Hotel Spa Granada is Great & Culture Shock

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of going to Hotel Spa Granada located in the core of Granada, Nicaragua.

So long story short, after a late night and an early rising with the mix of a ferry, plane, taxi and bus. Traveling from Managua to Granada is easy. I arrived in Granada with a new friend full of ideas. The first item of business was getting a shave but before that, holy culture shock. The island is so slow, no cars, no random noises and the air quality is stellar. Here, everyone seems to want to make a buck off you, I know nobody and the air is definitely dirtier. That said, let’s talk about Hotel Spa Granada, it’s a gem.

Myself and new friend Camille rolled over to Hotel Spa Granada. I got the deluxe package that only cost like $50 and it included all sorts of treatments like pedicure, manicure, facial and an hour massage. Showed up like a sweaty savage but now sit here quite happy with the salvage job they did. I also quite liked the fact they had a really laid back pool area and a menu that was divine and so reasonable.

Most travelers who come to visit Little Corn say it’s an expensive place compared to the rest of Nicaragua and they are spot on. I was at this spa ordering Greek salads and smoothies for like $3.50 and $1.50 each respectively and this was a nice place. I also loved the selection, Little Corn has many great things but little access to fresh produce and since it’s a remote island, anything you get out of the ordinary has the expected and necessary markup to make it worthwhile for the vendor. I like to say it’s expensive compared to the mainland but cheap compared to the rest of the Caribbean.

I signed up for a shiatsu massage but ended up with an aromatherapy one which could be one of the top massages I’ve had. If you’re not taking some package which I recommend you do, I believe it’s $26 an hour. Afterwards we rolled to some restaurant whose name eludes me but starts with a Z and ordered a steak. I got the filet mignon and guess what, I didn’t care for it so just picked. Call me crazy but steak is quickly sliding off my list of desirable items to see on a dinner plate.

Just writing this feels weird, my body is totally out of whack withdrawing from the “island life”. I’ve also concluded that it’s simply insanity for me to spend more than 4-5 weeks a year there until infrastructure improves. It needs 24 hour power, reliable internet and access to fresh produce or I’m shooting myself in the face. Sure it’s a favorite place but wow, I’ve done NOTHING to progress my businesses in over 3 months, simply maintained…

Those last 3 months on the island changed my whole perspective on sh!t, time for unprecedented and unrelenting growth.

Tips hat,

P.S: If you want to know more about Granada, check out the work I did when I first came in late 2011…