12.03.08 Hostal Nicarao, Granada
Upon arriving in Granada, most people will head straight for The Bearded Monkey to find a bed. I’m sure it’s a fantastic hostel — at least, it is surely the most popular, something along the tradition of Big Foot in León or The Black Cat in Guatemala. But if you’re looking for something cheaper and more offbeat, which isn’t even listed in the guidebooks yet, there’s Hostal Nicarao, very near el Parque Central.
It’s on the same street as Hostal San Angel, which is listed in most guidebooks, and which is also slightly more expensive than Hostal Nicarao, though still cheap, all things considered. In all honesty, I probably would have checked into San Angel if I’d found it first, but Nicarao was a cheap and cheerful alternative nonetheless. There is a big open courtyard right smack in the middle which keeps the place mostly bright and sunny, something which is a consideration for me since in a bid to save electricity, most places in Nicaragua don’t turn on the light in the day. So if there’s no natural light coming through it can be very dim. In fact, most restaurants and businesses often look like they are closed in the day, because it’s so dark you can’t see the inside from the sidewalks.
It’s easy to get to Hostal Nicarao. From the southeast corner of the Parque Central, walk south to the end of the first block. On the way you’ll see San Angel, and then a few doors down, Nicarao, which sits on the corner. It’s got a very colourful wall to advertise its presence. You can’t possibly miss it. And you can probably walk right in and find a bed to settle in for a few nights. There’s no website or online booking system for the hostal, and anyway if it’s full there are an abundance of other options.
It’s manned by some local guys who I suspect have a penchant for porn (but what guy doesn’t, I suppose). They close the doors after 1 a.m. but that doesn’t mean there’s a curfew. All you have to do is knock and they’ll open it for you. Knock loudly though, and be patient and wait a little bit. They have to switch the channel to football before greeting you, you see. It’s only appropriate 
There are dorms and private rooms, beds are clean and bug-free, fans to save you from the heat, a communal kitchen, and I think, laundry services. They also have a resident computer, but they charge you for using the internet. I don’t remember them having hot showers, however, so if that’s a problem for you, I guess you’ll have to go somewhere else. But the weather in Nicaragua, especially in Granada, is sweltering. I had no need or desire for hot showers except when I was in the highlands like Estelí or Jinotega. You’ll probably love cold showers in Granada. Taking one in the middle of the afternoon is absolute bliss!
This blog is edited by Emily Ding, a 23-year-old Malaysian who has just returned from spending a year in Central America & Cuba traveling, learning español, teaching English, dancing salsa, and working when she wanted extra money, so some of the information offered here will sometimes - inevitably - be informed by a Malaysian perspective, and perhaps also a bit of an international outlook since she spent three years in London studying and three years in Melbourne before that. Feel free to dispute anything.
Hi Emily… I am the son of the owner of Hostal Nicarao (which will be changing its name to Ruben, in honor of the poet Ruben Dario, shorthly.) I was excited to see that you stayed in our hotel and i wanted to give you a little background on the place. First off it has been in our family for generations and was the home of my grandparents and my father. Long before that though it was the first government building in Central America. i don’t know if you noticed but on the garage door (was the garage now it is a resting area) is the oldest emblem or escudo in spanish of central america. I am glad you enjoyed your stay and hope you visit us again. David Ruiz
David Ruiz
16 Apr 08 at 12:49 pm
Haha. I never expected a reply from the owner! Thanks for writing! How exciting that it’ll be changing its name soon… I guess the mural will be repainted as well? Tell you what, send me photos and some information as soon as that’s done, and I’ll write up another post on Hostal Ruben. Con mucho gusto.
Emily Ding
17 Apr 08 at 2:03 am
Hi Emily,
I see my brother beat me to the punch on writing to you! He’s a quick one, that guy.
I was also excited to see that you stayed in our hostel and I’m glad you had a good experience. I really enjoyed reading this entry as well as the others and I was glad to see you had only good things to say about the place (sans the guys watching porn!) (by the way, that paragraph killed me, you were very polite)
My uncle owns a hostel and a hotel in Granada as well, Hospedaje Cocibolca and Hotel Cocibolca, and a friend of mine is planning a trip to Nicaragua within the year so I wanted to check out his website and show my friend some pictures of his hotels. As I was searching for his website, I decided to see if my parents had put up a website ofour hostel (Hostal Nicarao has been around for almost three years now) and I happened to stumble upon your blog.
I’m glad I ran into your site as I think it’s an awesome idea for a blog and I look forward to reading more of your travel experiences. Good luck in your travels and I hope you have a blast!
-Rene Ruiz
-Rene Ruiz
Rene Ruiz
17 Apr 08 at 3:27 am
Another brother! Is another one going to pop-up?
Thanks for taking the time to write. Much appreciate it. And haha, that porn bit made for a good anecdote, I thought. I really did enjoy my stay, thank you very much!
By the way, where are you based currently? In the states? I need a correspondent for Granada since I’m not there myself, you see, so if you’re based in Granada I’d love it if you and David could contribute information to this blog. However, if you’re in the States, I’d appreciate any kind of information you can offer anyway, if not about Granada in general then about Hostal Ruben and the two Cocibolcas your uncle owns. Any kind of resource not yet in the guidebooks is useful information, so I think.
Anyway, write back, and if you ever make it to Guatemala, where I am now, pop me an email.
Emily Ding
17 Apr 08 at 3:40 am
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Len Benjamin
13 Nov 08 at 7:11 am