The Comfort Zone - Budget Friendly Accommodations in Pearl Lagoon

Are you looking for a budget friendly place to stay while visiting Pearl Lagoon? There are several options available, one of which is the Comfort Zone. 

The Right Side Guide web site (http://rightsideguide.com) describes the property in the following way: "Comfort Zone – About a block and a half left of the wharf, down a sidewalk that heads toward the water, right hand side about 20 meters from the street. Small establishment but with new rooms with big beds, ensuite bath and televisions. Martha and Dariel are gracious hosts and detail oriented. Budget to Midrange".

When Dariel showed us around the property he told us that they "treat their guests like family" - isn't they way we all like to be treated? Currently, the Comfort Zone has 4 rooms to choose from.  Two rooms have a double bed with private bathroom that rents for only 300 cordobas per night ($12.00 US), and the other two rooms have a double bed, a single bed and private bathroom that rents for a little more - 350 cordobas per night ($14.00). When we inspected the rooms we could see that they were clean and well maintained.

Martha and Dariel also have a small store where you can find any toiletries that you may have forgotten. 

Comfort Zone - Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua

The Comfort Zone is nothing fancy but is a safe, clean, comfortable option for your visit to Pearl Lagoon. Give them a call at: 8829-7113, 8659-3557 or 8632-1037

Comfort Zone, Pearl Lagoon - room with double bed

Comfort Zone, Pearl Lagoon - room with double and single bed

Grocery Store - Comfort Zone, Pearl Lagoon

Casa Ulrich - Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua

resident mascots at Casa Ulrich

We traveled to Pearl Lagoon over New Years - a trip that was decided at the last minute. Since there are few options for accommodations in Pearl Lagoon we were a little concerned that we would have difficulty finding a suitable place to stay with such short notice and over the holiday period. After reviewing the accommodations in Pearl Lagoon listed on TripAdvisor and Vianica we narrowed our choice down to Casa Ulrich. We received a quick response to our email indicating that they did have a room available (only $15.00 per night for a room with shared bath).

a hearty Nica breakfast at Casa Ulrich, Pearl Lagoon

We left Managua on the 9 p.m. bus and were on the 6:30 a.m. panga from El Rama to Bluefields. We arrived in Bluefields at 8:10 a.m. which meant that we were able to make the 8:30 a.m. panga to Pearl Lagoon. Arriving in Pearl Lagoon by 9:30 a.m. we were on the doorstep of Casa Ulrich hungry and tired. No problem! Our hosts - Fred and Reyna had a room ready for us and Fred fired up the grill for a delicious Nica breakfast.

Fred and Reyna took over the property that has become Casa Ulrich three years ago and are in the process of making many improvements. Their waterfront property has a number of budget priced rooms that share a couple of bathrooms as well as six rooms with private baths. They have a couple of rooms that can accommodate families or small groups traveling together. There is also a large restaurant where you can sit down and enjoy the view as well as Fred's culinary skills. Fresh shrimp and fish is always on the menu!  We spent five nights at Casa Ulrich and ate almost all of our meals there.

So, if you happen to be visiting Pearl Lagoon you can't go wrong staying at Casa Ulrich!

view from the back of Casa Ulrich, Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua

view of second story accommodations at Casa Ulrich

budget room at Casa Ulrich - Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua

Casa Ulrich has space big enough for families

room with private bath - Casa Ulrich, Pearl Lagoon

quiet sitting area - Casa Ulrich, Pearl Lagoon

view of second level restaurant - Casa Ulrich, Pearl Lagoon

Hotel El Casino, Casares, Nicaragua

Hotel El Casino is a cute, boutique hotel on the pacific coast of Nicaragua. It is located in an authentic fishing village where the day to day action happens right in front of you.

This hotel only has twelve rooms but is a great value at only $25.00 a night ($35.00 if you want air conditioning). The rooms aren't large but they have everything you need. There is a ceiling fan if you choose not to have air conditioning but be warned that it may not be enough if you have a room facing the ocean. The ocean front rooms get the afternoon sun and can be quite warm at the end of the day. That being said - you can't beat the view from these rooms! While we were at the hotel they were in the process of expanding the deck from the ocean front rooms which will greatly increase the appeal of them.

Nicaraguan breakfast

Hotel El Casino has a number of sitting areas where you can relax with a good book, enjoy a movie on their projection screen or simply enjoy the company of friends - new and old. Enjoy looking at all the beautiful Nicaraguan art treasures that the owner has brought for your pleasure. There is a pool table should you desire to rack up a game. With an on sight restaurant and bar there is no shortage of delicious food and drink to tempt your appetite. You will especially enjoy the fish dinners cooked fresh from that morning's catch.

We stayed at Hotel El Casino for three nights and took all of our meals in their dining room and on the small beach patio.

It is an easy commute from León using Interlocal buses. You take the small Interlocal at the León bus terminal to La UCA station in Managua. In Managua you switch buses to the Interlocal that is heading to Diriamba (final destination is Jinotepe). When you reach Diriamba you switch to the Interlocal that goes to La Boquita and Casares. The total cost for these buses was only 184 cordobas for the two of us!

We highly recommend this hotel to all budget travelers.

View of Hotel El Casino, Casaras from the beach

View of the bar/kitchen.

View from the second floor, where the rooms are.

Fishermen arriving with their catch.

Enjoy the sunset from the deck at Hotel El Casino, Casares, Nicaragua

Hostal Dulce Sueno, Managua

We recently took our first visa run to Costa Rica via TicaBus. Our departure was scheduled for 6 am and because it would be very expensive to use private transportation from León to Managua that early in the morning, we decided to find an inexpensive hostel for the night prior to our trip. After searching the internet we found a place only a 1/2 block away from the TicaBus Terminal - Hostal Dulce Sueno.  We made our reservations via email and received prompt confirmation.

We arrived at the hostel about 3 pm on a Sunday afternoon and they were just finishing preparing our room. The room itself was small but had a double bed, small desk, TV and a private bathroom. There was a floor fan to help cope with the heat. The room had a window (with no screen) that looked out onto the courtyard.

Upstairs there were some more rooms and we also found a nice rooftop terrace with some chairs and hammocks for relaxing. We purchased some food from a small comedor next to TicaBus and sat at the kitchen bar to eat it. (note: there are not any restaurants open nearby on a Sunday evening)

We found Hostal Dulce Sueno to be very basic, but pleasant. Definitely a bargain at $16.00 a night.

Hostal Dulce Sueno - entranceway

Hostal Dulce Sueno-looking towards kitchen

Hostal Dulce Sueno - private bedroom