At last it’s time for my review of Calala Island. I never thought I’d travel to a private island off the coast of Nicaragua for vacation, but when World of Hyatt points became redeemable here, I couldn’t say no.
Continue reading: Review: Calala Island Nicaragua
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Great review Ben! Incredibly detailed.
FYI: There is a trick to the toilets, I learned it on day 3 of 5 when I was there. They worked perfect every time afterwards.
Would you go back is the question I’m interested in?
Your experience was similar to mine, although I didn’t care to ever really go back for 40,000 points (especially combined with thelogistics of getting there). I maybe overstayed though, after day 3 it’s a little bit of diminishing returns so you probably hit the sweet spot.
And yes, big shout out to Mike, Ruben, and Shorvin! They make the entire trip!
@Ben, did you have any problems (even subtle) about being a gay couple at the resort? It's a question that always comes up for me went I read these reviews.
Great review, thank you. Agree on the economics - would love to look at their books
I agree, it is a great review. Quite an usual place and fascinating to read, but I would like to hear about the transfer.
@ Will -- You can read all about the transfer here:
https://onemileatatime.com/how-to-get-to-calala-island/
@ walester -- Not in the slightest. I was worried about that a bit coming into the stay, but the staff didn't make us feel strange in any way. That's another thing I loved about this place.
@ Utahshane -- Hah, what's the toilet trick?
I definitely can see how five days here would be too long. I thought three days was perfect. Would I return? That's a toughie. Personally I'm someone who loves having new experiences, so I think the answer is probably no. For me most places go on my "been there, done that" list, and this is probably no exception. I'm so happy I went, though I'm not sure I'd need to return.
Perhaps the except would be if going with friends, because I do think it's a fun place to go with others, especially if you can have half (or more) of the rooms to yourself.
Really enjoyed reading this Ben. I realise this is probably the last review for quite a while. Maybe you could re-post some of your most memorable / interesting experiences to give us something travel related to read that is not pandemic related... Looking forward to the next cocktail hour!
Good, detailed review. It does make me think, though: late stage capitalism writ large.
Great review. I have a booking for Feb next year (on points of course). I think I will keep it now (hopefully the world is back to a new normal).
Thanks for the great detail and honest review.
I get about charging for premium drinks but charging for massage is just plain cheap. Maybe add a limit of massages per guest per day but charging should not be part of an "all inclusive" luxury resort. I personally would feel comfortable giving a much bigger tip to the masseuse if the service was included.
Sounds like a great resort, but that transfer...
I wonder if the resort turns a profit at all. I've probably watched a few too many movies, and always assume this type of business exist to launder money or whatnot.
My partner and I enjoyed a 10 day stay during peak season so we forked out an average $3450 per night. Would I go back yes as we loved it!.
Do you know how much is the helicopter transfer? Great review and great experience, but reading your review of the transfer turned me off...
Ben, did you happen to notice what the policy is for kids in the same room? Supplemental fees?
Reminds me of NoaNoa Island, not bookable on points, but a fraction of the cost and in the Philippines.
How much did you end up tipping the staff? Did you tip individual staff or just everyone at the end cruise ship style? Curious since it's exceptional service at a 10 to 1 ratio.
That food looks AMAZING (and I have around 100 Michelin stars under my belt).
Any info on who the head chef is or who developed the menus or anything like that? It all looks very well done.
As a well travelled human you found it great difficultly to reach the island then how did the sloths get there?
What kind of tips did you leave at the end of your stay, Ben?
Glad to hear is was memorable in a great way!
Looks incredible, much better value than the island resorts on the other side of the planet that charge $120 for a lunch.
Would be incredible with a group of family or friends where you have the whole place to yourselves
Based on this review, I am wondering how many lobsters I could eat in 3 days.
March is a good time to visit Nica, which has two season: dry and green. Summer would be warmer but you'd have periodic showers and humidity would be higher. The pool would be warmer too.
Based on my experience as an investor in Nica property, I'd guess that the abandoned island houses are a result of the 2008 crash. Many developments on the Pacific coast folded at that time as buyers and visitors dried up. Things still haven't totally recovered, and Ortega's actions haven't helped.
Nica coffee is excellent as you discovered. The highlands around Matagalpa have nearly perfect conditions. I haven't been to Jinotega but I assume it's the same there.
I don't know what salaries are like for workers in Nica are, but it has to be low. I visited a property with a woman who was looking to build a house to replace an abandoned concrete house. The realtor with us said that hiring men with sledgehammers would be much cheaper than using machinery.
Hi, TPG, this is how you write a review!
Did you guys stay there at the same time? Kinda weird.
@ Endre -- Thank you. 😉 Nope, I didn't notice any drones or teams of photographers and videographers. To be honest I think they visited right after us, though it took me a little longer to get to the review, given the lean operation we run/the amount of writing I've been doing about what has been going on in the world. I appreciate everyone's patience!
@ Kirk -- Fascinating! Not sure if you know this, but any sense of how exactly it works when someone builds a house on a private island? Do they buy the island, do they lease it for some amount of time, or...?
@ Pauls99 @ Alpdenver -- Great question! I had asked one of the GMs about tipping. They were still pretty new, but said that most people do tip, and they pool it together for all employees. She said that a reasonable amount was $10-15 per guest per day, though frankly that seemed really low to me.
They took such incredible care of us, and given that only two rooms were occupied, I tipped more. Personally I tipped $200 per day, with half of that going into the overall hotel staff "pool," and half of it going to the front of house people who took amazing care of us (they essentially double "share" in the tips, then).
I know that's probably more than is needed, but I can't state enough how nice everyone was, and how surreal it was to basically have our own (nearly) private island.
@ Alian -- That is... a great question! I believe they explained this to me, that at some point someone brought them there and they've been there since. I believe it pre-dates the hotel, but I could be mistaken.
@ Ryan -- That's a great question. I only know the chef's name based on the sheet they gave us will all employees' names, but don't know anything else about him. Agree he was great.
@ Gaurav -- Hmmm, that's a good question. Based on the website awards don't seem to price if you add kids, but might have to reach out to hotel directly to find out. I'm sorry!
@ Alex -- The owners didn't know the exact number, but apparently very expensive, like $10K one-way, give or take.
@ Santastico -- I don't disagree necessarily, but to be honest that seems to be the standard even at most all inclusive resorts. I can't think of many resorts that include massages even when including everything else.
Similar to the sloths, there's a tiny island off of Ometepe island in Lake Nicaragua that has a population of howler monkeys. Although this island is very close to Ometepe, monkeys can't swim, and they've been there for many years. Without tourists and locals providing food, they would have died out long ago. Some tourists kayak to the island, but it's risky as the monkeys are very aggressive if they think you have food.
One can buy islands in Nica just like any other real estate. Getting title insurance is another matter as land registration under Samosa and the Sandinistas wasn't too rigorous. That's being addressed piecemeal these days but a long way from being final. Once you get the deed "escritura" you're likely OK. Financing will be more expensive than in the US; 10% interest is normal, although I think it's gone down slightly.
@ Kirk -- Fascinating! I do indeed see some listed online, though most are listed as "sold" or "under contract."
https://www.privateislandsonline.com/islands/pink-pearl-island
I wonder how much these go for...
Rather than an island on the Atlantic side, I'll propose a more practical alternative. Check out Gran Pacifica on the Pacific side for a US style community with all mod-cons, miles of beach with surfing, and 45 minutes from Managua for shopping trips and restaurants. Disclaimer - I have an investment here although the tropics is not my thing.
Great review! The transfer to the resort seems like a fun experience to me. Unfortunately I cancelled my stay in September because they wanted to charge me an extra $500.00 per night to bring my 1 year old baby with us.
@ eric -- Nope, we took the boat back, and frankly the experience was a bit better on the way back than the way there.
We took heli on the way back booked through the resort, cost $6,500. Private but could seat up to 4.
@ Veronika -- Great info, thanks! How long was the flight to Managua, and was everything on-time/did the helicopter operation seem legit?
Flight time was just under 1.5hours, seemed like a professional outfit and it was a smooth transfer, especially as they assisted us through customs at Managua to connect to our international flight home.
Seems like a lot of work to get to a place that's very secluded but not all that luxurious. I think id rather give up a bit of privacy for a luxurious room, like the Park Hyatt St. Kitts.
Hello from your island mates!
Excellent review: agree with you on all points. We look back upon our stay very fondly. Looking at your pictures brought back memories of our wonderful stay.
With all the travels you have done, any other beach resorts you recommend for a quiet getaway?
The design, the food and the amenities, all look so amateur (and not that appealing); for close to $3000 pert night! I would rather stay at an Aman.
Is it possible to add a Bluefields extension of a few days before flying back to Managua??
Thanks for another awesome review. Not much chance I'll ever make it there, but at least I know what I'm missing now. It was a nice respite from everything else going on in the world these days.
Thanks for the review, Lucky! With all of us on lockdown due to the pandemic, it's been inspiring to read your reviews and dream about when we'll be able to travel again. If there's any properties you haven't reviewed, or any trips you've taken about which you haven't written in detail, we'd love for you to keep doing that.
Also, I too absolutely wonder about the economics of this place. It looks like an interesting experience - those sandbar cocktails! - though I think I'd get bored pretty fast. And I don't see how they're making a profit, unless not only the labor but everything else (electricity, food) is somehow dirt cheap.
Benjamin Schlappig the Lucky, I'm sure you know this and are told this many times, but I have to repeat myself, you are the MASTER of reviews, I love reading them, looking at the pictures, imagining myself there, writing things down on my bucketlist...
THANK YOU thank you THANK YOU for writing, specially during this time.
Lucky, nice review. Regarding the resort, no AC is a deal breaker.
Regarding your blog, can your replies be linked to the comment you are replying to? [like most every other blog]. Scrolling around looking for @whomever’s post to understand and benefit from your response is nearly impossible.
Thank you for the very detailed review. It is, as always, a pleasure to read of your experiences. I wanted to say that I really appreciate the more rustic nature of this resort. The level of service (and the food and drinks) is where they have clearly invested in the luxuriousness of the experience. Just imagine every single piece of furniture and food having been brought there for ones pleasure. To me, the solitude and privateness of the experience speaks volumes to the level of luxury. You didn't mention that you went snorkeling. Just wondering if anyone knows whether it is a good experience there?
"Personally I tipped $200 per day"
LOL - some people barely pay that much for a room/night.
We are heading there next year. Have five nights currently booked. Thinking about adding a 6th since its such a trek to even get to the place. Wondering if you wished you could have stayed longer of if you felt like you had experienced it enough and were fine with your three nights. We know there's only so much to do on this tiny place but it also is such a great value and if we're already there and it's such a pain to get to, maybe maximize our stay? Is 6 nights too long?
Fantastic review! I hadn't seen this one yet. As long as my wife wants to go sometime & Zika isn't too bad, I'm sold!
What about first aid, getting sick, emergencies, safety, animal bites or others.