We’ve been telling you for a while now that Nicaragua is going to be the next jet-set destination, but we’ll admit that decent hotel options are still a little limited. That is why we paid attention with such interest to the news that the country’s first all-suite beach hotel, the Orquidea del Sur, is now open at surfer-friendly Yankee Beach near the coastal colonial town of San Juan del Sur. Not only that, but there is also a special half-off promotional rate until the end of the year.
]]> EricRosen 2009-09-22T16:06:48-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/6/9/201545/8748 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/hotelcontempo_nic.jpg" class="top"><p> It might not be an A-list destination yet, but Nicaragua is getting more and more attention from the travel press, and that&#146;s only going to increase now that its first boutique hotel, the <a href="http://www.contempohb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=51"><b>Hotel Contempo</b></a>, has opened outside the Nicaraguan capital, Managua. <p>The hotel has only 18 rooms in three categories. Standard rooms all have plasma TV&#146;s, high-speed internet included, safe boxes, and Travertine marble bathrooms with wood accents and &#147;relaxation system&#148; showers. We don&#146;t know what that means exactly, but it sounds soothing. The Contempo rooms also have DVD players and a whirlpool Jacuzzi, and the Junior Suites have all that plus canopy beds, &#147;gourmet bathroom products,&#148; a private telephone line, WiFi, and individual A/C EricRosen 2009-06-10T17:26:07-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/5/11/91419/6224

Truth be told, though our hotel geekery spans the globe, a few pockets of the world exist where we're lacking in comprehensive stalker-like intelligence — like, say, Nicaragua. So we think it's swell when the New York Times goes ahead and dives right in to those spots for us.

This weekend, the NYT reviewed Nicaragua's Victoriano Hotel, the former private home to Hope Somoza, former dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle's widow. The hotel opened a year ago after careful restoration and boasts 21 rooms — including a Mark Twain suite — and Pacific beachfront.