Casa Montoco

A cute, clean place less than a 10-minute walk from the airport. The woman running it was nice, and there’s a shop just around the corner for supplies. There’s no kitchen or access to drinking water, so bring some with you.

Its main advantage is how close it is to the airport, just a 10-minute walk. But I found the hosts unreliable during booking. I’d reserved a double room for myself through Booking.com, then we spoke on WhatsApp and agreed I’d cancel there and book directly with them. They assured me the room would be held for me. The day before I was due to stay, they messaged that I could share the room with a stranger for $15. I could no longer have it to myself at the price we’d agreed on. After I complained, they gave me a tiny, stuffy room for $15.

Violeta is an excellent host, and the customer service is amazing. The house is really nice, and the fan almost makes it feel like there’s air conditioning. It’s also well located for travelers heading to southern Nicaragua, since it’s near the wholesale market.

I was terrified throughout my stay, especially as I was traveling alone. The place was dark and isolated, and things moved around at night. From the moment I arrived until I left for the airport, I didn’t dare step outside. It was a horrible experience, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I felt completely unsafe, and the owner acted very unethically. I hope no one else has to go through this. I arrived at the address listed on Booking.com, but the woman managing the place took me to a different house in another location, one that wasn’t listed on the platform. I had to walk there alone. Right away I was afraid, because it wasn’t what I’d booked or what the listing showed. The house itself was nothing like the advertised property. There were only two very basic bedrooms. The water didn’t work properly, the internet didn’t work, and there was no drinking water to refill my bottle. There was no coffee, tea, utensils, kitchen, or toiletries. Nothing listed on Booking.com was there, and everything the woman offered felt fake. As soon as I arrived, she tried to exchange my dollars for Córdobas at an exorbitant rate, charging half a dollar more for each Córdoba. I’d already been scammed earlier in my trip, and it overwhelmed me so much that I started crying. She said it wasn’t her problem. With no money and nothing there, all I could eat was a small bag of chips and a biscuit from the plane.