Category Pages For: Destinations

Day-to-day blogs about the places already visited

Granada - Cathedral
NOVEMBER 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: We came from Las Penitas … where we stayed for 6 nights in the Barca De Oro Hotel. We paid a discounted price of US$21.35 / night for a Bungalow … the hotel was running a ‘Stay for 2 Nights and get the 3rd Night Free’ promotion. Without this promotion, we would have paid US$32 / night. At US$32, it would have been too expensive for a GRANDPAcking Budget … and, in my opinion, over-priced. The hotel was one of the largest in Las Penitas with a 20 table Restaurant and Lounge […]

Granada – Nicaragua – Information

NOVEMBER 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: We came from Leon … where we stayed for 4 nights in the El Jardin Hostel. We paid a discounted price of US$15 / night (down from US$25) for a small Twin Room. The En Suite was OK … But the room was a little bit too small for 2 people to live in comfortably. It had a small garden and a communal area with a shared kitchen. We stayed in the El Jardin Hostel so that we would be close to the Bus Terminal. It was time to head for Las […]

Las Penitas – Nicaragua – Information

NOVEMBER 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. BACKDROP: I was making my way south into Nicaragua from El Salvador and stopped off for 4 nights in Leon … I was slowly making my way to Managua Airport. In Leon, I stayed in the Guardabarranco Hostel (US$18 / night discounted down to US$15 / night). It was a small Hostel with about 10 rooms in total. It had a Shared Kitchen. Communal Area. And a back garden with a couple of hammocks. My room was nice. Albeit a bit on the small side. And I had a good cold-water private bathroom. Wifi was good everywhere […]

Managua – Nicaragua – Information

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I left El Salvador and crossed the Gulf Of Fonseca by boat and ended up staying 4 nights in Jiquilillo: a rustic little fishing village on the Pacific coast in north-west Nicaragua. I stayed in the Vistas Del Pacifico: which is almost the only place in town that GRANDPAckers can afford (US$20 / night discounted down to US$18 / night by ‘walking in off the street’). It was a basic little place. I was the only one there (at the end of October / Rainy Season). It had a restaurant […]

Leon – Nicaragua – Information

OCTOBER 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I spent 3 weeks in El Salvador. I didn’t think much of it … so, I cut my trip in El Salvador short and headed for Nicaragua early. I made my way from El Esteron, El Salvador to Potosi, Nicaragua by shuttle and boat across the Gulf of Fonseca. I got stuck for a night in Potosi. I arrived just after 3pm … and, the last bus out of town leaves at 3pm! I had to ‘rough it’ in Potosi in a cheap hotel for 1 night (there are only 2 choices – […]

Jiquilillo – Nicaragua – Information

OCTOBER 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I had spent 1 week in Santa Ana and another week in El Tunco: two of the top rated tourist destinations in El Salvador. I was not impressed by either. It was time to try something completely different … it was time for 1 week in El Cuco (or, El Esteron … to be exact) … EL TUNCO TO EL CUCO / EL ESTERON: Gekko Shuttles have an office in El Tunco (on the Main Road) that advertises a shuttle to El Cuco. However, in October, their office was closed. I contacted them […]

El Esteron – El Salvador – Information

OCTOBER 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: El Tunco was meant to be my ‘first port of call’ in El Salvador, but as I made my way from San Pedro La Laguna (Guatemala) to El Salvador on Chicken Busses, I ran out of time and had to divert to Santa Ana. I was planning to spend 3-4 weeks in El Salvador on the way to Nicaragua. After 1 week in Santa Ana … it was time for 1 week in El Tunco … SANTA ANA TO EL TUNCO: I made my own way from Santa Ana to El Tunco by […]

El Tunco – El Salvador – Information

OCTOBER 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I made my own way from San Pedro, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala to Santa Ana, El Salvador by Shuttle and Chicken Busses. It was an exhausting journey that took me over 15 hours of non-stop travel. I had, actually, planned to get all the way to Playa El Tunco (on the coast near La Libertad) … but I had to abandon that idea in Sonsonate when I ran out of time (to get to Playa El Tunco from Sonsonate required me to first catch a bus to San Salvador and, then, another bus […]

Santa Ana – El Salvador – Information

JULY / AUGUST 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: In my “Beginner’s Guide” to Roatan, I provided information about: How to get from Utila Island to Roatan Island Why I chose West End What West End looks like Where to stay What ‘short term’ accommodation I found What ‘long term’ accommodation I found Transport Banks and ATMs When to go In this post, I will tell you more about what it is like to actually live on Roatan and a lot more about everyday costs. MY ACCOMMODATION: I couldn’t afford to live in hotel rooms on Roatan … the […]

Roatan – Honduras – Information

JULY 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I spent 1 month living in an apartment on Utila Island. Utila was a pleasant place to stay … with a nice, party, SCUBA diving, backpacker ‘vibe’. It was time to move on to Roatan Island … to compare the two islands. UTILA: I arrived in Utila by ferry on a Monday to avoid the busy (and booked) weekend. I stayed for 2 nights in an hotel for US$20 / night (discounted down from US$26 / night). This gave me enough time to find a nice apartment at Maggie’s Place for US$450 […]

Roatan – Honduras – A Beginner’s Guide ...

JUNE / JULY 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: In my “Beginner’s Guide” to Utila, I provided information about: How we got to Utila from Palenque, Mexico Staying in and getting a ferry from La Ceiba What different areas of the island look like Where to stay What ‘short term’ accommodation we found What ‘long term’ accommodation we found Transport Telecommunications / Mobiles Your Health & Safety Banks and ATMs When to go In this post, I will tell you more about what it is like to actually live on Utila and a lot more about everyday costs. OUR […]

Utila – Honduras – Information

JUNE 2017: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: We spent a week making our way from Palenque, Mexico across northern Guatemala to La Ceiba, Honduras. Both San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba were ‘interesting’ places to say. Be cautious and stay safe. La Ceiba was our target destination … this is where you catch the ferry to the Bay Islands (Utila and Roatan). LA CEIBA: We arrived in La Ceiba late afternoon on a Friday. We had no accommodation pre-booked on Utila, and we didn’t want to rush and head straight out to Utila that same day on the 4:00pm […]

Utila – Honduras – A Beginner’s Guide ...