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N icaraguuaa HaHandbdbook Discover the land of Lakes and Volcanoes Dear Friend and Fellow Traveler, Over the last ten years, Nicaragua has captured the eye of many forward thinking Americans. Nicaragua is now seen as the most pristine beachfront destination in the western hemisphere. It’s a place that’s suddenly popular…a place where investors see enormous returns…and where travelers enjoy a very inexpensive yet exciting and fulfilling vacation. But with all that, there are only a few thousand Americans who can honestly say that Nicaragua has become their home. I am one of them. My name is Michael Cobb. I moved to Nicaragua, along with my wife and our two young daughters eleven years ago. Today it is home to us…the only real home my daughters have ever known. If you want to know about Nicaragua, I am one of the very few Americans who can tell you about it from more than a decade of first-hand experience. It’s my pleasure to do so. The Nicaragua Handbook is a distillation of information and advice Cobb Family enjoying the Cloud Forest near Managua learned from first hand experience on the ground. In the Handbook, you’ll find everything from bus schedules to domestic airline routes along with contact information and website. Each of the regions of the country are described and hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions for each are listed as well as phone numbers and websites so you can check them out before you get here. For people interested in staying longer, or perhaps living here, there are 15 questions you should ask when buyinng property overseas as part of your due diligence process. Quite simply the Nicaragua Handbook is a one-stop shop for a wealth of information. As for me, I fell in love with Nicaragua in 1998, the first time I visited this amazing place. I knew almost instantly, that for me, Nicaragua would be far more thaan a vacation spot. Imagine returning home from a real estate investment trip…and telling your wife that you wanted to leave the US, give up a successful career in the computer industry…to move 2,500 miles away to Nicaragua…where we didn’t have any fami- ly…and where we didn’t know a soul. Oh…and one more thing…we didn’t speak Spanish either. It wasn’t easy. But…wait until you ssee Nicaragua. It was worth it. What will you see? Hundreds of miles of completely deserted coastline, as rugged and scenic as the most beautiful parts of California. You’ll Amanda and Emily Cobb in Granada with their Grandparents meet dozens of honest, smart and incredibly hard working people – folks willing to take part in the modernization of their country and eager for Nicaragua to resume its role as a leader in Central America. And you’ll experience a culture that’s been fostered and cherished giving it a glow that satisfies visitors and residents alike. This place is steeped in old-fashion traditions: religion is still a part of daily life and family traditions come far ahead of almost every other social consideration. This is a place where manners, customers and friendships matter – more so than convenience. This is a place where grandparents liive as part of the family. As different as Nicaragua is from the small town, Western Pennsylvania life of my youth, in all the ways that matter most to me and my family, Nicaragua is much more like home than what we left in the States. Once my wife saw this for herself, it was an easy decision for us to make the move. We have a much more family-centric life here…better friendships…and a much higher standard of living. Trust me:: we couldn’t afford a cook, a maid, gardener, and a driver – essentially ‘round the clock help – if we lived in America. But here, that’s all standard for middle class folks. What you pay for cable TV each month is about what we paay for our domestic staff. Of course, even though it is very inexpensive to live well in Nicaragua, I still needed to make a living. So, along with some partners, I started a company that’s building Nicaragua’s best and most exclusive beachfront residential community – Gran Pacifica. I am proud that, starting from scratch in a country where no new significant luxury construction had launched since the mid-1970s, we have now built a small resort town on the ocean complete with homes, condos, a golf course, restaurant, club house, swimming pool, and neighbors. Yes, neighbors. You see, a lot of folks like us have decided to make Nicaragua and Gran Pacifica their home away from home. And while many Americans have decided to make our community – Gran Paciffica – their primary or second home, I am even more pleased that so many Nicaraguan families have also decided to join us and build weekend beach homes. Gran Pacifica is the closest beach to Managua. Only an hour’s drive, miles of beach, excellent surf, and oceaan side golf are just so easily accessible. Gran Pacifica is a real community. And I’ve watched every step along the way as it grew from a dream and miles of empty beachfront land into a living place with cobblestone roads, hand made brick sidewalks, high speed internet, club houses, pools, eat- eries, and everything from luxury homes, to beach front condos, to affordable villas just the right size for a retired couple. The future of Nicaragua (and of Gran Pacifica in particular) may end up being verry importantt to you, too. You see, Nicaragua is no longer “off the map.” As you are already probably aware, Nicaragua has become a very “hip” destination for eco-tourists, beach-goers of all types and adventure seekers. There are hundreds of thousands of Americans, Canadians and Europeans who can tell you about the physical wonders of Nicaragua and thhe grace of its beautiful people – because they’ve seen it with their own eyes, as tourists. They’re coming back too, year after year. And more than a few have decided to buy second homes here. Real estate prices are still incredibly affordable, by any standard. But…already…in a few pockets of the country, demand for high quality housing has far outstripped the ready supply, creating a situation where investors have done extremely well. I know many early investors who have already made two, three and even four times their money on properties bought in the late 1990s. Whether you have an interest in a second home, a condo, a small beach front casita…or whether your interest in Nicaragua is strictly as a tourist, I would urge you to act quickly to come here. Situations like this are truly rare: Nicaragua was essentially devoid of any investment or development for nearly fifteen years between 1979 and 1994. The people here are rapidly making up for lost time. Nicaragua won’t remain inexpensive and deserted for another ten years. Right now you’ve still got a little time left to get in “on the ground floor.” You really can’t say that about too many other places in the Western Hemisphere. Especially in regards to beach- front property. That’s what makes Nicaragua so unique. So be in touch and plan a visit. Seeing is believing and there’s just so much to see here. You’re going to love it and be glad to made the trip. See you soon. Michael Cobb Chairman and CEO Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort [email protected] P.S. If you are interested in real estate in Nicaragua, don’t hesitate to contact me personally. Like anywhere else, there are good real estate brokers…and not so good. There are hiigh quality developments…and no so high quality. As an outsider, it would be hard to sort things out. But I’ve been here, on the ground, for years and I’m happy to tell you what I’ve seen. P.P.S. One more thing…on a very limited basis, we’re also offering 5 of our luxury Casita Village Golf properties – a two bedroom, maintenance-free house just steps away from a private beach, starting at only $149,000. Homes at Gran Pacifica Resort TABLE OF CONTENTS Maps ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Travel to & inside Nicaragua ................................................................................................................. 7 Economy ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Purchasing Property in Nicaragua ................................................................................................... 20 Gran Pacifica .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Sights by District...................................................................................................................................... 29 Hotels by Region ...................................................................................................................................... 43 Restaurants by Region .......................................................................................................................... 46 Embassy Contact Information ........................................................................................................... 48 Health Information and Medical Facilities ................................................................................... 51 Gran Paciffica Resort - Las Perlas Condos MAP OF NICARAGUA 1 Gran Pacifica Resort www.granpacifica.com NTRODUCTION