We arrived on Ometepe exhausted from our 6 weeks of travelling on a budget in Central America. We were pleasantly surprised at El Encanto. We were offerred a completely private cabin in the back, but we decided on a room in a block of 4 since didn't mind having other guests next door. From the room we could see the... more

What I liked...the price. What I did not care for...the staff (very strange vibe), the location (Middle of nowhere), the cleanliness (cobwebs over head and things falling apart such as the shower head), the position of the building was disappointing as it could be fantastic...but it seems to keep one from seeing the water or the volcanoes. From the reviews... more

El Encanto is the perfect place to get away from it all. Carlos and the entire staff were exceptionally welcoming and helpful throughout our stay. El Encanto is a charming, rustic place to stay. The hammocks were the perfect place to take in the incredible views of Lake Nicaragua, Volcano Concepcion and Vocano Maderas. The rooms were comfortable and clean.... more

Carlos and Helen have created a charming little piece of paradise. Carlos tends the gardens and has cleared a path for the scores of petroglyphs on the property. His wife runs the kitchen and the food is wonderful, curried guapote fish is best of show. At night the stars light up the sky. The trail to Volcano Maderas is about... more

My cousin and I stayed here for 2 nights and had a pretty good time. Very relaxed, beautiful views, hammocks are a great addition.. the food is great too (try the curry, it's amazing). Owners are, knowledgeable, helpful, and amiable. Only a couple downsides - the road to the hotel is pretty rural (read: extremely bumpy!)... it costs extra to... more

As others have mentioned, El Encanto is in a beautiful location up on a hill between the settlements of Santa Cruz and Santo Domingo. It takes about an hour of painstakingly slow driving on very rocky roads to get there, which costs about $25 in a taxi from the ferry terminal. There are very few amenities on this side of... more

We stayed at El Encanto in Nov 2008. The setting was beautiful, atop a hill overlooking lake nicaragua. The food there is quite good, and the hosts accomodating. The accomodations are very rustic, our room in the back was bare, and lit by one exposed compact fluorescent light. That room did not have good air ventilation - extremely warm, and... more

My husband, daughter, & I stayed at El Encanto for 3 nights and it was quite an adventure! We drove my husband's station wagon onto the ferry and took the hour long trip to the island. Once on the island, we followed someone we didn't know for about 30 minutes. They turned off the main road, onto a dirt road... more

We'd booked ahead which is advisable as there were no other spare rooms when we arrived. It's about thirty mins drive from the ferry port (coming from Granada) and we shared a minibus taxi with other travellers who were dropped off en-route. The hostel-type hotel is off the beaten track and is a wonderful place to relax on a property... more