Esteli is not cool.
The amenities you seek are available on a hit-or-miss basis.

Post a Reply

01abuse

Choosing an expat health insurance provider is an important decision. Get a quote from our trusted expat health insurance partner, CIGNA. With Cigna Global Health Options, you can create an international health insurance plan that's perfectly tailored for the needs of you and your family.

Learn More Get a Quote

Yes. Visit first and look around. You will have to make some compromises, but that is life. There are apartment/hotels where you can get a little apartment and you can live in each place, cruise around, shop locally and mix in with whomever.
All those places have facebook pages, join and they will give more of an idea.

Post a Reply

00abuse

How about Jinotega for cooler climate and amenities (as need to rule out Matagalpa and Esteli)? Any suggestions?

Post a Reply

00abuse

Jinotega has the climate you say you seek, if that means plenty of rain along with the cooler temps. Housing availability is a moveable feast and I don't know what it'll be like when you get there, except it will be cheap by Nicaraguan standards. But tie a cat by its tail to the end of a piece of string and stroll downtown Jinotega for hours swinging it playfully around your head, and it'll take a week or more before you ever hit an English speaker with that cat.

Post a Reply

10abuse

ESTELI HAS THE BEST WEATHER IN NICARAGUA I HAVE TO EVERY CITY AND OR TOWN IN NICA YOU WKNT GIND ANYTHING BETTER. YOU TAKE THIS TO BANCENTRO.

GOOD LUCK .

Post a Reply

10abuse

You get the point ,I have been here so long I am forgetting how to spell. Take my friends.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Having been over most of the country, I definitely find Jinotega to be much better than Esteli, climate wise and otherwise, however, by visiting each for 4 or 5 days will give a personal perspective. 2 or 3 during different months will develop a true picture of consistency.

Post a Reply

00abuse

As for "suicidal hotwater", having used these in the 3rd world for 30+ years, I and all others I know are all still living and happy. Internet and the other amenities you desire are all available in each of the areas/towns you have noted.

Post a Reply

00abuse

A most important note: Bicycling in Nicaragua is exponentially more dangerous to life and limb, than the so called "suicide shower". I am most serious about this. No matter what area of the country, I have found absolutely Zero cycle paths and I have witnessed cycle accidents/deaths throughout at an alarming rate. M/Cylcles are the same. Vehicles accidents and deaths are also much too high, as are pedestrian. There are some steps one can take to mitigate some of the risks. Walking in the cities mentioned is relatively safe, as is hiking. Bird watching would be most rewarding when in proximity to either coast but not in all areas. There are a couple of other areas away from the coast which have above average bird watching.

I very recently had the pleasure of 3 varieties locate my 4 week old corn. The local parrot population went from sparse to over 1,000 for several days. Of course our only action was to try various scare tactics to reduce the pillaging, but the my standing order is no harm to any living creature, except scorpions, poisonous snakes and tarantulas. 1 week of feeding the visitors and the resident population is down to less than 150. They are very happy campers to say the least.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Jim is correct about the bicycling. Carnage is the only word for what is happening on the roads. We see bikes around town and it is relatively safe but the open roads are extremely dangerous. The traffic scene cannot in any way be described as leisurely, in towns or on the highway. High speed gridlock is what we see even out on country roads that used to be pretty mellow. We stay off the roads as much as possible.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Lot of nice rural area between Jinotega and Estelí as well.

Beautiful views,, cooler,, safe living.

Two paved roads access Jinotega from the west,, one directly from Estelí, one from Condega through Yalí.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Cool in Nic. means about 1300 meters. The 2 cities with this elevation are Jinotega and Matagalpa. both overgrown farm towns with reasonable amenities for the third world.
The surrounding countryside won't have the amenities and the higher elevations are largely unpopulated.

Another option is get comfy in Managua and visit the higher elevations on short trips.

Post a Reply

00abuse

More baloney from the uninformed poster...."GrandeWhatever". As usual based on sitting on butt someplace else. 1300 meters is 4,000 feet. Plenty of cool air a lot lower than that Jinotepe for one which is close to Managua and Granada...and many others. In any case, Matagalpa is 700 meters so even the basic facts escape him. Third world farm towns...how great a way to describe places...I guess when you are an urban sophisticate like him its fine to denigrate things, people, etc...they way he does from his close in do nothing expat perch. Live in MGA and make short trip for the cool air...does nto even make sense in looking for a place to settle? No, but again consider the ource.

Post a Reply

01abuse

Reality check, life is full of compromises. The amenities are in Managua, the cool air is elsewhere.
Yes, creature comforts are increasing in the the country towns slowly, but nothing like the capital.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Yeah you should definitely do a reality check...maybe up at Matagalpa as you measure the altitude...oh, sorry you never get to the third world cow towns. Stay off the air bubba, you are an embarrassment to those who try to give good advice based on.....yep, reality. As we used to say in the Harbor...you talk like a man with a paper asshole.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Is there a reason why you want to move to only Nicaragua? We were there sometime back and found the people to be mostly very unfriendly (and racist if you are not white). It is also highly unsafe as most of the streets are empty after dark and we were told explicitly not to leave the hotel after dark. We found Costa Rica and other neighboring countries much safer, happier and very pleasant.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Nutso...not much more to say.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Actually looking for a slower pace to life. A small home with a few chickens perhaps, place for a garden, but ability to be adjacent to shopping. I love the cultura that places value on family and not things and ability to seek out others for get togethers as I choose would be perfect.
Not at all interestedted in Costa Rica, or Honduras (my 98 year old mother lives there).

Post a Reply

00abuse

As user dalepues has stated earlier, their choice is Jinotepe for the following reasons:

1. Climate. Temperatures in our (rented) house oscillate from 70 F in the evening to 82 F during the heat of the day. No air conditioning required. No high electricity bills. To enjoy a similar climate would mean living in the Matagalpa/Jinotega departments, possibly Esteli. But living that far inland would also mean an impossibly long drive to

2. the Pacific ocean. We regularly buy fresh fish in Cazares, only eighteen miles away (one of the best highways in all of Nicaragua), and take an invigorating walk on the beach at Playa Hermosa each time we go.

3. Here on the high ridge, 2000 =/- feet above sea level, the drive to Managua is scenic and relatively short.

4. Although land prices are increasing daily, they are still relatively inexpensive. We are looking at a lot, not in El Carmen, for $20/vara. We were quoted $45/vara in El Carmen.

If you know of an area that matches these advantages, please let me know!

Post a Reply

00abuse

Price of land in Jinotepe???? $20/square varas is $80,000 an acre. Huh? $160,000 in El Carmen. There is a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Plain jane lots in Esteli often sell for $50/m2. scary when you break it down like that, but esteli is pricey for reasons having nothing to do with value. Years ago we priced a lot in Jalapa that was about 20% of the price per M2 than esteli.

Keep in mind that asking prices are often much high than I Have Cash, Shall We Booggy? prices.

One has to judge how hot the local market is and how motivated the seller is.

Incidentally, the vara is a legal measurement in Nic., and deeds will have both vara and meter measurements on them, but I view listing a property in varas as psychological trickery because it makes the lot appear much larger than it is. I convert everything to m2 to keep comparisons equal.

Post a Reply

00abuse

So duende, yur saying that a 2000sq mtr lot in Esteli might have an asking price of $100,000?? Thats insane! If accurate...........I didnt think that the upcountry towns had been invaded by extranjeros bidding up the land values already............So just like C.r., Panama and Ecuador, whereever the gringos are concentrated, land values are out of sight and unrealistic........and basically not worth considering........

Post a Reply

00abuse

The prices quoted by duende are like a lot of the info he posts...just not so. He hardly gets around so just spews stuff out to be able to write something. Plenty of 1/2 acre lots around asking 1/2 what he says ...means they sell at 35% 0f his price. Just look online...and those are the expensive ones...if you look on the ground a lot cheaper. A lot with a decent house on it goes for less than his price, so go figure.

Post a Reply

00abuse

@incentralamerica: Are you off your rocker or just a troll? I have been all over Nicaragua (central area and Pacific side, never to Atlantic side, though) and I have NEVER felt unsafe, never been in a situation in where the locals were rude/hostile or unfriendly. (Unlike CR, especially in Jaco). While I don't speak fluent Spanish, I get by pretty well. When I get stuck on a word or phrase, I only get patience and assistance from the person I am talking. I would call that pretty damn friendly.
You also state you were in Nica "sometime back", but do not state for how long, nor the location(s). To judge an entire country / people / culture without actually spending a lot of time on the ground just shows everybody how ignorant and inexperienced you really are.

Post a Reply

00abuse

as always WEll-said and very true!

Post a Reply

00abuse

Leon and Granada are very hot. If you're looking for cooler climate, head to Matagalpa or Jinotega. Esteli is a little hotter that those two.
As for non-suicidal hot water, you'll only find it in very high end housing and hardly anywhere outside of Managua. You may find a rental with a washer, but forget about a dryer, you'll have to provide it yourself, and they are not a common item to be found at local stores. You'll probably have to get it at Pricesmart in Managua.
Internet is not too bad. I suggest you go with the ADSL service from Claro if available where you settle, otherwise, there are some other options, some via dish or wifi. Don't expect the kind of speed you find in the US or other developed countries, I have the 3 MB ADSL from Claro and it is adequate for most internet use, unless you download or upload heavy graphics.
I don't know about orchids, but you'll have plenty of opportunities for bird watching and bicycling. Be aware though that Matagalpa has some very steep hills, being built on the slopes. Esteli and Jinotega, on the other hand, sit on valleys surrounded by hills (they call them mountains here), so the cities themselves are fairly flat. Oh, and do buy a very sturdy lock for you bicycle, they are stolen on a daily basis.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Dumluk
Esteli prices are not driven by foreigners. There are few longterm foreigners here other than missionaries and people with Nic, spouses.

Prices are driven by remittances, government spending , NGOs, and money laundering. When/whether this bubble will burst is anybody's guess, but since there are multiple forces pushing it is unlikely they will all crash at the same time.

The smaller cow towns in the north have prices more consistent with the local markets.

Post a Reply

00abuse

There are lots for sale in the beautiful fertile Monte Livano area on the Jinotepe/San Marcos border. I know of one for sale for 24k for 3 manzanas near where I recently purchased 2 manzanas

Post a Reply

00abuse

Dear Z,
I am mostly focused on the highlands for cooler weather. Jinotega and Matagalpa are on the "must visit" areas for my trip in early November. My mother has a suicide shower and you either get freezing cold at blasting shower, or trickle hot. Is this how it is "supposed" to work...and she has been shocked as well. She, however, lives in hell hole Honduras. The dryer I can do without...I remember the wonderful smell of clothes off of the line when I was a child.! Thanks for he Claro suggestion. Are the city roads cobblestone, or ? I ask for mobility sake.

Post a Reply

00abuse

I beg to differ. Of the locations, Esteli has by far the best climate, 65-80 year round.

Post a Reply

00abuse

However you move to another nation, you will be an outsider and alone either solo or as a couple. Do not expect 'friends and family' to be coming to keep you company for visits. You are on your own. You best to get hooked in with local family ad expect it to take time but build a lasting trust and codependence with them. Do not buy any property for at least two years, and expect to pay cash. Make sure all your immigraton work is done correctly and expect it to take almost a year. lawyers do not keep files or good records. correctly so make sure you get original copies and keep copies of eveything! Immigrayion papers have a time expiration on them so check that carefully. Do not expect loaans fomr banks here after 55 yrs old. Keep US credit cards and banks online credit, as you retire and age it gets harder to get loans and credit, and do not expect to get it here under 40% private interest. Rent for a month or so in all yoru choice locations before settlign anywhere. All offer such different options, you will not know utill you actully live in them for a bit which suits your needs..

Post a Reply

00abuse

Yoyo, the capital of the north is Esteli. Good markets and quite nice and easy to access. I lived near Atenas in Costa Rica, claimed the world's best climate, Esteli may be better. But this is Nicaragua and we do pull up the atreets at dusk and people stay home and get up at dawn when the church bells ring and city alarm goes off to get everyone up to work and school..
This country is not a 'dinner party' society, so don't epect that. You need to find your own niche, make a family here 'yours', so they guide and protect your interets. If you think you ot move to a country and expect to live in an ex-pat community. If you think you can do it alone, move to Costa Rica or Panama. Non-suicide shower/ You are such a novice! Even to get that is rare, but you can get a hot H2O system put in eaif you must have it. Your own water storage tank is much more important an issue. Biking, forget it. I have lived in three LAtin countries as an ex-pat. I have yet to make a friend with any. It is not why I came here, Most I met, particularly in Costa Rica were obviouly hiding something, I do not trust them like I would a poor Nica. Good luck, but a sin
gle woman here...I think you will find yourself moving back to your US roots.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Hi J chip,
Thank you for your reply. I did check out Esteli and loved the weather in the area. Stayed with wonderful hosts near the super Mercado. I have several disabilities and one of them is deafness which would make partaking in a "dinner party society" difficult at best. I have no family ties in the US, so unless it is to tie up loose ends, there is little reason to remain. I feel that the Hispanic culture has what I find attractive. Therefore the solution is to travel and check things out for myself, as I am doing. I do not go out at night, so the fact that the streets pull up at " dark thirty" does not affect me. If I needed the ex pat community, I would no be looking into the areas that I am presently visiting. The first order of business will be to become more secure with my Spanish. As for being a novice...everyone starts somewhere. I am not sitting at home complaining about my life, but busy seeking out those things in life that I enjoy and hoping to find more options to fulfill my dreams. My mother, now 98 and residing in Honduras, left the US in her late 70's, made a new life for herself and is fluent in Spanish, and never wants to return to the US. So, as you can see, it may be in my blood as well. Just the same, thanks for your input.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Have you considered Honduras? There are some really nice areas in Honduras.

Crime is mostly centered in Tegus, San Pedro Sula, and La Ceiba.

Post a Reply

00abuse

Dear Key West,
Thanks, but no thanks for Honduras. My mother has lived in Valle de
Angeles for more than 20+ years and her dearest friend was shot multiple times and died in front of his adopted son at a tire shop. Another acquaintance couple were shot in their car on their drive to a
Equestrian event. My mothers maid had a brother beaten nearly to death. Too many incidences in this small arena for me to consider anything Honduran. (El Valle is considered a "good area" , far removed from Tegu, or SPS).

Post a Reply

00abuse

I know Valle de Los Angeles, considered buying property there before it was "discovered".

It's very close to Tegus . .

I'm in Honduras right now, in Copan Ruinas. Adorable little town, crime free.

We spend time in El Paraiso just over the border from Nicaragua, again, delightful place.

If you want something bigger, Siguatepeque has expats, restaurants, an incredible grocery store at the del Corral center, coffee, climate.

I'm a big Nicaragua fan, and it is a less violent country. I feel though, like Mexico, Honduras has gotten a bad rap. Much of the crime is drug fueled.

Post a Reply

00abuse

I would be careful about the idea that Copan Ruinas is crime free. Our hotel room was robbed a couple of years ago, it was rated #1 on trip advisor at the time. I made the hotel call the police and the nice policeman that came said it was a real problem. The gangs start in Panama and hit the tourist towns all the way up to Mexico and then fly back and start over. The robbers got a card and used it over the border in Guatemala within a couple of hours without any problem. Gallo mas Gallo doesn't ask any questions.

The atm machines are notorious for robbing card numbers. That is why they are so uptight about having guards and letting people in. We had to show passports to use an atm last time we were in town.

Copan is also a hot spot for human smugglers, We know a gentleman who used to be in the business and he says it has not changed much.

We know and love Copan, but we are under no illusions. Last time we were there we stayed at Don Udo's which is heavily guarded and has room safes. Don't stay anywhere without a room safe.

Post a Reply

00abuse