto en diciembre ya que acaba de terminar la temporada de lluvia.  En enero a mayo, hay mucha más playa.

Here is a map indicating the location of Santo Domingo beach and the Costa Azul hotel, on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua.

Aquí está un mapa que indica la ubicación de Playa Santo Domingo y el hotel Costa Azul, en la Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua.

We had a really nice stay at the Playa Santo Domingo area of Ometepe, Nicaragua.  After checking out some of the other hotel offerings in the area, we went back to Costa Azul, a friendly-owner run small hotel with some of the best amenities of the hotels in the area (Ernesto is a Nicaraguan man who lives in Chicago, Illinois).  It has hot showers, a full-fare restaurant (with fare prices), WiFi internet, comfy beds and really good A/C.  We paid $35 for our room, which was clean and comfortable.  Don’t expect 5 stars but this hotel is a very good value.  It also has access to the beach (during the rainy season, there isn’t much beach as the water level is pretty high).

We ate two meals in the restaurant.  Supper was breaded tilapia with garlic sauce for C$135 (about $6).  Breakfast was varied: 2 pancakes and a fruit plate with island grown coffee for C$80 (about $3.55) and a typical Nicaraguan breakfast of eggs, beans and rice, ripe plantains, cheese and cream with coffee for the same price.  Great service and really clean!

There are a few options in the Santo Domingo, Ometepe area.  Costa Azul is one of the best!

Disfrutamos mucho de nuestra estadía en Playa Santo Domingo en Ometepe, Nicaragua.  Después de ver algunas de las opciones en hospedaje, decidimos quedarnos en Costa Azul.  El hotel es operado por su dueño (un Nicaraguense que vive en Chicago, Illinois) y cuenta con algunas de las mejores comodidades en la zona.  Tiene duchas con agua caliente, un restaurante completo (con precios muy razonables), conexión de Internet Wi-Fi, camas sabrosas y aire acondicionado bien bueno.  Pagamos $35 la noche para un cuarto limpio y confortable.  No esperés un hotel de 5 estrellas pero este hotel es un excelente valor por el dinero.  También tiene acceso directo a la playa (aunque durante el invierno de Nicaragua, el nivel del lago es alto y no hay mucha playa).

Comimos dos veces en el restaurante.  Para la cena comimos tilapia empanizada con salsa de ajo por C$135 (casi $6).  Tuvimos un desayuno variado: 2 panqué con fruta y café cosechado de la misma isla por C$80 (casi $3.55) y un desayuno Nica típico de huevos, gallo pinto, plátano maduro, crema y queso junto con el café isleño por el mismo precio.  Excelente servicio y muy limpio….

De todas las opciones en la zona de Playa Santo Domingo en Ometepe, Nicaragua, Costa Azul es ¡¡¡una de las mejores!!!

Sunset on Punta Jesús María, Ometepe, Nicaragua….

El puesto del sol desde Punta Jesús María, Ometepe, Nicaragua…..

There are some really nice views of Ometepe.

Interestingly enough, Costa Rica is just a stone’s throw away, the border being separated by a rickety old fence.

An hour up the road towards Colón, in the Los Ángeles area, there are other real nice views of Ometepe.

Cárdenas, Rivas is a wonderful place to visit – the people are really friendly and there abounds some breathtaking scenery from the Nicaraguan countryside.  It is a real gem amongst the many options for tourism in Nicaragua.

We spent a couple of days at Casa Marisombra in the Hacienda Iguana Golf & Beach Club in Tola, Nicaragua.  Hacienda Iguana is a gated community with 24-hour security on one of the excellent beach areas that Nicaragua offers.  Most of the houses are privately owned.  Many are available for weekly and monthly rentals.  There is a restaurant and beach club with food offerings as well.

There are 8-10 foot breaks in two particular spots on the mile-long beach.

There is also a 9-hole golf course designed by Niels Oldenberg, carefully blended into the natural beauty of this reserve.

This picture courtesy of Nicaragua-magazine.com

It is a wonderful place to spend a week (or just a weekend like we did).  If you plan to go to the beaches in Tola, make sure you check out Hacienda Iguana.

For rates and more information, please see the following site: http://www.casamarisombra.com/