In search of the path less traveled: Nicaragua

It will likely take you the whole day to get to Little Corn Island, a small speck of lush jungle meets hidden beaches, with just footpaths and boats to get around. The island is reachable only by boat from nearby Big Corn Island, itself accessible by ferry or flight from the mainland. Often the more difficult to reach places on this increasingly crowded planet are among the more alluring, and this is no exception.

Arriving to Little Corn Island

After 3 flights, a short group taxi, and a bumpy 45 minute boat ride run by some of the friendliest people around, all our weariness dissipated as we disembarked on Little Corn and walked a hundred metres or so to our lodging. Dropping off our bags, we ran out to the nearby beach to take a dip in the sea alongside the setting sun. Afterwards, we feasted on local seafood and pasta at the Italian-run Cafe Desideri, located among the cluster of eateries and sundry shops in town. By 10pm, every spot had closed, and most of the island was asleep amidst a calmness that is increasingly hard to find these days. No cars or motorbikes zoomed past in the night. Even a bicycle was a rare occurrence on an island on which everyone walks. And electricity on the island runs only at night.

Ferry arriving to Little Corn Island

We woke up early and excited for one of the purposes of our trip: scuba diving! Little Corn is surrounded by a shallow reef that is home to an abundance of sea creatures: octopus, turtles, lobster, crabs, shrimp, rays, nurse sharks, and more. We dove with Las Palmeras Dive Center, which is conveniently located and well-run. They typically offer two dives in the morning and a night dive departing just before sunset. The night dives were some of the best I’d experienced anywhere. We were treated to octopus sightings and flashes of bioluminescence when the moonlight disappeared behind some clouds in the sky above us, leaving us in darkness and better able to see the flashes of light all around. 

Beach cove along the northern coast of Little Corn Island, Nicaragua

Dirt trails run across the island through tropical forest filled with mango and other seasonal fruit, leading to small beach coves framed by palm trees.  Worth a visit are the northern beaches (reachable via a 20 minute walk from town past the local stadium, or via a short boat ride), featuring gentle waves great for swimming, a fish shack, and an upscale restaurant called Erizo (part of the Yemaya Reefs resort, the only one on the island). We savored the rondon, a traditional island seafood stew with root vegetables simmered in a coconut milk broth; a cucumber and kiwi salad with calala dressing; palm hearts and fruit ceviche. 

Walking path on Little Corn Island

Yemaya Reef, Little Corn

A few coves to the east is Derek’s Place, another lodging option with hammocks and a laid back vibe. Tracking back inland to then join a path leading to the windward side of the island, you’ll reach Little Corn Beach and Bungalow and its restaurant, the Turned Turtle, where you can eat delicious local specialties with your feet in the sand while watching the waves roll in (note: open for breakfast and lunch only). On our last evening on the island, we had dinner by the southern edge of town at the casual, family-run Melissa’s, serving perhaps the tastiest food around. Named after their young daughter, Melissa’s features fresh, locally caught fish and lobster as well as chicken, served as a stew with vegetables and rice. 

Losing track of time, Little Corn Island

We met a number of foreigners who had come to visit Little Corn, only to find themselves still there years later. The appeal of living on what can perhaps best be described as the edge of civilisation is strong, and it was with some regret that we took the boat back to Big Corn Island to continue our trip. We spent just one night on Big Corn, which was decidedly less charming. It did, however, feature one of the highlights of our trip: Bit Coin Island Bar. It’s a floating wooden bar located off of Arenas Beach (not to be confused with the impostor bar floating nearby, created to piggyback off the success of the original), and you reach it by standing on the beach and waving your arms until they see you and send a speedboat. We didn’t wait for more than a couple of minutes before being whisked away, and in no time at all we found ourselves in the care of Ana, the wonderful bartender who insisted on sharing playlists and dancing with us as the sun dipped below the horizon. 

Big Corn Island

Sunset, Arenas beach, Big Corn Island

The following day, we made our way to Granada, located on the shores of Lake Cocibolca, one of many towns known for its colourful architecture, checkered history, and vibrant community in which Nicaraguans and foreigners mingle. Nicaragua’s colonial past is predictably on display, and it’s easy to visit the main sights in a day or two. We stayed at the central and charmingly designed Casa del Consulado, featuring a refreshing pool in one of the courtyards. A block away is the central square, where you’ll find street vendors and the main cathedral. The nearby Garden Cafe is a great option for lunch and has delicious fruit juices and cocktails. For dinner, the more upscale NM Culinary features an inventive take on local specialties, or try one of the many options along the pedestrian-only Calle La Calzada. We enjoyed the old world charm of Hotel Dario, with an open air restaurant and cafe overlooking a lush central courtyard.

Granada’s vibrant central square

Horses ready for a ride, Granada

Calle La Calzada, Granada

Worth visiting are the Church of the Mercy and the Iglesia Xalteva, each featuring a small belltower from which you can see the expanse of the town leading to the surrounding Mombacho and Masaya volcanos. We also enjoyed a cool stroll around Casa Tres Mundos, one of the oldest buildings in Granada, which today hosts contemporary art exhibits. Afterwards, treat yourself to a cold chocolate from the nearby Bate Bate Chocolate cafe, or even a chocolate massage at the Mansion de Chocolate. Nicaragua is a significant producer of cocoa, and it’s a great gift for those back home. It was time for us, too, to head back home, but the country has so much more to offer. I like to leave something for next time in places I’ve enjoyed visiting, and that is certainly the case with Nicaragua. 

The past meets the present, Granada

Where to eat and drink

Cafe Desideri, Little Corn Island

Tranquilo Cafe, Little Corn Island

Melissa’s, Little Corn Island

Turned Turtle (part of the Little Corn Beach and Bungalow), Little Corn Island

Erizo (part of Yemaya Reefs - upscale), Little Corn Island

Bit Coin Bar, Big Corn Island

The Garden Cafe, Granada

Bate Bate Chocolate, Granada

NM Culinary, Granada

Hotel Dario, Granada

Where to stay

Sunshine Hotel, Little Corn Island

Little Corn Beach and Bungalow, Little Corn Island

Derek’s Place, Little Corn Island

Yemaya Reefs, Little Corn Island

Hotel Casa del Consulado, Granada

In Ian Fleming's footsteps

Perhaps best known as the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming was an enigmatic character himself. Stationed on Jamaica during a stint in Britain’s naval intelligence service, Fleming fell in love with the island and vowed to return. He bought a plot of land on the island’s north coast, in the town of Oracabessa, where he built the villa that would be the birthplace of the fiction world’s most notorious spy. Today, the villa and a few dozen one-bedroom cottages form the Goldeneye resort (named after Fleming’s original mission). 

Ian Fleming at Goldeneye

Welcome drinks at Goldeneye

We were greeted with a frozen rum & pineapple welcome drink at the resort’s bar, overlooking the rather wild and rocky coast. Our cottage was well-located between two of the resort’s beaches in the midst of tropical plants and singing birds, and there was a complimentary bottle of rum from Chris Blackwell, the current owner of Goldeneye and the founder of Island Records, which was instrumental in the commercial success of reggae music worldwide. On our first evening, the resort organised a happy hour with several complimentary rum-based cocktails that put everyone in the best of spirits. 

Each morning, following 17F’s (Ian Fleming’s code name) favourite breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast accompanied by reggae music, we walked along the beach to the eponymous saltwater Goldeneye pool, open to the Caribbean splashing on the rocks and into the pool. Shaped as an eye, this quickly became my favourite spot, and I whiled away hours alternating between reading and gazing at the sea. 

The Goldeneye pool

Breakfast reggae at Goldeneye

Kayaking and stand up paddleboarding are offered free of charge, and we took out a kayak to the nearby James Bond beach, where Dr. No with Sean Connery was filmed in 1962. The beach was full of locals barbecuing, teens posing for selfies, and children splashing in the shallows, and we felt right at home. We decided to forego the beach barbecue back at Goldeneye in favour of some local fare, so we drove into town. Chris’s in Oracabessa had just the ticket on the menu: fried chicken, which we enjoyed back on the beach while listening to the roar of the crashing waves.

Kayaking near Goldeneye, Oracabessa

Local posing for photos at James Bond beach

We also spent a couple of nights by the beach in Negril, in Jamaica’s western end, for comparison. The beach there is long, and unlike Jamaica’s north coast, there are no rocks or reefs as you enter the water, making for easy swimming well suited to families or young children. We picked up a Jamaican rum cake at the local supermarket and watched as the sun dipped into the water. Our best meal of the trip was to come later that evening at The Lodge restaurant at Tensing Pen, where we tried the Jamaican specialties of ackee (poisonous if not properly prepared!—quite the adventurous national dish) and jerk chicken, as well as crusted snapper. All were excellently prepared, but the snapper was the standout, gently cooked so that flakes peeled off as soon as it was touched. 

Driving from Kingston to Negril

Sunset, moon and planets from Rick’s Cafe, Negril

Another spot well worth a visit is Rick’s Cafe, further south along the coast. Go in the afternoon to test your appetite for risk at jumping points of different heights along the cliff, from which you plunge into the warm sea below. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to see resident ninja Spider, who regaled us with jumps from the highest platform that would not have been out of place at the Olympics. The place was packed on a late November afternoon, with a live band playing reggae classics and sungoers downing Rick’s punches as the sun went down. We stayed and danced until evening settled, and the cafe emptied out until the next day, when the same spectacle would repeat. 

The view from Strawberry Hill

Unfortunately, many of Jamaica’s other natural wonders, such as YS Falls and Dunn’s Falls, are hidden behind $25 USD admission fees. That price begs a several hours-long commitment, so if you’re like me, and hoping to arrive early or late to avoid the crowds, you’re out of luck. Instead, en route back to Kingston to catch our flight, we stopped at the Strawberry Hill Resort to enjoy the spectacular views over a drink. The climate is notably cooler, and the rain-fed vegetation even more lush. Be warned that the road from Kingston is a narrow and curvy one (ignore Google Maps’ impassable recommended shortcut route and ensure you stay on the main road), made worse by the form of driving practiced in the country. It’s a free for all: cars drive at full speed in the middle of the road, and often it’s left up to you to get out of the way. At night, the majority of drivers leave their long beams on the entire time, blinding each other in a crazy game of chicken. 

Perhaps, behind the wheel of James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 from the film Goldeneye, I would not have minded in the least. 

Sunset from Strawberry Hill

The Azores: lush, dramatic and unspoilt

With Delta offering nonstop flights (May-September only) from JFK to Ponta Delgada, now is the time to travel to the Azores, a set of nine volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic, some 1,000 miles west of mainland Portugal. Featuring a temperate climate, the isles are rarely particularly hot or cold, and they receive a fair amount of rain, typically in shorter, passing bursts, mostly in the mountainous interiors. Each island was formed at a different point in history, leading to dramatically different landscapes. Pico, the youngest island, is nearly all black, with bright green spots of grapevines pushing through the volcanic soil. São Miguel, the largest island, was formed over the course of millions of years, and features impossibly blue and green crater lakes and lush greenery. 

The view from Miradouro da Grota do Inferno

We spent three days on São Miguel (four is probably the right amount of time), renting a car (a must to get to see the island) and frequently stopping en route. One of the highlights of any visits is the short walk up to Miradouro da Grota do Inferno, which offers a fantastic vantage point over the village of Sete Cidades and the surrounding blue and green crater lakes. Local legend has it that a princess fell in love with a shepherd boy, and the King forbade their marriage. They met one last time to embrace and cry, and as the princess’s eyes were green and the boy’s eyes were blue, the two lakes formed in those colours.

Mosteiros beach

Sizzling limpets (lapas) at Restaurante Gazcidla, Mosteiros

From there, we checked out the natural thermal pools by the ocean’s edge at Ponta da Ferraria. Wear close-toed shoes to hike across the sharp lava fields to the small natural pools that combine the cool ocean with the natural heat from the sulfurous hot springs. Afterwards, enjoy a lunch or dinner of the day’s catch of fresh fish and sizzling limpets (“lapas”) covered in garlic butter and lemon at Restaurante Gazcidla in nearby Mosteiros. The black sand beach here makes the ocean more accessible for a quick swim in the summertime. 

The northern coast has some of the nicest beaches in São Miguel. Perhaps my favourite is the surfer haven of Praia do Areal de Santa Bárbara, where you will find a surf center and various options for rentals and lessons, as well as the oceanside Tuká Tulá bar and restaurant (reservations recommended for dinner), featuring some of the best limpets of the trip as well as cocktails with local gin and rum. The beach itself is a long stretch of black sand with multiple layers of breaking waves, perfect for swimming, surfing or bodyboarding. Afterwards, enjoy a steak dinner (the local meat is known for its rich flavour) at the Restaurante da Associação Agrícola de São Miguel, or stop for fresh fish and shellfish at Alabote Restaurante in coastally scenic Ribeira Grande. Nearby, you can also sample some of the local liqueurs (passionfruit is a particular favourite) at Ezequiel Moreira Silva & Filhos or Mulher de Capote in Ribeira Grande.

Praia do Areal de Santa Bárbara

Municipal pool at Ribeira Grande

Cozido das furnas

Perhaps the most interesting place to visit on São Miguel is Furnas, an area of high thermal activity, with several natural hot spring pools as well as sulfurous, steamy fissures. One of the typical dishes of the Azores, cozido das furnas, is made here. The dish is a meat and vegetable stew that is placed a few feet underground and cooked by the natural heat in the area. One of the best places to try it (and to stay the night) is the Terra Nostra Garden hotel, which offers it a la carte or as part of a 3-course menu at its beautiful restaurant overlooking the hotel gardens. By dining at the restaurant, you’ll also receive passes for free entrance to the hotel’s park and hot springs (normally a cost of 8 EUR/person), which are a great place to spend the afternoon. 

One of the Terra Nostra thermal pools

Afterwards, don’t miss the view from Miradouro do Pico do Ferro, a vantage point with a view of the Furnas lake and the place where the restaurants dig in their cozido pots (to go there directly, arrive by 12pm, and be prepared to pay a few euros a person to gain access to the grounds). 

Salto do Cabrito

Hiking on São Miguel

To cool off, we went for a swim at the Salto do Cabrito, an impossibly scenic waterfall that has carved its path through the surrounding rock. Don’t be afraid to drive all the way down the road, which can be a bit steep, to shorten your path to the falls, and bring water shoes, as getting into the falls is rocky and slippery. Not swimmable, but also beautiful, are the waterfalls at the Parque Natural dos Caldeirões, from where you can do numerous hikes as well as abseiling and canyoning. Follow it with a free introduction and sampling of the tea at the Porto Formoso tea factory along the north coast, and stop off at the Miradouro de Santa Iria for sweeping views of the northern coastline.

Miradouro de Santa Iria

Pineapples growing on the Arruda plantation

Ponta Delgada

Mercado da Graça, Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada, the Azores’ largest town, has a relatively walkable center, but is otherwise not particularly pedestrian friendly, and it has a severe parking shortage. We dropped by O rei dos queijos to try (and buy) some Azorean cheeses and bolos, the local bread, and checked out the fruits and vegetables for sale at the Mercado da Graça next door. On the outskirts of town, Ananases A Arruda is a pineapple plantation (an important local product) where you can view the different stages of pineapple farming and sample them in various formats at the onsite cafe. 

We also visited two other islands, Faial and Pico. The best way to reach either is to fly via Azores Airlines (50 minutes), taking the ferry to get between Faial and Pico (30 minutes). Faial’s highlight is probably the Praia Do Almoxarife, from which on a clear morning you can clearly see Pico mountain, Portugal’s highest peak, on the neighbouring island of the same name. Also worth a visit is the Caldeira do Cabeço Gordo, from which you can do a number of different hikes across the island, as well as the Centro de Interpretação do Vulcão dos Capelinhos, from where you can see the destruction caused by the 1957-58 eruption of the Capelinhos volcano and the stunning surrounding landscape. For lunch, we had a delicious octopus salad and Portuguese sparkling wine at Praya, overlooking the Praia do Almoxarife. For dinner, I highly recommend Restaurante Canto da Doca in Horta, where you receive a hot slab of volcanic stone together with a selection of raw seafoods and meats, and you proceed to cook your own dinner to your liking.

A magical viewpoint on Faial

Praia do Almoxarife, Faial, with Pico obscured by clouds in the background

Cooking our own seafood and meats on a volcanic stone at Restaurante Canto da Doca, Horta, Faial

But Pico is the real stunner here, dark and dramatic, where more acidic, typically white wine is made from the grapevines growing in the volcanic soil beneath the looming peak of Pico (tastings are available at the Cooperativa in Madalena). The mountain is hikeable, though ideally requires starting in the middle of the night in order to reach the summit by sunrise. Numerous agencies and guides on the island offer the trip, and you get a t-shirt to commemorate the accomplishment. Also well worth a visit is the Gruta das Torres (reservations recommended), where over the course of an hour, a guide took us through a few hundred metres of Europe’s longest lava tube, a fascinating experience. Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch with a view at the modern Cella Bar just north of Madalena. Don’t miss the octopus salad, and the pork ribs were delicious. It can get windy, so bring a jacket. It was so good, we found ourselves back for dinner, during which we discussed returning again next year. Go before the Azores get more of the attention they deserve.

Volcanic vineyards on Pico

Exiting the Gruta das Torres lava tube on Pico

A selection of local cheeses al fresco at Cella Bar on Pico

Packing list:

• Rain jacket

• Mosquito repellent

• Bathing suit (bring an old one that you don’t mind getting discoloured from the sulfur in the hot springs)

• Hiking shoes

• Water shoes

Where to stay:

Praia de Santos Exclusive Guesthouse, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel

Hotel Verde Mar & Spa, Riberia Grande, São Miguel

Terra Nostra Garden hotel, Furnas, São Miguel

Hotel do Canal, Horta, Faial

Pocinho Bay, Pico

Where to eat:

Tuká Tulá bar and restaurant, Ribeira Grande, São Miguel

Restaurante da Associação Agrícola de São Miguel, Ribeira Grande, São Miguel

Alabote, Ribeira Grande, São Miguel

Restaurante Gazcidla, Mosteiros, São Miguel

Terra Nostra Garden hotel, Furnas, São Miguel

Praya, Faial

Restaurante Canto da Doca, Faial

Cella Bar, Pico

Holbox: island of whale sharks and bioluminescence

I’m a big fan of islands, and Holbox is no exception. Fortunately, it is still relatively under the radar. That may be because it is relatively hard to reach (a flight to Cancun, followed by a 2-hour shuttle ride to Chiquilá, followed by a 30 min ferry ride to the island). A few hours away from Cancun, it is a different world. With few cars on the island (mostly used by locals/for construction), most people use golf carts (unfortunately there are many of these), bike or walk to get around.

But the real draw here is a few dozen miles offshore. Every summer, from May through September, there is an abundance of plankton in the waters northeast of Holbox, which in turns draws hundreds of whale sharks. Whale sharks, for those who have not yet been inundated with photos of the spotted, majestic beasts on social media, are the largest fish and are filter feeders, their favourite food consisting of plankton and small fish. Along with them arrive boat trips from both Holbox and Isla Mujeres with tourists ready to jump in and snorkel with the sharks. Most of these tours follow the same script: two tourists in at any given time with a guide, pairs swapping out every few minutes. You’ll get 2-3 chances to swim with the sharks, which feels like not enough when you’ve spent a couple of hours on a boat getting there. I’d recommend getting together a group and chartering your own boat so that you can spend your time as you wish.

On the return, most boats will stop at Bahia Ceviche, a fantastically beautiful patchwork of long colours blending into each other—beige into blue into green into rose. It’s a beautiful spot from which to watch the resident flamingoes bend and straighten their thin legs in a gracious dance as they feed in the surrounded waters.

Punta Cocos

The inhabited parts of Holbox are also a treat, largely shaped as a grid around the main square, featuring some colourful murals and street vendors. I particularly enjoyed a long walk west along the north shore to Punta Cocos, where we relaxed on hammocks dipping into the crystal clear water and watched in amusement as a dog chased and pounced on fish and rays. In the distance, a trio of flamingoes did their dance, and everything was serene. On the way back into town, we ducked into the Holbox Animal Sanctuary along the way to see a few local rescues, then stopped for a well-deserved meal of some of the best ceviche I’ve ever had, accompanied by chips with guacalucy (a spicy version of guacamole), at Ceviches la Chingada.

Mural in the main square of Holbox

Our hotel was the stunningly designed and intimate Punta Caliza, and it was surprisingly easy to settle into a calmer rhythm where our only concern became when to order our next round of margaritas. The other guests at the hotel included a family of four from New York, with an incredibly funny Mom who would include us in her jokes, a gay couple with an architectural wonder on Fire Island, and a mother and daughter, who happened to share a birthday with my friend while we were on the island. The staff graciously created a drink special in honour of their birthdays and offered 2 for 1 on it all afternoon. Breakfast was included and was always a creative affair, ranging from the sweet to the savoury, and the staff were happy to make adjustments as needed.

Hotel Punta Caliza

Hotel Punta Caliza

We also enjoyed the cocktails and small bites at nearby Luuma, and Milpa (reservations required) for fun, inventive, more upscale food and cocktails. But by far the best meal on the island was had at El Chapulim, where we wished we had had more time to return. Skippable is Barba Negra, where the tacos sounded good, but missed the mark and took a very long time to arrive, despite us being some of the only customers, as well as Casa las Tortugas—a beautiful hotel with nice views from the rooftop, but the cocktails were too sweet and the service lacking.

Breakfast at Hotel Punta Caliza

Unfortunately, Holbox is also one of the buggiest places I’ve been—any spot I missed with the mosquito repellent was promptly found by mosquitos. If I didn’t reapply repellent frequently, I was also tracked down and tormented by the mosquitos.

One evening after it was completely dark, we decided to brave the mosquitos and walked east along the shore until we had passed all the hotels and restaurants, and around us was only the sea and the jungle. Wading into the water, we were surrounded by flashes of bright blue bioluminescence from the plankton, which releases light when disturbed. We went for a quick dip, amazed at the sky full of stars blinking overhead and the lights surrounding us in the water. For just a few days, we escaped the hustle of New York and discovered the small paradise of Holbox. Go before it’s too late.

Packing list

• Copious amounts of mosquito repellent

• Bathing suit

• Mask & snorkel

Where to stay

Hotel Punta Caliza

Where to eat & drink

Ceviches la Chingada

Luuma

Milpa (reservations required)

El Chapulim