[Mercantides]

Went there last January with my girlfriend. She grew up there so I relied on her completely for communication since I don't speak Spanish. Had a great time.

Spent half the time in Managua with trips to:
Isla de Ometepe - Island made from two volcanos in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. You can climb them both, one is still active but the other has a lagoon at the top that you can swim in. If you're going you should park your car on the mainland and take the ferry on foot.

Granada - has an old European feel to it. A nice place to walk around.

San Juan del Sur - nice town in a horseshoe bay on the west coast. Cheaps hostels to stay in and the food was great, especially if you like seafood. The water was a little cold compared to other places. There's a great beach just 20 minutes north of it but the road was terrible. We'd rented a tiny sedan and it bottomed out a few times.

Montelimar - all inclusive resort that a lot of people from Montreal go to. The beach was fantastic but the food was bland. Only stayed for one day.