FAQ – Laguna de Apoyo

Casa Única

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Casa Única

Find answers to your questions

Please take time to read these FAQs to prepare your trip an avoid surprises. 

The jungle we live in is a sweet place to be if you are prepared!!

1st you will need to prepare transportation to get to us.

It comes early in the morning around 7h AM, again around Noon, and lastly around 16 h PM. Please ask for schedule as it depends on the season and demand.

Please be aware we are far from the civilization and you will be in the jungle for the last 2.5 kilometers (starting from the Triangulo, map link above) 

  • Taxi driver can drive you from the Entrance of the Lagune de Apoyo on the Carretera Masaya for around 200 córdobas, from Masaya centro for around 350 or from Granada for 400. We have a recommended taxi driver, if you need.

The last kilometer is a dirt road and some taxi driver might be reluctant to go all the way. You can tell them we are located before the hill starts going down to the beach and the road is easily ridable with care. Low speed does it.

Really important If you are on foot, bring groceries for your check-in at Casa Única.

    • There is no food market nearby our lodge. You would need to walk all the way to the north side or back up the crater to find small markets to buy fruits and vegetables. That is around 1 hour away on foot.
    • Close by, you will only find beer & liquor, some essentials, but nothing to properly feed yourselves.
    • The restaurant, 150 meters from us is open every day until 7h PM.
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    • Some restaurants on the north side of the Laguna (far away on foot, 1 hour walk) are open until 8h30 PM, but don’t be surprise if they close earlier during the week or during low season.
    • The Laguna de Apoyo is a different type of environment that mostly lives when the sun is up. As soon as the sun goes down, service also usually goes down!  
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We are here, 24/7. There is always someone at the house to receive you. The dog will bark, but they are only telling us someone is there. They don’t bite! You can also ring the bell at the door 🙂

If you are on foot, please be aware we are far from the civilization and you will be in the jungle for the last 2.5 kilometers (starting from the Triangulo here: https://goo.gl/maps/LNzVTmQjPDSS1a36 )

If you come by taxi or car, please note the last kilometer is a dirt road. You can reach easily with care as we are located before the hill that goes down to the beach and the road is easily ridable, with care. Low speed does it.

If you arrive late, you must bring groceries for your check-in at Casa Única.

    • There is no food market close by our lodge. You would need to walk all the way back up the crater to find small markets where you can buy bread, milk, fruits and vegetables. That is around 1 hour away on foot.
    • Nearby, you will only find beer & liquor, some essentials, but nothing to properly feed yourselves.
    • The restaurant, 150 meters from us is open every day until 7h PM.
    • Some restaurants on the north side of the Laguna (far away on foot, around 1 hour, or 10-15 minutes away by car) are open until 8h30 PM, but again don’t be surprise if they close earlier during the week or when low occupations. The Laguna de Apoyo is a different type of environment that mostly lives when the sun is up. As soon as the sun goes down, service also goes down!  
    • So come prepared with food and lights (when on foot). Night comes early around 6h pm and you will need your essentials with you to have an enjoyable stay.
    • You can find supermarket in the larger towns of Masaya, Granada or Managua (Maxi Pali, La Colonia, La Union)

Families are most welcome at Casa Única! 

Kids below age of 5 years old stay with us for free. And we have lots of space for them to discover nature. Even life-jackets for kids that want to swim!

Important, please be prepared and come with groceries directly from the moment of your check-in at Casa Única:

    • The reason is that that there is no food market close by our lodge. You will need to go all the way to the north side or back up the crater to find small markets to buy milk, bread, meat, fruits and vegetables. That is around 1 hour away on foot or 15 minutes by car.
    • Here at the lodge, we do not have food service, we only serve breakfast. You have in your cabin a fully equipped kitchen, But no kitchen if rented the Colibri room! Simply make sure to bring all the food to be comfortable during your stay.
    • Nearby, you will only find beer & liquor, some essentials, but honestly no proper food for you and your kids… 
    • The restaurant at 150 meters from us is open until 7h PM all day during the week.
    • So come prepared, especially if you come by taxi or bus. Night comes early around 6h pm, all year round, and you will need your essentials with you to have an enjoyable stay. 

To reserve a casita for your vacation directly with us (i.e. blocking the calendar so no one else can come on these same dates), you must make a payment corresponding to 50% of the value of your stay. 

You can make a deposit via PayPal or Bank Transfer (local bank in Nicaragua) or even cash here at the house. 

Important to note that deposits are non-refundable 14 days before your stay.

You will need to pay the balance (remaining 50%) of the value of your stay at the moment of check-in.

Please note you can also book via Airbnb. The fees are a bit higher, but the platform is preferred by many and payment is easily manage there!

Link to Casita Café on Airbnb:  https://airbnb.com/h/casitacafeapoyo

Link to Casita Mango on Airbnb: https://airbnb.com/h/casitamangoapoyo

Link to Cuarto Colibri on Airbnb: https://airbnb.com/h/cuartocolibriapoyo

If you want to have friends visit you during your stay at Casa Única, please inform us ahead of time so we can plan properly this visit with you.

What we offer you is to receive your friend for the day for 5$ per person.

Anyone entering the property and using facilities would be required to pay 5$. 

Important to note that we will not allow people to stay over for the night. The maximum capacity of the casita is 2 people in Casita Café and 4 people (including children) in Casita Mango. Above that, no one is allowed to stay for the night.

Please make sure to inform your guest of our house rules and plan visitors’ exit around sunset for an easy return home.

Casa Única is a private house with 2 cabins for rent. We can also accomodate travelers on a camping trip.

Important to note that this is based on availability, if we have visitors renting all the cabins on a specific day, we might not be able to welcome additional campers.

Please also note that the gate has an arched roof on top. This limits the entry of vehicles up to 3 meters high only.

In exchange of 10$ per person, we are happy to welcome RVs (max 3m high), motorcyclist camping and any other travelers on a camping trip.

We can provide electricity (note that we tried and an extension won’t enable van A/Cs to work) to keep your fridge, outlets and lights going. 

We can also provide fresh water (non-potable) to recharge your tanks.

We have a shared bathroom with showers, hammocks, resting areas, kayak, and wifi for you!

Please make sure to read the House Rules and respect nature 🙂

We can provide laundry services (5$ per load). We machine wash and hang the clothes to dry.

You can also use the “lavandero” in the back of Casita Café to wash your clothes, bring your own soap please. 

Important for guest staying in Casita Mango, the access would only be available when there is no guest in Casita Café. Please ask before your stay).

You will find a rope to hang your clothes in the back of each casita.

Refund of deposit, or even full value of your stay, are only possible 14 days or more before the check-in date. 

If you request a refund 14 days before your planned check-in date, we will refund 100% of your payment, minus the PayPal fees or the bank transfer fees.

If you request a refund within the 14 days period of your planned check-in date, we will not be able to refund your payment (partial or complete). 

The reason why we do not offer refund within that period is because blocking the dates for your stay means anyone else requesting these dates will be turned away and we consider that 14 days before any date, it becomes very hard to rebook with a new party. 

“El Sendero Caballito” is the trail up and down the mountain, and even go straight to Mirador Congo or the San Juan de Oriente pueblo..

We recommend this trails for adventurers. Here: https://goo.gl/maps/DVqMhyRFx4aze3Vm6

Important Notice: Even if the Laguna de Apoyo is a very safe place, the “El Caballito” trail has had a bad reputation in the past few years. You should explore it lightweight (meaning do not bring any valuables when you walk up the trail in the jungle)..

Bring your hiking boots and a stick and enjoy the trail.

You will see replicas of petroglyphs that are totally worth it. Made by local artisans a few years back. 

There are lots of birds and wildlife around, make sure to look up to see the Howling monkeys. 

You can reach all the way up and visit the pueblo and come back. 

Start from the bottom is 2 minutes away from the house, walk toward the north and you will see a little entry with an old sign (displaying an yellow arrow). Here: https://goo.gl/maps/xHWMmGa9oux8qw7SA

Total time, back and forth 2-3 hours

  • Semana Santa (Holy Week)

During the Semana Santa, which occurs usually on the 1st week of April, the Laguna and the beach in front of the house can get pretty busy with the municipality organizing day and even night events for everyone to enjoy there holiday.

On the weekend of the holy week, usually starting Thursday all the way to Sunday, you can expect many people on the beach and loud music (a favorite of the vacationers!). These dates are somewhat a total opposite of the rest of the year, as we usually have very quiet weekdays and a few people on the beach during the weekends. 

Please be prepared and aware that if you book on these dates of Holy Week in April, the experience will be very different then from the rest of the year. 

 

  • Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve

Nothing to compare with Semana Santa, but these days will have a bit more traffic on the beach. Please be advise that music and festivities can last throughout the night on the 24th-25th & 31st of December.

  • 1st is Masaya

Masaya is the department we are in. But the main town close to us is also name Masaya. 

Masaya is where you can get a SIM card, where you can do groceries (at Maxi Pali or La Colonia), where you can find Arts & Crafts at the Masaya or Artesania Market, etc.

From Masaya you can take a bus that will leave you, either at the entrance of the natural reserve (50 min. walks downhill to us) or sometimes at the bottom of the crater (20 min. walks to us).

Did you know that Masaya also has a Lagoon, and a few nice places to visit. Check the “What to do in Masaya” below for more info.  

  • 2nd is “El Valle”

The Valley actually holds a few “pueblos” or municipalities like Hatillo, Quebra Honda.

The Valley, is actually a zone that follows the road climbing the external wall of the crater from the main road “Carretera Granada Masaya”. It is important to know because this is where you can find loads of pulperias (small markets), fruit stands, pharmacies, independent gasoline sellers, etc. Please note there is no supermarket in the Valley, only small stores. Here is one decent store to find essentials: https://goo.gl/maps/GZoEkvC66D4RB4M99 

  • 3rd is Catarina

Catarina is a large municipality. The entrance of the Laguna de Apoyo on top of the crater is in Catarina. The 10 cordobas fee to enter in the crater is paid to the municipality of Catarina. Here: https://goo.gl/maps/9C2xaGBLgq2pDhuB6

Also Catarina holds the famous Mirador de Catarina. Here: https://goo.gl/maps/JGh1mLJmvjiHgwYbA

  • 4th is our pueblo San Juan de Oriente

San Juan de Oriente is famous for decorative potery, pre-colombino art, and lots of beautiful hand-made souvenir.

San Juan has a nice restaurant (Mirador Congo) to discover an incredible view of the Lagune de Apoyo and the famous drink called “Chicha Bruja”. A must for you to know! Here: https://goo.gl/maps/MXCuckfXEBt8RCrdA

“El Sendero Caballito” is the trail up and down the mountain, to discover petroglyphs and even go straight to Mirador Congo.. we recommend it for adventurers, to be explored lightweight (no valuables when you walk in the jungle).. here: https://goo.gl/maps/DVqMhyRFx4aze3Vm6

  • Dry Season (From Nov/December to end of April)

The drier season lasts 6.2 months, from November 7 to May 14. The month with the fewest wet days in Masaya is January, with an average of 0.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

  • Wet Season (From May to November)

The wetter season lasts 5.8 months, from May 14 to November 7, with a greater than 21% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Masaya is September, with an average of 11.7 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

  • Rain days per month in Masaya, Nicaragua

source: https://www.worlddata.info/america/nicaragua/index.php

 

source: https://weatherspark.com/y/14348/Average-Weather-in-Masaya-Nicaragua-Year-Round#Figures-PrecipitationProbability

 

  • Interesting fact about Sunrise & Sunset

Day light is steady in Nicaragua throughout the year. Be prepared for pitch dark after around 6h30 pm everyday of the year!

The earliest sunrise is at 5:18 AM on May 31, and the latest sunrise is 51 minutes later at 6:09 AM on January 25. The earliest sunset is at 5:16 PM on November 19, and the latest sunset is 57 minutes later at 6:13 PM on July 11.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Nicaragua.

source: https://weatherspark.com/y/14348/Average-Weather-in-Masaya-Nicaragua-Year-Round#Figures-SolarDay

 

  • Interesting fact about the Wind

Wind varies quite a lot at the Laguna de Apoyo, if you want to practice kayak or bring your Stand Up Paddle, better to aim for the month of October. On the flip side, if you want to try your Kite surf on the lake (which you can here at Casa Unica due to a nice large beach in front to stretch your lines), aim for January of February!

The windier part of the year lasts for 5.1 months, from November 30 to May 3, with average wind speeds of more than 12.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Masaya is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 16.2 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 6.9 months, from May 3 to November 30. The calmest month of the year in Masaya is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.8 miles per hour.

source: https://weatherspark.com/y/14348/Average-Weather-in-Masaya-Nicaragua-Year-Round#Figures-WindSpeed

 

 

Check the Casita Mango video here: 

Check the Casita Cafe video here: 

Check the Common Space of Casa Única video here:

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Call us if you have any additional questions in order to avoid surprises during your stay with us