Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9am-6pm Mon-Sat, to noon Sun)
. On the southern edge of town, Ometepe's most prolific
artist-photographer has his studio-gallery open to the public. The work draws heavily on
island influences in the Primitivist style. If you can't afford a painting, postcard versions
are on sale. A little further out of town, past the cemetery, is the turnoff to
Finca Samaria
OFFLINE MAP
( 8695-5215;
http://samariahotelrestaurante.wordpress.com
; r per person US$7,
breakfast US$2)
, a beautiful little farmstay option a 500m walk down a dirt road - take a
left just before you hit the water. Rooms are fairly basic, but the farm is lovely, with ham-
mocks and
ranchos
(small houses or houselike buildings) galore in the shady garden that
backs onto a tree-lined beach with some of the best sunset views on the island. The family
serves up simple, hearty meals, and rents bikes (US$5 per day) and horses (US$5 per
hour) to guests.
MUSEOS EL CEIBO
OFFLINE MAP
About halfway between Esquipulas and San José del Sur, look for the turnoff to the is-
down a shady lane off the main road. The
Museo Numinástico
(Coin Museum) documents
the troubled history of the Nicaraguan economy through its coins and banknotes. Across
the road, the
Museo Arqueológico
displays an excellent collection of more than 1000 pieces
of ceramics,
metates,
funeral urns and jewelry, all collected from around the island.
There's even what is claimed to be a pre-Columbian dildo on display. Women may not
wish to hear the explanation for the little hole at the end.
SAN JOSÉ DEL SUR
The other arrival point for
lanchas
from San Jorge is this sizable workaday village. At the
northern end of town, opposite the football field, is the turnoff to
Hotel Playa Santa Martha
OFFLINE MAP
( 2569-4733;
www.hotelsantamarthaometepe.com
;
cabins with fan/air-con
US$30/35; )
, featuring some decent work-a-day little
cabinas
(cabins) down on the wa-
terfront. They could do with a bit of decoration and a good airing but are still a good deal,
particularly if you can get one that fronts onto the beach.
Lanchas
for the 40-minute trip to San Jorge depart from the dock just off the main road
in the center of town at 7:20am and 3:20pm and leave San Jorge for San José del Sur at
9:30am and 5pm. Southbound buses meet the
lanchas
at the dock.
