Hmm, I am looking like going in May probably, since I had no responses to this message, and had no time for research... Are you heavy hitter, or just starting to f around?

i've been thinking of branching out to managua or san pedro sula. i've heard Granada is becoming an ex-pat town.

This may be too late for Miguel, but help out some of the latter posters or future readers of this thread. I'm a single male traveler who has been all over Central America including Managua, Granada and even San Pedro Sula.

Anti-americanism has been on the rise in Nicaragua for the last few years (Google "Eric Volz" for an example). Managua has been flattened by repeated earthquakes and now is spread out with lots of vacant areas. That means its not a particularly nice looking city and is a pain to get around. The sort of nightlife you'll probably be looking for is either of the really scuzzy, cheap, local and possibly a bit dangerous variety or the grossly overpriced nightclubs targetting gringos and rich Nicaraguans, neither of which I recommend for you.

I think you'll enjoy Granada much more. It is a clean, attractive, relatively safe, small city with colonial era buildings. It is easy to get around or even walk the central area, where you will spend most of your time (even into the evening). And it is as easy to get to nearby tourist attractions like Masaya Volcano and Laguna de Apoyo as it is from Managua.

San Pedro Sula? IMHO, the ugliest most unpleasant city I've been to in all of Central America and not a place for the average gringo to go for nightlife. Tegoose is even more straightlaced, but at least its surrounded by nice mountains and is generally much more attractive.

I usually try to avoid reading stupid comments or wasting my time replying to them. But this is ridiculous... There is not such thing as Anti-americanism in Nicaragua. And the Erick Volz case is a sore subject... He was found suspicious of murdering the girl, and thats why he went to jail, then he was proved innocent by the same Nicaraguans Judges and he was sent back to his country.

Dont mix things up.

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I would stay away from Managua other than flying in and out. Granada is fantastic. There is a good nightlife and lots of ex-pats. I found San Juan del Sur to be a nice place with alot to do and see. If you like active stuff, I recommend hiking some of the volcanos. Otherwise I found Nicas to be very welcoming of me, and I'm an American.

The economy is so bad that you will get hit up for money in Managua pretty heavily. The places you'd meet girls aren't too plentiful and there isn't much to do in the city to keep you busy. I'd say skip the girls and commit to an adventure vacation on the coast surfing.

If you're looking to meet girls and party in an upscale environment, I HIGHLY recommend going to Medellin Colombia.. You will absolutely LOVE it. The girls are beautiful, the culture is rich, prices are good, but there isn't any surf. Check it out sometime..

ask yubank,

I stand by my earlier statements. I never said anti-americanism was rampant EVERYWHERE in Nicaragua or against ALL americans, only that it was "on the rise" (in certain quarters).

For gringo expats minding their own business in SJdS or gringo tourists in Granada, they probably only have to worry about such things as being ripped off. But that is because all nicas know that gringos have money (in comparison to the locals we're all rich) and not because the crooks have anything personal against their victims. (I'm sure these remarks will irk you a lot too :) )

However, I wasn't addressing my remarks to the average gringo tourist or even the average expat but rather to a bunch of (old?) gringo guys who are probably thinking of going to Nicaragua for whoremongering. And there IS rising resentment towards that type of tourist in Nicaragua just as there is in neighboring CR.

The Erik Volz case IS very relevant to THOSE type of gringos. He was NOT an old whoremonger but he WAS a gringo with a young pretty nica girlfriend and what happened to him is indicative of what is boiling just below the surface with many Nicaraguans. Some old gringo guy being seen in Nicaragua obviously whoring around may be all it takes to initiate the next Erik Volz case or, at the very least, feed those simmering feelings of resentment

When the victim, by then an ex-girlfriend, was found murdered and possibly raped in SJdS back in 2006, Erick Volz was immediately found guilty by the local population fed by sensationalistic and lurid coverage by the news media even though at least 10 reliable witnesses said he was 2 hours away in Managua at the time of the murder (and several hours before and after), numerous phone records supported those statements, there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime AND there were 3 nica men who were far more likely suspects (one of whom, a drug addict with a long criminal record, was the prosecutions star witness against Eric in exchange for his own immunity). In fact, a survey taken just last month found that over 76% of all nicas STILL think he is guilty.

"He was found suspicious(?) of murdering the girl, and thats why he went to jail"? How do you get "found suspicious"? You can be SUSPECTED of committing a crime but normally only get jailed if there is sufficient evidence to get you indicted. It actually may have been fortunate he was kept locked up most of the time he was under indictment because at one point while he was awaiting trial in Rivas he was chased by an armed angry mob and was nearly lynched. Ultimately, not only was he kept imprisoned while his family spent their entire life savings and anything more they could raise for his defense, but he was eventually found GUILTY and sentenced to the MAXIMUM sentence of 30 years.

"then he was proved innocent by the same Nicaraguans Judges (sic)"? Wrong again. After spending more than a year in prison, the Nicaraguan APPELATE Court overturned the LOWER court’s decision and ordered his immediate release. The female lower court judge who originally convicted him was REQUIRED to sign the release papers but circumvented Nicaraguan constitutional law, following orders from the Sandinista Party leaders, and stalled Eric's release. She and the president of Appellate Court cooperated in hiding the case file for nearly a week, so it hardly seems in any of her behavior that she wanted this gringo freed.

"and he was sent back to his country."? Wrong again. You almost make it sound like he CHOSE to leave Nicaragua rather than the real case that he was DEPORTED by an order of Ortega and the Sandinistas, not by Judicial order (so that they could take the cast to the Supreme Court in absentia?)

Despite Eric's guilty verdict finally being overturned and his being released from jail, this is STILL a sore subject in Nicaragua. As I pointed out a huge majority of Nicaraguans are STILL convinced the American is guilty. A prominent women's rights group, led by the victim's shrew mother, were recently protesting his release in the streets and even you admit it is a "sore subject" with many Nicaraguans. Meanwhile, no one is protesting that the principal other suspect in the case, the victim's then current boyfriend, was never arrested (he was initally charged after also being implicated by that same druggie that testified against Eric but those charges were dropped before he was ever arrested) and the his 2 petty criminal accomplices were illegally released and never even brought to trial.

The only differences that I can figure between Volz and the alternative suspects is that there is no real evidence against him, he has credible alibis, he was tried and ultimately found innocent and he is a responsible member of the business community (the new boyfriend is from wealthy Nicaraguan family but the other 2 are drug addicts with long criminal records), so why are so many Nicaraguans screaming for his scalp while none are protesting those other suspects going scot-free? The only other difference I can figure is that Volz is a gringo and thus a convenient scapegoat that Nicas can readily find uilty and the other suspects are all fellow Nicas.

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Besides that, my Volz comment was just one small part of my "stupid comments". The main thrust of my comment was that Managua (and San Pedro de Sula) are an ugly, unpleasant cities that are best avoided as much as possible and that Granada is a much more pleasant and hospitable place for a gringo to base his activities. You couldn't dispute me on that and, in fact, all of the subsequent comments by OTHER posters pretty much back me up on that assessment.

Sooooo, the moral of the whole story , is just stick to the Del Rey in San Jose, ahhhh, what more can a man want, nice a/c ceiling fan, color t.v., nice hot shower, a telephone witin arms reach, just dial 232 and gets some excellent food, then a short elevator ride, down to the candy store, oh my goodness iny meenie minie moe, wich sweet little hoe. Nice and safey, just be happy with the best, have fun Hombres, and dont be a messin wid my gull friend down there, here? Ye haw! Or dont go, stay stateside, and listen to some american girl complain! let see, which on, hmm tough decision, but guess it will be the Del Rey for me, I can stand being locked up in there for a few days.