NicAmigo Revisits Corn Island, Nicaragua Since visiting Corn Island over 10 years ago (click here for archived report), we were anxious to go back again to see if the islands had changed and to relive old memories. While we thoroughly enjoyed our original visit, those memories were not all positive since we can vividly recall being covered from head to foot with dust and dirt during our first visit and finding that we could only stay at a "hotel" that was, shall we say, REALLY primative ... this was all within the first hour of our arrival! Imagine our surprise to find the dust was gone as the road around the island is now paved and there are some wonderful accomodations available to please almost anyone who would visit this remote island located about 50 miles off the Eastern shore of Nicaragua. A rental golf cart is all you need to explore the entire island and nearby Little Corn Island is easily assessable using the readily available water taxis (about a half hour ride ... CAUTION: you might get wet). Land taxis are plentiful (recommended after sundown) and the natives are, for the most part, very friendly. The local children do, however, enjoy shooting spitballs at golf cart riders ... consider yourself cautioned! Other than several hostels on both islands that offer adequate accomodations at very reasonable rates (including Derek's Place and Casa Iguana on Little Corn and Nautilus Dive Shop on Big Corn), there are some hotels on Big Corn Island that you may wish to consider for your visit. The six photos above show the Casa Canada which is the newest and one of the most luxurious on the main island. The restaurant overlooks the ocean on a pleasant veranda and offers delicious and memorable meals for your enjoyment. There is not much of a beach on this section of the island but the sounds of the waves beating against the rocky shoreline is most pleasant. The infinity pool located on the edge of the ocean front wall should suffice for all your swimming and sunbathing needs although a magnificant beach with beautiful white sand and crystal clear water is just a short distance away. February 2008 UPDATE: NicAmigo has written to CasaCanada to report on several shortcomings and to offer suggestions for improvement of services, accomodations and restaurant operations as our recent visit did not live up to our expectations. While still a worthwhile destination for your stay on Corn Island, we were quite dissappointed to experience a downgrading of the facility compared to an earlier visit about a year ago. Even though we made our travel and room arrangements through the CasaCanada office (with a credit card to guarantee our arrival), Atlantic Airlines would not honor the 10% CasaCanada discount as referenced on the CasaCanada web site. We also learned upon our arrival that our rooms had been rented to someone else and we were switched to some lesser quality rooms (one couple was upgraded to a better room when it became available the following day). The main office would not arrange for a golf cart rental and suggested that the rental be done at a hotel across the street (took over an hour to finally get one that worked). Although delicious, the food at the restaurant was not prepared as well and in a comparable quantity (only an opinion, of course) as it was a year ago. The restaurant staff did not appear to be supervised as they sat around in the main dining area and frequently talked loudly among themselves (even shouting to some other workers in the back of the restaurant by the road). Our room (#12) was clean although very basic (only a king bed and no chairs to sit on), a side wall was cracked, paint was pealing off a small section of another wall and the door knob was almost falling off the bathroom door (minor problems, but sometimes small details make a difference in how a visitor enjoys their accommodations). A desk light was missing and one was brought into the room at our request. At check-out, the bill had to be corrected as the charge was listed as $85/night instead of the correct $75/night for this particular room. Is NicAmigo being too critical of CasaCanada? Maybe so; but, we want CasaCanada to remain one of the finest hotels on the island and, hopefully, can bring their operation up to expected (and easily reachable) standards that may assure their success. In our opinion, they just need to pay closer attention to details. Would we stay there again? SURE! The Paraiso Club is probably the oldest resort type hotel on the island and is, in our opinion, the most charming ... the rooms have been recently updated (still pleasently "basic") and are air conditioned. The adjoining beach (a short walk from the main compound) is adequate although you may be sharing the beach facilities with several friendly local natives. The food is very good and the management is friendly and accomodating. The road leading to the entrance gate is the old style dirt/dust type and you might find the surroundings somewhat questionable although we do not know of any reported problems in this area. We found the Paraiso Club to be a very nice hotel fitting appropriately in the tropical island setting. Located on the lee side of Corn Island, the Arenas Beach Hotel has, possibly, the most potential as an upscale tourist destination on the island. The beach is magnificant with it's beautiful white sand, crystal clear water and calm ambiance. Beach facilities are excellent and even includes a "pirate bar" for beachfront libations! Each individual cabin features wall-to-wall beds with accomodations for up to 11 people. More comfortable rooms for singles and couples are located in the main hotel building (NicAmigo would arrange the accomodations differently; but, who knows ... I might be wrong). The kitchen and restaurant facilities were very clean and the food was excellent. The waitstaff were wearing uniforms and standing at attention. First class operation! There is now a scuba shack and the owners are excited about installing a swimming pool and other facilities at the resort in the future (including outside cottages for singles and couples). NicAmigo highly recommends the Arenas Beach Hotel for your accomodations on Corn Island. For more details about Corn Island including photos, a complete accomodations listing and suggested attractions, please visit the very informative Corn Islands Nicaragua website. Also, an article written by Diane Wedner about both Big and Little Corn Islands recently appeared in the LA Times (includes an excellent video). Another source of information is available at ViaNica where you can look at a map and several photos. Another collection of outstanding photos of both islands by AdamJason can be found here... Remember to observe normal safety and security procedures while visiting Corn Islands. Travel at least in pairs and you should avoid night-time wandering. Problems are rare but "common-sense" caution is adviseable. There are several flights to/from Corn Island on 2 local airlines every day using the Managua airport. Flight reservations and hotel bookings may be prearranged using any of the several local travel agencies on the mainland or directly with the airlines and/or hotels. Traveler's Note: Be sure to go around to the front of the airport upon your arrival to place your name on the list for your outbound flight. Your ticket does not guarantee a seat on the airplane unless your name is on that "list"! A trip to Corn Island is a most interesting adventure either as a side trip or even as a comfortable and relaxing destination. ENJOY ... we certainly did and we think you will, too! Return to NicAmigo Home Page