A real estate investor named James Krieger (who, I assume, is a real estate developer because his website is an unrelieved pitch for investment in Nicaraguan real estate) has published a fairly lengthy commentary on my recent discussion in this blog about the ethical concerns I have about taking advantage of the pitifully low prices of that suffering country. Among other things, he lists various charitable organizations to which Americans can contribute for the purpose of alleviating poverty in Nicaragua.

In the thought that readers might like to consider Mr. Krieger's gentle criticism of my own unease, I'd like to direct you to the website in which his Frommer-refuting article appears: nicaraguarealestateinvestment.org. I have no idea why the website is entitled to use "org" as its domain, and I have no factual evidence on whether Mr. Krieger is either a publisher of the site or is possibly simply a writer who was encouraged to offer his views.

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Labels: nicaragua

Most observers would claim that the very best beach resort in Nicaragua is the 230-unit Spanish-owned Barcelo Montelimar Beach Hotel on two miles of white sands fronting the Pacific Ocean (all about 35 miles from the airport of Managua). In addition to that remarkable beach, it has the largest swimming pool in Latin America, a casino, nightly entertainment, several à la carte restaurants in addition to a buffet restaurant, and every conceivable sea sport and associated entertainment.

For a double room in July, including all three meals a day, unlimited drinks, unlimited sea sports and recreation, the cost is about $90 per day per person. Single persons traveling alone can often obtain a single room with all-inclusive arrangements (three meals and unlimited drinks) for about $110 a day.

Most observers would also claim that these rates undercut any other equivalent, five-star hotel in Central America. You can learn more at www.barcelo.com, or at www.barcelomontelimarbeach.com.

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Labels: deals, nicaragua

Last week, I glanced (very briefly) at the situation in Nicaragua. And I pointed out, among other things, that tourism was one of the few promising industries of that ravaged nation (which is slowly emerging from civil war and an earthquake that destroyed its entire capital city).

Though the tourism of Nicaragua is a very special activity, for a rather adventurous person, it is nonetheless of great interest. About the only standard sights are those in its colonial capital of Granada, showing the high aesthetic standards of the conquistadores, who left glorious structures that have been well-preserved and reflect the artistic culture of 17th and 18th century Spain. Several of those buildings have been converted into high-quality hotels.

The coastal areas are different, and also wholly unlike the beach areas of countries that have enjoyed a greater increase in tourism. Though tourism is booming (from a percentage point of view), fewer people visit Nicaragua than go to any other Central American country. And thus the beach communities are supplied primarily with tiny hotels, some of them accommodating as few as 20 and 25 guests. There are no giant beach resorts of the sort found in other Central American nations.

In one such place, on Little Corn Island, dinner is served precisely at 7pm in each such "hotel," and both the staff of the hotel and the guests eat at the same table, partaking of exactly the same meal, which is usually composed of fish caught that morning and two vegetables, washed down with beer. That's typical of many Nicaraguan resorts, and a reason why tourism there can be so exciting. Here's a place that perfectly fits the definition of the Caribbean as it used to be.

The Corn Islands 30 miles off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua are one of the nation's "tourist centers." You get there either by plane from Managua (about $175 round-trip) or via a daylong trip by bus and ferry from other cities. Once there you find yourself in a different world of backpacker-like tourists living in extremely modest lodgings and enjoying nature and a laid-back form of life, to put it mildly. In addition to enjoying a pristine-like tropical innocence, you snorkel and scuba-dive or simply enjoy the outdoors, to which you walk on tiny Little Corn Island (where there are no cars) or hop a taxi on Big Corn Island, paying $1 as your fare to any point on the Island.

The other touristic magnet, currently, is San Juan del Sur on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua, where real estate interests are currently building homes for American retirees and more small hotels for tourists. Surfing is the chief draw here; and surfers are a special type of visitor whose presence may or may not enthrall you.

At a recent real estate conference which I attended in Panama City, various promoters of Nicaraguan retirement living for Americans were talking about the joys of living in your own home in low-cost Nicaragua, where you could -- allegedly -- hire a sleep-in maid/cook for about $15 a week, or a gardener who doubles as the chauffeur for about $20 a week. And thus, on your U.S. Social Security income, you could live like a king in Nicaragua. I was both horrified and offended by these sales pitches, and they highlight the dilemmas posed by economies like those in Nicaragua.

Because one group of human beings lives in abject poverty (the Nicaraguans), another group of humans is able to live like royalty (Americans). Twenty-or-so years ago, we (the United States) devoted giant military resources to defeat that country's insurgency, and then proceeded to completely forget about that country once the insurgency was defeated.

Still, if you now wish to enjoy a different kind of vacation, a real immersion in the tropics (where the weather is warm throughout the year), and provided only that you can block out the conditions that surround you, then Nicaragua awaits.

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Labels: central america, nicaragua

Frequently, our ability to enjoy a luxurious vacation at low cost is brought about by the sub-standard wages of the people serving us. Years ago, the ultra-low rates of all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica were (and to some extent still are) based on cheap labor costs in Montego Bay and Negril. The same in the Dominican Republic. But both of these modestly-priced destinations are pikers compared to Nicaragua.

In a devastating article appearing in the current edition of The New York Review of Books (June 12, 2008), Stephen Kinzer points out (in "Life Under the Ortegas,") that 80% of the Nicaraguan population "subsist on less than two dollars a day." Twenty-seven percent of the population "is undernourished." The country has become a basket case of the tropics. Abandoned by the United States after the defeat of the Sandinista movement, left to drift without substantial aid or investment, Nicaragua is presently governed by a president (Daniel Ortega) who hasn't the slightest knowledge of economics or a plan to improve his nation's economy, and survives only because of essentially-free oil shipments from Hugo Chavez' Venezuela.

The United States, preoccupied with the Middle East, pays little attention to a nation that once worried us a great deal.

One hope for the future, according to Kinzer? Tourism. It has, he writes, a

... large potential: Nicaragua is among the safest and cheapest places in Central America, and a booming tourist enclave has already emerged around the beach town of San Juan del Sur. Some entrepreneurs also dream of creating retirement communities to attract middle-class retirees from the United States.

Elsewhere in his article, Kinzer emphasizes that the crime rate in Nicaragua is "remarkably low, nearer to the rates in placid Costa Rica than to those in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, the region's comparably poor countries".

Like many other travel writers, I have often written and spoken about the touristic appeal of Nicaragua, but without dwelling on the reason why costs there are so low. And it is perhaps fitting that we travel writers should leave un-mentioned the plight of the population in such a wretched country, all in the interest of slightly improving the lot of the people through increased tourism.

Or should we? As we lie on the beach and bask in the sun and click our fingers so the waiter will bring another drink, should we travelers pay some thought to the dreadful conditions that brought about our vacation pleasure?

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Labels: nicaragua

Though everyone claims that "volunteer vacations" are currently the hot travel item, the majority of them are scarcely distinguishable from the commercial variety. (There's lots of blue-sky bombast in the travel world -- and people who take advantage of the idealism of young Americans). But on Monday, I wrote about two opportunities for volunteers that actually produce substantial improvements for low-income communities or vital repairs in the national and state parks -- and also involve partially-free lodgings and meals in exchange for your services. Here, today, are three more:

Sierra Club Outings (tel. 415/977-5522; www.sierraclub.org/outings) in both the U.S. and Canada are short stints at clearing trails in Nevada, maintaining beaches in Puerto Rico, preserving historic sites in Utah, tracking dolphin patterns on Midway Island, removing invasive plants in California, a hundred other useful tasks in the out-of-doors. Groups of 10 to 18 people (including a leader and cook) stay in accommodations ranging from tents to lodges. Many participants are in their mid-40s to early 50s, and include retired folk. Some trips can be strenuous, but most are accessible to everyone. Time commitment: most trips are on week, some are ten days. Cost: Almost all are $495 for a full week, some $595. Requirements: age 18 and up. In studying the website, be sure to winnow out the "service trips" from a larger number of sightseeing trips that Sierra now offers. And thus be sure to click on "service" wherever that term appears on the site.

La Sabranenque (tel. 716/836-8698; www.sabranenque.com) works to preserve and restore the unique ancient architecture of the Provence region of France and in far northern regions of Italy. Work includes construction and restoration of medieval stone buildings, castles and ramparts. From March to October, volunteers labor at sites with experienced technicians, acquiring traditional Mediterranean techniques of stone cutting, roof-tiling, flooring, arch and vault construction, and masonry. Costs cover double occupancy in restored stone houses and home-cooked, family-style meals with your co-volunteers (groups are limited to 35 people). Volunteers are of all ages, not just the young. Time commitment: two to three weeks. Cost: $595 for one week, but only $745 for two weeks, not including airfare. Requirement: ages 18 and up, and physically fit. (No construction skills or knowledge of French or Italian is necessary).

El Porvenir (tel. 608/544-2086; www.elporvenir.org) builds village water projects in now-peaceful Nicaragua. Volunteers in 6-to-10 person "brigades" join with local residents and bi-lingual guides to construct wells, latrines and community washing facilities. Apart from work, there's time to visit and converse with Nicaraguan organizations and groups. Lodgings are private homes, village schools, or modest hotels, and there's a recreational weekend at a beach thrown in as well. Participants' ages vary; church and family groups are common. Time commitment: two weeks. Cost: $800, including food, lodging and land transportation (but not airfare). Requirements: physically fit. But no Spanish language or construction experience is needed.

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Labels: france, nicaragua, volunteer

A couple of quick comments about two increasingly-popular Central American destinations.

Nicaragua (tel. 888/733-6422; www.visit-nicaragua.com) is Central America's lartgest nation and birthplace of its greatest literary figure, Ruben Dario. It has also just elected former-Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega as its president (but he's been much more conciliatory about tourism and foreign investment in recent years, and the country's growth seems unlikely to slacken). Many thousands of Americans are currently moving here to retire or simply get another start, amid beautiful and less expensive surroundings. Cities such as Granada (on Lake Nicaragua) and Leon (a dozen miles from the Pacific coast) are among Central America's loveliest Spanish colonial towns; San Juan del Sur on the Pacific has quite the surfing scene; and Nicaragua's Corn Islands (Islas del Maiz) still boast a barefoot, castaway vibe. The country's most popular eco-resort? That's the five-year-old Morgan's Rock (tel. 011-506-232-6449; www.morgansrock.com), charging from $170 per person per day including all three meals.

Belize (tel. 800/624-0686; www.travelbelize.org) is the region's only English-speaking country. Its earliest attractions were the beaches of some 50-or-so offshore islands (such as Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker) and the barefoot charms of coastal Placencia. It is increasingly renowned for its awesome diving (especially at the legendary "Blue Hole," 60 miles east of Belize City and visited daily by dive boats) and for such Mayan sites as Altun Ha. And most recently, Belize has become popular for second homes and time shares. Although developers have rushed to erect new high-end resorts like Placencia's $300-a-night Chabil Mar (tel. 800/819-9088; www.chabilmarvillas.com), the tourist board continues to stress such budget-worthy attractions as the Toucan Train (www.toucantrail.com) dotted by more than 160 lodgings costing $60 a night and less.

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Labels: belize, central america, nicaragua

If you've been everywhere in the Caribbean, seen every island from tiny St. Kitts to big Jamaica, every nation from Belize to Costa Rica, you have one largely unvisited place still to visit: Nicaragua. For a unique beach vacation in Nicaragua, log on to www.toursnicaragua.com, and scroll down to a section dealing with beach holidays, which tells about the peaceful Corn Islands of sand and clear, bathtub-warm waters off Nicaragua's Caribbean coast. On the Corn Islands, you are told, there are no fancy resorts, no perfume shops, supermarkets, golf courses or hordes of people lining up for all-you-can-eat buffets. You are a visitor among the people of the island. You share the pace of their life. And doesn't that sound simply marvelous?

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Labels: nicaragua