My Thirtieth Birthday Destination

For my 30th birthday, I decided to spend it in Nicaragua. “Why Nicaragua?” you ask. The decision was partly made due to the cheap flight (as how many of my travel decisions are made) and partly due to the growing popularity of this country as a tourist destination.

After spending almost a month exploring a few popular areas in Nicaragua, I can see why people recommend it. There are many volcanoes around Nicaragua that you can hike up and even one volcano that you can sled down (Cerro Negro). For a more chill outdoor adventure, there are crater lakes and springs that you can kayak or swim in. Additionally, there are several great spots on the Pacific coast for surfing.

While Nicaragua does live up to its hype as an up-and-coming adventure hotspot, I wouldn’t recommend it as a remote-work destination. It doesn’t quite have a digital nomad community, and my partner and I had some issues with slow internet and power outages.

Uber is also unavailable in most places in Nicaragua, so getting around can be a bit more difficult if you don’t speak Spanish.

That said, I still enjoyed my time in Nicaragua and would return for a surfing vacation in Popoyo or a yoga retreat in Ometepe, where I could disconnect from the internet and enjoy nature.

Granada Recommendations

Our first stop in Nicaragua was Granada, a laid-back city with a rich colonial heritage. It’s situated on the edge of Lake Nicaragua and in the foothills of Mombacho volcano.

We spent a week in Granada and felt like that was enough time. I think 3-4 days is all you need in Granada.

Accommodations

We stayed in an Airbnb for a week in Granada. If you’re interested in staying at a hostel, Hostal de Boca en Boca is a very social hostel in the center. We spent a bit of time here before heading to the Treehouse Party.

Laptop-Friendly Cafes

Gaia Forest Cafe and The Garden Cafe are the two cafes we worked at the most. Both cafes are laptop-friendly and have relatively strong wifi.

Restaurants

Our favorite restaurant experience in Granada was at NM Culinary Granada. This is a fine-dining restaurant that offers a tasting menu. My partner and I like to do tasting menus in different countries as it gives us a chance to experience a different take on the local cuisine. The tasting menu at NM Culinary Granada was relatively affordable, and we enjoyed the food.

Bars

For bar hopping, I recommend Calle La Calzada, a lively street with restaurants, bars, and a lot of outdoor seating.

Activities

The main activity we did in Granada was the Treehouse Party. This is an EDM party that happens every Friday about 30 minutes outside of town. There’s a shuttle from Hostal de Boca en Boca that takes you to the parking lot of the treehouses. From there, you have to hike 10-15 minutes up to get to the party. My partner and I had fun even though we felt a bit old among the college-aged backpacker crowd.

I also recommend visiting Laguna de Apoyo, a lagoon about 20 minutes from Grana