Jicaro Island Ecolodge

We just returned from three nights at Jicaro. The experience was unbelievable. By far one of the best resorts we have ever stayed at. The service was perfect - frequently anticipating our needs before we even knew we needed them (like a pitcher of ice water showing up where I was working out in the morning!). The food was bordering on perfect. One of the best steaks I have ever eaten and surprisingly good wine - often rare in Central America. The location and views were amazing. To be honest, I'm running out of superlatives! Everything was top notch. We will definitely be returning. Did I mention the surprise private dinner they made for us on our last night? Or the experience making traditional Nicaraguan drinks with the bartender? Or the amazing massage? Or the drinks waiting for us when we got back from paddle boarding? Truly one of the best experiences we have ever had.

My wife and I just finished a 3 night stay at Jicaro during our first time trip to NIcaragua. First, let's talk about the elephant in the room: Nicaragua is safe, very safe for tourists. Jicaro is a one-of-a-kind eco-lodge in one of the Granada Islets; a group of hundreds of little islands on Lake Nicaragua, close to the colonial city of Granada. This area is a great gateway to get to know Nicaragua. Gorgeous, unspoiled, with a large number of activities and things to do nearby. Perfect location within easy driving distance from the Managua airport. Icaro is a all inclusive resort. It is expensive, for Nicaraguan standards, but really a good value for the money, considering all you get. The staff will work with you even before you arrive to take care of all the details to make sure you have an outstanding stay. They can arrange to pick you up at the Managua airport, drive you to their dock outside Granada, and form there they have a boat transfer to the lodge. It's a small island with the main hotel building, a pool, and nine casitas. the casitas are all the same size. They are all a two-story building with about 400 sq ft. More than enough room for a couple. The casitas are designed to blend with nature, and they achieve that. Service in the lodge is impeccable and flawless. Every member of the staff works hard in making sure your needs are taken care of. The food was amazing. Fresh, local ingredients with a good mix of local dishes and international dishes. Great selection. We had all our meals there during our stay and didn't feel like we were out of options. Jicaro offers a varied menu of activities and their tours are excellent and very well thought of. In general, if you are looking for a romantic stay at a sophisticated, unusual, luxurious, accommodation during your trip to Nicaragua, look no further. I believe 3-5 nights are the perfect length for a stay at Jicaro.

The property has a 4 star rating but it should be 5! This property is a hidden gem in a still developing country . Situated on a private island that is less than hour’s drive from the airport in Managua and then a 10 minute tranquil boat ride from Granada . Our flight arrived at 1045pm , we arrive at the hotel at 1215am , there was not an unnecessary check-in , we were ushered straight to our casitia, a small pasta plate was waiting for us in the first floor of the room. It was much needed after a long day of travel . The spacious casitas are two floors with nice views of the lake and tropics ! I can’t write enough about the outstanding hospitality throughout the resort . The pool side service with Jercer was fantastic. Recommend doing the sunset romantic dinner on the small floating deck . As well as taking a volcano tour with Julio . Enjoy !

My partner and I LOVED Jicaro Island Lodge. We loved the room. We loved the food. We loved the kayaking. We loved the tours. And most of all, we loved the people who worked there. Well, maybe not, maybe most of all, we loved the fact that they would bring us coffee and munchies every morning!! Only kidding. Everyone was great! Had we known that the pandemic was going to turn life upside down, we would have stayed an extra week. I have traveled the world. And, unless you are looking for big city and lots of nightlife, you can't beat Jicaro. To all of you who were there last year, I hope you are safe and we will see you again after the nightmare ends! Thank you for all you did to make our trip special.

Jicaro Island Lodge is a well managed small resort on a little island in Lake Nicaragua that offers very good food and great cocktails (especially rum-based ones.) They offer wide variety of activities; we did cloud forest hikes, artisanal fishing, bird watching, island hopping, kayaking, paddle boarding, ziplining, Granada street food tour and the must-do volcano lava experience at night. We were quite active in our time there, but it's also a decent place to chill out. I say "decent" and not "great" for 2 main reasons. First of all, rooms are decent but not on par with Mukul or some of the finer small resorts in Mexico - it's a tight squeeze despite having two floors; also, it is quite dark inside. It's just not the type of room that allows you to laze away in the afternoon. The second drawback has to do with the size of the island itself - it's barely adequate for the property - as a result, the grounds are not as expansive as one would like it to be. Nothing to really explore or do on premises, outside of spa treatments or yoga sessions. And no nooks and crannies where you can get away from it all. You really need to get off the island after a while, lest you enjoy feeling claustrophobic. What's on the island itself, however, is really nice. Makes for a good combo trip with Granada if you want a nice city/island combo.