getting to a hotel from airport at midnight
Submitted by MorningGlass on Mon, 2011/10/17 - 10:35.
im coming into the mga airport and should finish up with immigration around 1am. my destination eventually is SJDS. as i noticed . night time is not the safest time to travel. so i booked a stay with the best western right across the street. many past travelers told me i might even get mugged crossing the street to the best western at 1am. any suggestions?
The Best Western is
The Best Western is expensive, you can just get a cab for less than the price of a room there.
Yes, but....
...for someone who has never been to Nicaragua before, it's very easy. I know that there are better places but I still use it if I've got an early morning flight out (I take a cab to Jinotega when I land or arrange a ride home, about the same price as the Best Western). Depends on your comfort in finding someplace else.
Rebecca Brown
Thats what I always do....
If you have a reservation at Las Mercedes Best Western, they will have really cute girls waiting, sometimes at the airplane door, who will take care of immigratation, get your luggage, pass you through customs, and drive you over to the hotel.. SOme people complain about the place, but I have never had a bad experience. Well worth the price. Good breakfast the next morning. Last time, I hired their van and driver who transported my entire party and luggage to Esteli.
Possible alternative
If you are talking about looking for a room at 1AM, not looking for one may be a realistic alternative. I don't know when the first Managua to SJdS (or Rivas) bus leaves but the first bus from Estelí to Managua leaves at 3:30AM. If it is anything close to that, you may be able to just skip the night in Managua, hang out at the airport or a 24-hour restaurant for a couple of hours and head off to SJdS.
you guys are awesome
thanks so much for all the help. i think i might try and feal it out. then if its ok just walk . if not i guess the shuttle will work.
so stoked to be moving here. cant wait to surf my brains out and live in a new exciting place, hopefully find some work and make new friends along the way!
Something to think about
If you have a hotel lined up, while doing so, explain that you need a late night pick up at the airport to your hotel, they might not have that exact service, but if they are a decent size hotel they may be able to either make those arragements or turn you on to a service that can do so. Make sure you ask how much for the service etc. But the more you prepare ahead the easier it will be. Also if the hotel knows you are going to want to stay a few days, they might be more inclined to go out of their way for you. They all know someone who would probably be willing to do so. Granada would be a logical choice, with a reasonable distance from the airport and many good hotels your odd are good that you will find what you need, and you will wake up in a nice town as well.
you wont have any problems
you wont have any problems walking across the street from the airport. its lit up and you may even see others doing it from your flight. ive done it multiple times solo dragging a big surfboard bag behind me at 1am. i assume your on the spirit flight.
Yep spirit all the way! Got
Yep spirit all the way! Got a flight outa Boston for 138$ one way!
Bienvenidos, MorningGlass
You're gonna love it here!! There is a vivrant ex-pat community in SJDS, WERE YOU'RE GONNA BE, ALSO THE BEST COFFEE/BOOKSTORE in all of Central America, EL GATO NEGRO, TELL 'EM Chris sent you.
Also for Transportation
Contact ELEDA TRANSPORTE at 505/8960.3207, again tell 'em Chris sent you, they can take you all the way to SJDS. They specialize in that!!!
Good price?
Good price?
And
Is the price higher or lower when Chris sends you?!
las mercedas best western hotel
has a shuttle service that takes people from the hotel to the airport and back-i think that getting mugged walking across the street to the hotel is pretty far fetched and plays into the fear factor but always be careful in managua
hi tucker..
i have heard more gringos get robbed in granada than mgs..doug stopped over sat..when u stopping in
Robbed in Granada
Not sure where that comment came from because in my opinion Granada is about as safe as it gets. My wife and I have walked the streets at 9pm and I'm talking away from Central Square and never felt any concern at all. Of course there is going to be some petty theft going on when you've got a poor country with, to them, wealthy gringos wandering about. Unlike some places you are unlikely to ever be physically assaulted even if unlucky enough to have a handbag or wallet lifted.
Managua scares the hell out of me and I race back to Granada as fast as I can. From what I can tell most local Nicas in Granada feel the same way. Perhaps it just a case of the infrastructure not being in place to manage a city as big as Managua. They can barely manage in Granada in my opinion.
From someone who has lived here along time...and seen a lot
"Granada is about as safe as it gets"... your perception - but don't drop your guard.
In and out folk, even tourists (the usual victims) can get lucky, its a numbers game. Although my buddy took his girlfriend there for the day and got robbed at knife point in the street, within minutes of getting off the bus.
Granada isn't an exception, its just where you bought a house so you are more protective of it. The sex trade is more active their too, but if you are not into it, you may not have noticed that either, some of the workers look like a well dressed mom shopping with a teenage kid.
Always good advice to 'pay
Always good advice to 'pay attention' and be alert to risky situations.
For sure I'm not 'into' anything close to the sex trade and frankly wouldn't recognize the signs if waved in my face as completely foreign to my experience. Do remember noticing a few younger women not far from one of the 'bus transit' points that I suspect were looking for trade but sure as hell didn't inquire. Slowly getting to know some middle class Nica's although that's not too easy since on the whole they keep to their extended family and don't associate with 'gringos'.
Still feel comfortable just about everywhere in Granada but don't hang out around the Central Square which is I understand an attraction to petty thieves as well as tourists.
In today's paper
Not trying to scare but show that it is everywhere. Keep the guard up. Its good that operations like these are being planned and executed
http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2011/10/19/hechos/77321
An operation implemented by the Granada Police early yesterday morning, resulted in 14 people arrested, including four teenagers and a woman. Seized three machetes, knives and a variety of other weapons.
The Police Commissioner said the operation was carried out after constant complaints from the public on the aggravated robberies allegedly carried out these people.
"We set up an operation because last night (Monday) we received six reports of robberies committed with machetes," he said.
Commissioner Gonzalez explained that some of these elements already had an arrest warrant and are linked to aggravated robberies, injuries, among others.
"They'll stop at the corners, ask for a Córdoba and if you don't give them one, they intimidate you and steal everything.
and if you do give them one . . .
. . . they'll offer to lighten your burden, relieve you of all that cash & stuff that only serves to mask your true self.
I should have made it more clear
My comment "From someone who has lived here along time" was referring to the poster who bought up Granada robberies and you saying that you were not sure where that came from. I think they have been here a lot longer than me.
They have cleaned up Granada a lot and its about to get few more million spent on it. I envy your proximity to a few good meat restaurants.
Las Mercedes should have a shuttle there to pick you up...
best to confirm w/hotel.
Doors of hope fly open when doors of promise shut. -Thomas D'Arcy McGee
Farmstay in the hills of Managua http://www.elportonverde.com
i dont know about//
1 am..but a lot of the hotels have shuttle services waiting at the airport to grab ure money..i live in managua..and i just catch a airport taxie to take me where i want to go..a lot of the gringos that post on here are paranoid..and are scared to use the airport taxis..
Stay across the Street
at the Best Western (Las mercedes) then get a ride in the morning.
Absolutely best bet
Las Mercedes ( Best Western ) 2 minutes walk, you are at sleep in half a hour.
How are you getting to SJdS?
We have some good reliable pick up services. Iskra Travel, Adelante Express, Explore Nicaragua (Richard Morales) PM me if you need any help.
Doubtful
but anything is possible...excercise some caution going over the roadway and out of the parking lot. They also have PU shuttle at the AP if you are that worried or have lots of bags.ZZT
You are more likely to get run over
crossing the Panam than robbed.
Airport taxis(vultures at the gate) cost about 15 bucks and go directly to your hotel. Or walk across the street to the Mercedes parking lot and get a cheaper taxi. specify `directo``, no stops and no passengers picked up along the way.
If you have reservations, or are staying at Mercedes and are handicapped or something, ask your hotel if they have a shuttle. Las mercedes will set you back about 100 bucks. If their online reservations doesn`t work, call them--they speak English.
Usually my wife rents a taxi and comes and picks me up. Last year this flopped when Continental locked us up on a plane in Houston for 2 hours while looking for a pilot . By the time they let us free, she had already left Esteli and made the trip for nothing. (Major parts of the Panam have no cell service).
``The government is clearly Marxist. The question is whether it is Karl or Groucho``