The Norome resort was to be the last destination of our Nicaragua package (4 days in Granada, 4 days in San Juan del Sur, 4 days at Norome), a package trip we booked through an agency. After stellar accommodations in Granada (La Gran Francia Hotel) and in San Juan del Sur (Pelican Eyes Resort), we were looking forward to Norome. It had high marks in both the Lonely Planet and Moon Handbook travel guides, labeled both "swanky" and a "class act." Our experience could not have been further from those descriptions.
Upon arrival, our rooms were not ready so we made our way to the lakeside restaurant. It was buzzing with activity including a large wedding party that had stopped by to take pictures from the dock and a slew of backpackers who stopped by for a meal. We had envisioned a peaceful dining experience next to the beautiful lake like our guidebooks described, but it was a noisy mess. After waiting a long time for a waiter, we flagged one down ourselves and ordered. Our meal arrived 55 minutes later. We are not overly critical of food and can easily go with the flow. But our grilled chicken was red and raw on the inside. They took it away (without apologies) and returned 25 minutes later with a cooked version, but by then our appetite wasn't so great.
Back at the front desk we asked about other restaurant choices but were told we would have to take a taxi into Granada, about 25 minutes away. We asked about an ATM, but again were told to go into Granada. One of us had a stomach bug and needed a pharmacy, but again, you guessed it, Granada was the only option. We asked when the spa opened, but was told it was closed indefinitely. Our recreational activities were limited to a few banged up kayaks for $10/hour and a swim in the lake with a pebble "beach" about three feet wide.
Finally the four of us boarded the tram-like vehicle for the trip to our room. We had asked for two rooms close together, but ended up far apart in what seemed like a completely empty resort. As we struggled to get our luggage off the high tram in the rain, the driver just sat and watched. Immediately I noticed the weeds--they were everywhere, nearly obscuring the slick walkways. Inside the room, we noticed the WiFi didn't work (only available near the gift shop, we later discovered). We called the front desk (one of us speaks Spanish fluently) and asked for rooms closer together, even if we had to upgrade to a pricier option. They said they would look into it. Our building was a bit creepy--we had a small room at the far end of a long, long building. At the other end of the building was a similar room, but it was filled with mattresses. The remaining middle part of the building (the majority of the structure) was a living room-like space, mostly empty and apparently never used.
We walked a weedy trail to our friend's room, which had the exact setup as our building. Their room had a sign taped to the door saying that it was unsafe to keep anything in the room, except if it was locked in the small armoire using the key provided by the front desk (which was not provided, by the way). Since their large sliding bathroom window did not lock or even close all the way, this was a bit of a concern. They also pointed out the shower nozzle which was fitted with a device straight out of Frankenstein's lab. It was heating coils that plugged into an outlet a few inches above the water, apparently the way they provided hot water. And they call this swanky?
Meanwhile the rain continued to fall while we waited for the call from the front desk, hopefully telling us they found us rooms together. As we waited I noticed a glint on the floor around our luggage--a large pool of water was streaming in from under the front doors which had no weather stripping. The pool flowed under our luggage and soaked it. Then we noticed more water flowing from under the baseboards--in two spots.
At this point we decided to leave Norome and stay in Granada. As one of us explained this to the front desk, we chatted with a few others in the lobby area. All had the same impression of Norome as we did--creepy, not maintained, bad food, poor service. One couple stayed only one night (they had booked three) and were checking out.
Later in Granada we took a half day tour that took us to an overlook with a fantastic view of the same crater lake where Norome was located. If we had to do it all over again, we would have simply opted for a quick tour of the area rather than a stay at Norome. Our guide even told us that Norome was not what it used to be.
