You will not want to spend a night in Managua. It’s a sprawling, unattractive, hot, dusty, sometimes dangerous town, much of which is still in ruins from a 1972 earthquake and general malaise and mismanagement. You may, however, need to spend a night in Managua in order to catch your flight home or fly out to Big Corn Island or because you’re a serial completionist like us. Whatever the reason, you’ll need the vital details in this city travel guide about hotels in Managua.
The National Palace of Culture is one of the very, very few sights to see in Managua, Nicaragua.
Budget hotels in Managua
The Marta Quezada Barrio in Managua is full of budget hotels and hostels. We chose Hotel Los Felipe (US$20 for a tiny double room with private bathroom) because it has a huge and secure parking lot. What it doesn’t have is a very good maid. However, we stayed here on four separate occasions and never caught anything and there seemed to be new management the last time we checked in. The caged birds in the surrounding garden are weird. Ask for a room close to reception if Wi-Fi is important to you. There is a pool. An awesome cheap (around US$2.50) breakfast can be had at Cafe Myrna around the corner and Fritanga Dona Pilar serves up big plates of fresh-grilled meat, gallo pinto and tajadas nearby from about US$3.
This metal cut-out silhouette of Augusto César Sandino, who lead a Nicaraguan rebellion against US military occupation in the late 1920s and early 1930s, is located on a hilltop above Managua, Nicaragua.
Mid-range hotels in Managua
Many of the mid-range hotels in Managua are to be found in neighborhoods in the outskirts f the city in renovated homes. Boutique Hotel Villa Maya is no exception. The place is run by Vilma, a Guatemalan woman who went to college at UC Berkeley then married a Nicaraguan and moved to Managua.
She’s turned the family’s huge home into a serene nine-room guest house decked out in gorgeous Guatemalan textiles, huipiles (traditional Mayan blouses), hand-made Guatemalan wooden furniture and museum-worthy Mayan pottery. There’s a pool and the staff is so friendly you can’t help but smile. Unlike some homes-cum-hotels, this one feels well-thought-out not willy-nilly.
The most remarkable thing is the peace and quite just a few miles from crazy central Managua. We were lulled to sleep by the sound of frogs in the enormous garden and awoken by birds in the trees. Full breakfast is included in room rates and served on a spacious patio.
Lake Tiscapa Natural Reserve is located in a volcanic crater in the middle of Managua.
More centrally-located is the Hotel Estancia La Casona, from US$40 per night including breakfast. This home, built in the ’70s, has been meticulously converted into a comfortable and homey place to spend a night or two. You’ll feel like you’re crashing at your aunt’s house but with more privacy. Owner Maria Teresa also owns Cafe Hotel in Jinotega.
The Old Cathedral of Managua was destroyed in the 1972 earthquake and has never been rebuilt. It’s now a fairly sketchy shell.
High-end hotels in Managua
In addition to a few luxury business hotel chain brands which never, ever interest us, including Hilton and InterContinental, Managua also has a handful of locally-owned hotel that are doing their best to be stylish boutique hotels. Hotel Contempo is one of them. The hotel itself is much more stylish than average, even if they’re channeling a Miami vibe a bit too hard.
Two Nicaraguan heroes are immortalized here: baseball player Dennis Martinez has his name on this stadium and revolutionary Augusto César Sandino is depicted in a statue in front.
Here’s more about travel in Nicaragua
See all of our City Travel Guides
I’ve always wanted to visit Nicaragua because I have good friends from there. When I hit up Managua, I’ll definitely be using your tips!
Great photos Eric :-)
10/10 for your indepth research… You’d need to be a miracle worker to persuade me to stay in town for any length of time though!
Good to know the options in Managua, especially since I’m planning to jet out to the Corn Islands this fall!
I’ve never been in Managu. My curiosity might take me there.
Hi There !
I’ve never been in Nicaragua.
Excellent article !!!
I like your site!
Regards
Marin
Interesting read and some great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Nice article Eric Mohl! I just posted a similar story on my farmstay bnb website. There’s actually several reasons why you might need to stay in Managua. But the secret of the Nicaragua Insiders is that there are places up in the hills outside of town that are brilliant!
You might want to stay in Managua when:
Your incoming flight arrives late in the day and you might be feeling a bit tired and prefer to get a bite to eat and get to somewhere nice where you can take it easy and get a good night’s sleep.
Your next Nicaraguan destination can wait a day, you’ve done a lot of traveling and are on VACATION so give yourself a break and start to relax already!
Your departing flight is leaving really early in the morning.
You are traveling on to the Caribbean coast and need to wait until the next days flight to Bluefields, Corn Island, Puerto Cabezas, etc.
Your flight came in late and you are planning on going first to somewhere kind of far away, such as Chinandega, Matagalpa, Esteli, San Juan del Sur, Rio San Juan, Ometepe Island, etc. which you cannot or should not attempt to travel to at night.
You have some dental work or doctor’s visits to take care of by the best doctor’s and dentists in Nicaragua. You can save a lot of money with medical tourism in Nicaragua!
You have some NGO-church-mission-related, or other type of work to be done in the capital.
You are seriously thinking of relocating and understand that it is a good idea to get to know the biggest city in the country before moving on and deciding where you want to live in Nicaragua.
You understand that the best way to check out the different areas, especially along the Pacific Coast is to stay in the Managua area because transport to beach areas on the coastline is simpler since there isn’t any Pacific Coast Highway of Nicaragua!
if your situation does not fall into any of the above you probably don’t need to worry too much about where to stay in Managua. So enjoy your stay elsewhere and thanks for reading!
Cheers, Mike @ Farmstay El Porton Verde, Managua