The Natural Beauty of Laguna Apoyo, Nicaragua

Yesterday we moved from Ometepe Island to Laguna Apoyo on the mainland, and we are very happy with the change. Just the natural beauty of Laguna Apoyo makes you feel peaceful and relaxed, plus we are staying at a yoga resort which is lovely.

Map Laguna Apoyo Nicaragua
Drive from Ometepe to Laguna Apoyo

Leaving Ometepe

We left Ometepe yesterday via taxi, lancha and another taxi, and 3-4 hours later we were at Laguna Apoyo. It may only be the resort we selected, but what a difference those few hours made.

bad hotel in ometepe

Let me tell you why we were so happy to leave Ometepe – the only reason was our hotel. I struggled trying to get us a room on the Island to begin with – we did have a few parameters, but it shouldn’t have been that difficult. Wanting 2 separate beds in a room in Nicaragua seems to be a challenge for the hotels here. Be forewarned. Anyway, I found this place on booking.com and it was a great location and had decent reviews and was cheap.

When we arrived, they tried to hold our air conditioner hostage. Seriously. They took the air conditioner remote with them and left us in this windowless basement room and walked away. I followed. Good thing I took Spanish lessons because now I knew how to call them liars. I still don’t know Spanish for scumbag. Need to ask around. I showed them our booking. Apparently, they tried to claim that it was $20 more to get air conditioning and that I hadn’t booked it with air conditioning. They had clearly not given an option on the online listing, and the listing said it included air conditioning. I showed them.

Lyna and I sat down to lunch and debated leaving right then, but before we could decide, the receptionist seemed to realize her mistake, apologized to me and gave us the cherished air conditioning remote. It was unbelievable. First time I’ve had a hotel ransom the air conditioner remote. How about you? So that left a terrible taste in our mouths about that hotel and we were happy to leave.

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Getting Some Exercise in San Juan del Sur

Besides walking on the beach, swimming, surfing, scuba diving, and climbing up the many hills around town, there are a few other ways to get a workout in San Juan del Sur. Here’s how I am getting exercise in San Juan del Sur.

Zen Yoga

The town has a lovely space to practice yoga, tucked away downtown just past the park.  A drop in class only costs $10 and everything is in English. Just show up a few minutes beforehand and you’re good to go. They even supply mats for those, like me, who like to travel light.

Zen Yoga’s classroom is on the second floor in an open space, so it is always full of fresh air and wind – like now, the windy season!

Zen Yoga exercise in San Juan del Sur

Exterior of Zen Yoga in San Juan del Sur
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