Rancho Santana

My girlfriend and I spent a long weekend at Rancho Santana earlier this year and had a fantastic experience from beginning to end. Resort staff picked us up at the airport and the drive to the property was safe and pleasant. The house we rented was beautiful and impeccably clean, with incredible views of the ocean and countryside. Overall, the resort facilities and restaurant options are top-notch, with friendly, attentive staff and great food. For a few of our meals we opted to have the resort send staff up to the house to cook and we were so pleased that we did that. My girlfriend went for a horseback ride and loved it. We did a few hikes together and spent a lot of time down at the different beaches. We are not surfers but the waves looked great for that. The house was very private, and the pool/patio area was perfect for enjoying the beautiful sunsets. Our time there was so relaxing and we returned home with many great memories. Neither of us had been to Nicaragua before and I am so happy that we picked Rancho Santana for our first experience there. I think the resort offers great value and I hope we can find the time to return soon.

Our stay at Rancho Santana was unforgettable, thanks largely to Vera Nahima, the Reservation Director. From planning our trip to ensuring every detail of our stay was perfect, Vera’s professionalism and genuine care made us feel truly special. The stunning beauty of Rancho Santana speaks for itself, but it’s the exceptional service from staff like Vera that makes it extraordinary. Her dedication and warm hospitality made our trip seamless and memorable. Thank you, Vera, for an amazing experience. We can’t wait to return!!!

Rancho Santana is as close to paradise as this world can get. I was completely astonished by the beauty of this place. With some fiends, we rented one of their villas, and spent a long weekend here. simply put it was a weekend of sheer bliss. the vistas were stunning, the weather spectacular, and the people incredibly accommodating and kind. Rancho Santana is now on my yearly vacation rotation, and a spot I truly look forward to re-visiting. I don't know how more people do not know about this spot, as it is utterly stunning. and for those who have not been to Nicaragua, know that arrival and transport is extremely safe.

Although I don't know that Rancho Santana can truly be understood through words,I will attempt to share a few of the countless special parts about this place, its accommodations, its people, and its land that spoke to me. Rancho Santana is uniquely special because of a secret sauce of luxurious (yet comfortable and not overstated) accommodations, an environment that even at its peak of busy season feels like you are at a very small boutique resort, one-to-one attentive and kind service, diverse and high quality food that is healthy, tasty, and sourced locally, and a simplicity of getting there that was unexpectedly smooth. Additionally the simplicity of access/transportation; and the safety of this part of Nicaragua and my travels to Nicaragua in general also are important to note. Candidly, my first trip to Nicaragua was in 2016 and I stayed at one of the only other luxury resorts at the recommendation of a friend who had stayed at both Rancho Santana and Mukul. He thought my partner would prefer Mukul and the accommodations. That trip was very memorable and I enjoyed my time at Mukul but the next time I went back to Nicaragua in 2022 I decided to go to Rancho Santana instead and have chosen it as my spot each of my trips since with trips every year since 2022. I have been pleasantly surprised about how fast the flight is from Miami, and how easy the customs process is. The road that takes you to the Pacific Coast and towards Rancho Santana and Mukul has gotten so much better since my trip in 2016, now about 90% of the road is paved which has cut the drive time in half, or less. Once I arrive at Rancho and enter their gates its like entering a Nicaraguan Narnia, where things just feel a little different. Narnia is a magic wonderland and thats kind of how Rancho feels to me. It feels very secluded, the views of the ocean are stunning, the hiking trails are endless, and each meal brings flavors that are almost as endless as the colors in the days sunset. I have stayed at The Inn (hotel style rooms), The Residences (3 Bedroom condos), and rented one of the private homes. Each are special accommodations and really just depend on the needs of who is traveling. When it was just me and my partner for a long weekend we stayed at The Inn and the rooms are very large, have a nice large balcony with views of the ocean and sunset, and have super comfy beds. When bringing some other family members it was nice to stay in one of the 3 bedroom residences that is right off the pool and also has great ocean views and comfy beds. That stay was longer, and it was nice to have the kitchen for when we wanted to eat in the condo....and even was nice to have them cook a private meal for us in the condo. On this trip in early 2024 we did a couples trip with four couples and we rented a 5 BR house that was simply stunning. The privacy of the home, and private pool, and theatre room, and large indoor and outdoor spaces made for lifelong memories with friends. The privacy that each couple was able to have yet the communal time we were able to share in such a relaxing environment was second to none. We did activities like horseback riding, hiking, visited several of the private beaches, had the chefs come in and do private BBQ's for us at the house for lunch and private dinners at the house too. We enjoyed cigars while watching the sunset and danced the evening away on the terrace at the house. The ladies did a spa day one day, and a group of us went and took a yoga class on property high in the treetops overlooking the pacific ocean. There have been a few things that didn't go as planned on my travels to Rancho Santana like the room not being setup for two guests where there was only one robe and not two, and only one set of towels and not two in the hotel room at check-in, but it was nice to see that they caught that and fixed it quickly right after check-in. We had a broken set of blinds on the windows in the kitchen at the house and we were impressed with them coming to get them repaired the same day after we reported the issue. A few of the things that are not lost on me is how good the service is from the check in process to the kind drivers, to the guys who run the horse stables, to the wait staff at the restaurants and bars. Everyone really goes out of their way to show you the Nica charm and happiness that is just a part of life at Rancho. Additionally the safety of Rancho, the drive from the airport, and the country as a whole is important to highlight that it is different than I expected from my first trip. I have never felt unsafe on my travels or had any issues around safety and have also spent several nights off Rancho property where we went to some local bars off property in town and hung out with locals and expats and have always found it to be safe. Thank you to all of the staff who have been so kind in taking care of me and my family/friends on our trips to Rancho Santana. We will be back soon.

First hotel that I’ve ever stayed at that charged me for the sheets being dirty. I traveled over 90 countries. I’ve never experienced such a thing.. I had already completed check out, eight hours later they text me saying sheets are dirty. They’re charging my card $80. I told him this is fraudulent do not and they did it anyway.. do not give them your card information because they will fraudulently charge your card with or without your approval. They will scam you at any chance they get for instance if you need transportation to the airport, they will charge 220 dollars. This was more than double than I paid with Pedro transportation services an independent company not affiliated with the resort.. Pedro charged me 120 and also stopped at a restaurant and a tourist place for souvenirs at no additional charge . please make certain of all charges that you have at the resort. Also, please be aware there is no service nor beach chairs nor beach umbrellas provided when you go to the beach. Very disappointing that you were attend a so-called five star resort and no service or beach chairs provided. Very unpleasant experience.