But how relevant is it? Its fully enclosed with straw thatching, but exposed to the outdoors, and the water simply flows down into the sand below. We flew to Managua Airport the evening before on American from Miami, and we spent the night at the Hyatt Place Managua. When staying at Calala Island, getting there is half the fun at least if youre a thrill-seeker like me. If they are charging $2800 per night to stay at a tiny remote island (which is basically extortion for a country as undeveloped as Nicaragua), they should include a helicopter transfer with a stay of at least 3 nights. . It was awesome to be able to frolic in the ocean merely steps away from our front porch, before retreating to the hammock with a drink in hand. With only 4 luxury beachfront suites, exclusivity comes as standard; and with a team of 25 staff for a . how do I get there - Tripadvisor Platinum members get access to a Discord chat server, participation on exclusive livestreams, and even better discounts and early access. We were assigned Suite 2: Kakabila. Why Does This Weeklong Trip Cost $1 Million? Our boat captain expertly navigated through the windswept waves. Such is the sheer exclusivity of an island with only four villas that youll hardly notice the other guests throughout the day, unless its time to gather for meals or drinks. When I think about the best meals Ive had at nice hotels and resorts around the world, this surf and turf at Calala Island very much ranks up there and the fact that it was entirely included in the stay, drinks and all, simply adds to the gloss. Calala Island - Luxury Private Island in the Caribbean (Housekeeping at Calala also includes simple laundry: if your clothes have been soaked or soiled from the days activities, simply leave them in a pile and theyll be returned the following day after a quick wash.). And I think our ride to the island was rougher. Calala Island is a 9.5 acre private island located in the Pearl Cays, a region of the Caribbean Sea, just off the coast of Nicaragua. Transfer to Calala Island As promised, Nestor met us at the domestic terminal exactly at 5:45 a.m. Enduring this is the cost of admission to Calala Island, I guess. As Shorvin and the rest of the staff members brought our luggage over to our villa, Claudia and Leon brought us over to the islands main pavilion to complete our welcome formalities (in addition to offering us some towels to dry off from the ocean!). We chose early transfer in both directions, which means that we were actually leaving at 5:30 in the morning from Calala Island. If youre looking for a getaway with a unique mix of daring adventure, exquisite gastronomy, cultural exploration, and rustic island charm all at a spectacular value using World of Hyatt points then Calala Island is your dreamland. Calala Island, Calala Island: 50 Hotel Reviews, 253 traveller photos, and great deals for Calala Island, ranked #1 of 1 hotel in Calala Island and rated 5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. Gold members get exclusive content, ad-free browsing, and entry-level discounts and early access to events and products. By the time we had to say goodbye, Calala Island felt like a family to us, one that we couldnt wait to revisit sometime in the future. Thats an emotion that I hadnt encountered at any other luxury resort thus far. To give you a sense of the distances: The domestic terminal at Managua Airport is to the side of the international terminal. 6 Canary Islands Helicopter Transfers - Charter a Helicopter Theres not much else happening on this eastern half of the island, which makes the spa something of a sanctuary of its own. Pictures cant do justice to this, so you can see a video here (the first 30 seconds is in the mangrove area, while the last 60 seconds is from the open sea): When we were on the open sea, Ford started asking me already about what the other options were for leaving Calala Island, as he was seasick, and had terrible back pain. I was holding onto the railing for dear life as the speedboat bounced up and down for about an hour. Even once you get to Managua Airport, your transfer to Calala Island includes planes, cars, and boats. Calala Island is in Nicaragua. We had quite a wait, and then 30 minutes later we departed for Bluefields, again with a nearly full load. Calala Island | Luxury Hotels in Nicaragua | Black Tomato This reminded me of the boat ride from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island on a speed boat. There are no freebie luxury resorts worth that kind of transfer imo. I hope your backs were okay. Lucky, I've done two hours up the Sepik River in pouring rain, just me and the small boat operator (smaller them your boat) and hours long trips down the rivers of Borneo, both similar to the mangrove part of your trip. First up, the boat makes its way through the surrounding lagoon. Based on my research, the flight operates in one of the following ways, and you dont know until the day-of which route they take (even though they publish schedules as if its certain): It seems that they decide which route to operate based on what people booked on a particular date. Id recommend bringing a sturdy pair of sandals so that you can confidently wade in the water without prickling your feet. The ATR42 is pretty nice for a turboprop, and we had our choice of seats. Related: Private islands and space flights: 8 of the most exclusive travel experiences you can book with points Calala Island CARISSA RAWSON/THE POINTS GUY I actually bit my tongue for most of the ride because I figured Id I didnt then the hard crashes on the waves might make my teeth crack as they slammed together. World of Hyatt members can therefore redeem 40,000 Hyatt points per night for a highly aspirational stay at Calala Island. Calala Island: Paradise and luxury if you can handle the boat transfer - See 53 traveler reviews, 268 candid photos, and great deals for Calala Island at Tripadvisor. Chase Bonvoy Boundless Visa: Five Free Nights Worth 250,000 Points! Note that theres an additional list of premium spirits that you can opt to pay for, although we were totally happy with ordering from the regular drinks menu to our hearts content. I figured a 2,400 word intro post about how to get somewhere was sufficient, so I didn't want to make it any longer. While the boat ride from Bluefields was something that I personally relished as an adrenaline junkie, youll probably feel less enthusiastic about it if you prefer a more serene start to your island getaway. Its time to review my recent stay at Calala Island, though I first want to write a separate installment about getting to Calala Island. 1 / 8. After dozing off for the second half of the one-hour flight, I watched with avid interest as our pilots made a smooth landing at Bluefields Airport. After quite a long journey, beautiful Calala Island was finally in sight. We have reservations in May and are wondering what is going to happen. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Sorry for random ?. The bathroom consists of a counter with double sinks. Hope you and Ford recovered quickly lol. The six of us on the island ourselves and two other couples gathered at the show kitchen and chatted over drinks before eventually digging into a few delicious helpings of jerk chicken (and any other lunch items we wanted to order). Calala Island is a private island located in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of an archipelago of islands known as the Pearl Cays, off the coast of Nicaragua. Breezy rooms are accented by white drapery and shell accessories that . Boat and helicopter transfers are provided to the mainland, where the resort's guides can lead you to a world of lemurs and chameleons, and a mosaic of unexplored coves. From Crawl Cay, we took the boat to swing by a few other islands, without landing. Seems like either that's a really weird boat to be doing that, or they need to put some weight up in the nose of the boat. It was so bumpy I bruised my tailbone and had trouble sitting and laying down for many days afterwards. Villa Policies Check-in: 4:00PM Check-out: 10:00AM Children are welcomed Pets require prior approval and non-refundable pet deposit Non-smoking Villa While breakfast and lunch were always delicious, its the dinner service where Calala Islands incredible culinary team and service staff truly shine. I can only imagine dreaming of a romantic vacation at a luxury hotel then finding yourself bobbing up and down on a fishing boat. I hope you get him a helicopter back. Calala Islands spa is perched on its northeastern corner, accessible via paths and boardwalks from either the northern or southern coasts. Calala Island is a small 11-acre island that forms part of the Pearl Cays, sitting 4 km off the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea. Next to me, Jessy had her hood over her head the whole time, her eyes slammed shut in fear. Theres an outdoor table with two chairs, which was the perfect place to sip on some Nicaraguan dark roast in the mornings or a cocktail in the afternoons. Price is approximately USD $7,000 each way. The first two meals of the day are meant to be taken casually at your leisure, but dinner is always dressed up as a more fulsome experience for the guests. On the second night, it was time for a decidedly different kind of activity: a crab race! The nearest international airport is Managua. However, the reason I came to that conclusion is because I know they do this every single day, and I assume nothing usually happens, and not because I actually wasnt at least a little bit scared. Calala Islands four beachfront villas (or cabanas, as they like to call them) are named Awas, Kakabila, Lafe, and Orinoco, respectively. With the storm continuing to surround us, it was only safe enough to make landfall on one of the nearby islands: Crawl Cay, home to another proposed resort that was abandoned in the middle of construction. Jessy opted for a Rejuvenating Facial massage on the second day, which cost US$115 not unreasonable compared to what other comparable resorts around the world might charge for a 60-minute treatment. It was truly a meal to remember. 100.56 Km. We sat down with some delicious coconut chips to snack on, along with welcome drinks of our choosing. The bed is definitely on the harder side, which I didnt find to be a problem, but it might not be the most comfortable if you prefer softer sleeping surfaces. Heading out onto the front deck, then, lets take a look at the outdoor facilities that complete the Junior Suite. I was a bit surprised that Ben would mention feeling "safe" at the dock. Also, 7am is the earliest that your coffee or tea can be delivered, since thats when the staff get to work in the mornings, which we found a bit inconvenient when we wanted to wake up at 5:30am to catch the sunrise.). Mandy confirmed with me the PCR testing requirements for entering Nicaragua, as well as any dietary preferences and special requests that we had for our stay. Take the daily housekeeping for example: housekeeping is carried out twice per day, once in the mornings and once in the evenings.

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