This is Heaven On Earth – Our Little Piece of Paradise

Nicaragua

 After sharing all the reasons Nicaragua is the jewel of Central America and why Casa de Cooper is the villa of your dreams, we know you’re intrigued and ready for the experience.

As we said, staying near San Juan Del Sur is the perfect setup for access to food, beaches, excursions, and transportation. Casa de Cooper is situated a convenient distance in town with views of the ocean and valley, and our villas fit couples, groups and families.

Here’s what one couple had to say about staying our  Casita Romantica:

“This is the second year staying at the Casita Romantica. Let me tell you there is no mistake this is heaven on earth. Everything you see in the pictures is that and then some. But to make things even more spectacular the quality of service you get from Casa de Cooper and his constituents ia BAR NONE!…. As you can see I can’t say enough great things about this place! Do not pass go… If you are in the fence this is your house!”

We have multiple villas and properties to choose from, and as our guests  have so graciously said, this truly is a beautiful vacation haven. We would love to host you on your next getaway, because let’s face it, you deserve it! Book Your Stay at Casa De Cooper.


The Best Vacation You’ve Never Heard Of

Safety in a Third-world Country

Everyone wants to see the world from pristine undiscovered beaches to remote mountainsides. But sometimes exploring off the beaten path raises safety concerns in some people. Yet, the most unadulterated countries are developing nations.

While you should generally exercise caution when you travel, you can very securely travel and vacation in a country like the Republic of Nicaragua. Particularly, when you have access to a rental vacation home like the ones at Casa de Cooper.

Why travel to Nicaragua is safe:

 The Terror Threat is Low in Central America

 Though terrorism in recent decades has become an unfortunate threat, many developing countries have the lowest threat level of 1, that is lower than that of the US, Canada and the UK.

(Source: Telegraph Travel)

 According to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report for 2017, Nicaragua, ranked higher in terms of safety than the UK.

How to be a safe, savvy, adventurer

Now that you’re more comfortable with the idea of travel to a nation like Nicaragua, let’s prepare.

Do your research, understand each country’s unique considerations to ensure you’re taking the right precautions.

Choose trusted shuttles and tour guides. Simply speaking with your travel agent, villa owners, and other trusted advisors you can set up a safe plan for getting around.

Set up Google Alerts for the country you plan to visit.

Search through the for information on your destination. Check out travel forums and guides for insider tips on Nicaragua travel.

Discover Nicaragua

Nicaragua is rich in culture, history, and experiences.  As mentioned, Nicaragua is safer than Mexico and the UK according to the Travel and Tourism Report of 2017.

Casa de Cooper is the perfect place for you to immerse yourself in a tropical paradise. We have multiple well-appointed villas, a pool, and out of this world views. You also will feel totally immersed in the Nicaraguan culture here.

A recent guest had this to say:

“We were so blessed to have had the opportunity to stay at this beautiful home for the month of February. The pictures don’t actually do the property justice… it was everything and more than we needed….We have travelled the world and this place is definitely one of our faves – we will be back!”

 We hope you’ll book your stay at Casa de Cooper and have an unforgettable vacation too. Learn more about Casa de Cooper.

 


Birds in Paradise – Nicaragua

Birding In The Rock Marsh of Punta Huete on the North Shore of Lake Managua

By Pat Werner

Birding in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is full of unexpected niches and crannies of beauty.  I recently had the opportunity to go birding in a place I visit occasionally, Punta Huete, on the north shore of Lake Managua.  It is a few km from Managua, which you can plainly see from the marsh.  But to get there it is a trip of 100 km over some bad roads to get to the marsh. The place was famous momentarily in the 1980s when the Nicaraguan government built a MIG Base there. They never put any MIGs on it and so the place has always been peaceful. 

They surrounded the base with a wide minefield and nasty signs of crossbones and the words, ¨campo de minas¨ and ¨peligro¨.  Before the revolution, there used to be swimming contests from the north shore of the Chiltepe peninsula to Punta Huete, which is about eight km away.  And what makes the area so interesting is that the marsh, which is several km long and a couple of km wide, sits in part not on mud but hard rock.  When the water levels permit, you can drive, with a good guide, almost to the very tip of the Punta.  And it reminds me so much of the marshes on the edge of Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron, where I spent so much time with my brother Mike and old friends like Jim Mich, the Gonea brothers,  Lloyd Kramer, and Gary Nearman.  The marsh at the end of Boutell Road outside of Bay City was about the same size, full of sticky mud, and much cooler than the tropical shore of Lake Managua. The place really does look like the cattail marsh at the end of Boutell Road.

To get there at sunrise, we had to leave home at Diriamba at 2:00 am, a pretty painful hour for old folks like me.   Wife Chilo told me I was nuts but got up to make me and my gardener Luis, a quick breakfast. We got there about 5:30 am, after driving around the east end of the lake, going west almost to San Francisco Libre and then south towards Punta Huete itself.  We had lined up a very good guide who knew the marsh and the zig-zag path through the reeds and onto one of the many rock islands found inside the big marsh.

The rising of the Sun brought out thousands of birds and for a half an hour at least the skies were full of all sorts of birds.  Most common were the clouds of migratory wildfowl blue-winged teal, shovelers, and a rare green-winged teal.  Also present in large numbers was the pato chancho, or olivaceous cormorant, coming out for breakfast.  Also searching for food was a couple of ospreys. A flock or two of Loras, or parrots, flew over with their raucous calls.  What surprised me was the number of wood storks that intermingled with the other species. Compared to the other birds they are big bombers. And there were both black-bellied tree ducks and Falvey’s tree ducks peeping with their unducklike call. Me,  I just took my folding  camp chair out of my HiLux, sat is on the rock island where we were, and enjoyed the show.

Another surprising find in the rock marsh is that caimans are coming back.  One Captain, later Admiral, Matthew  Ridgway, present on the south shore of Lake Managua during the War with Sandino, spent a lot of time crawling through the mud hunting the big caimans that were common there.  H

e lost his West Point graduation ring in that mud but bagged a lot of caimans, which are quite succulent.  Most of the caimans were hunted out in the 1950s for their hides, but 70 years of protection has allowed them to come back.  And, in that marsh, there are not a lot of people living there, only a few fishermen who fish there, and some cattle farms around the edges.  No one lives in the marsh itself.

If you go there, be sure to find a good guide, as there are mud holes between the rock formations.  If you get stuck in one of those mud holes it will not be inexpensive to get out of the mud hole.  Ask around for the person who knows the marsh best. I drove to an island very close to the tip of Punta Huete, always in the water, never more than a foot deep, and no mud at all.I could never see the bottom of the Lake  It was pure zig zag and I still do not know how we found the island where we stayed, nor how my guide found his way back, as there are no landmarks, only reeds, and a flowing current.  It was a fun trip.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience.
By using this site, you agree to all cookies in accordance with ourCookie Policy