Casa La Merced

In traditional Nicaraguan style, this hotel is hidden behind an ordinary street-facing facade, but once inside, it is revealed as a shady and relaxing gem, the decor and furnishing of which are gorgeous and in line with the building's obvious history. We upgraded our rooms on arrival because the "standard/economy" ones were a bit sparse and had no outlook; the new rooms were large, beautifully equipped and clean, and perfect for our needs - and right next to the pool and our own table to sit at for breakfast. We were in fact the only guests at the time, so enjoyed the undivided attention of a small and super-friendly group of staff who saw to our every need. Luckily we had a fluent Spanish speaker in our group to help things along, as English seemed to be limited, but everyone was charming and helpful. There is a small swimming pool in landscaped surroundings from which watching the birdlife, especially humming birds, became our daily joy. Be aware there is (or was at the time we were there) a daily 6am "call out" to prayer (bells) from the beautiful church opposite, but it does not last long and actually was not a problem as Nicaragua's geographical position means sunrise is early and it's a cool and bug-free time to be up, out and about. There's a low-key gift shop at (inside) the hotel's entrance if you just want to wander and look at some traditional Nicaraguan items.