Client Testimonials

We believe we offer the best vacation experience that Nicaragua has to offer. But don’t just take our word for it!  Hear what our clients are saying about Nicaragua Vacations:

Hi James,
We LOVED Nicaragua! It was certainly all that I had hoped it would be and more. Overall, it was a fabulous experience and we had almost no issues. Working with both you, and the guides and drivers was a pleasure.
Although I have no need to make Managua a part of the itinerary in the future, I am so glad we had a city tour. Our guide was awesome and the Spanish/Latin American history teacher in me loved this tour most of all! Our guide was so informative, forthcoming with tons of information and answered so many questions, etc. Los Robles was lovely and comfortable, too and the staff was welcoming and kind.
We loved Granada! What a cool little city! Patio del Malinche was fabulous and the staff was very warm, welcoming and helpful! We had some delicious meals all around the city and would absolutely go back! Our guide here was great, too.
Juan Ramon, who was our driver, all but the first night we arrived, was outstanding! He was so personable and friendly and also acted as a ‘guide’ in a way, when we didn’t have a guide with us. It was truly a blessing to have him as our driver.
We are certainly hoping to return to Nicaragua, sooner rather than later, hopefully. There is a lot of country left to see and explore!
James, we can’t thank you enough for helping us plan such a fantastic trip! We look forward to working with you in the future!
Alicia Shippy, New York, April 2013

Hi James,
Thanks so much for the note. The trip was FANTASTIC, seriously the best vacation I’ve ever been on and it’s all thanks to you and your team! Everything – from the hotels to the tours/tour guides, restaurants, airport transfers, staff, etc- exceeded my expectations. I fell in love with Nicaragua and the locals, it’s truly a beautiful country and I can’t wait to go back! I’m certainly keeping your information on file to book another trip in the future and am sharing it with friends who are planning honeymoons, getaways, etc. Thanks so much for an unforgettable experience…I miss Nicaragua already!!
Jodie Cantrell, Indiana, March 2013

The staff at Punta Teonoste were incredible. The doctor even asked my daughter to come next spring break and work with him in the clinic close to our paradise. She is studying pre-med/global health at Michigan State University! Not too shabby. We plan on returning with the entire family next March for 2 weeks. I would not have changed a single thing about our trip, IT WAS AMAZING.
Kelly Schoeppner, Oregon, March 2013

Dear James,
We want to thank you for the vacation package you put together for us, we had a wonderful time. The drivers and guides did an excellent job from the time they picked us up from the airport and took us back again. We especially want to thank Claudia for her help in moving us to a different hotel from the one we booked. In Granada the room we had was too small for us and she managed to book us into a larger room at the Hotel Dario. It made all the difference and we can’t thank her enough. On Corn island, the hotel Casa Canada was beautiful, the staff very friendly, good food, the 7 days we stayed there went by too fast.
Ralph and Vera Jones, Texas, January 2013

You did an awesome job!!!! Everything was planned perfectly and went smooth. The versatile itinerary was perfect from transfers to resorts. Nicaragua is beautiful, the people are great and the food is excellent. Loved the private and pristine beaches on Little Corn. The boat ride there was quite an adventure!! Stayed in five different areas and locations and they were all “GREAT”!!!!
Linda Schwarz, New Jersey, January 2013

James,
The trip was A-MA-ZING!!!! Everything was so perfect and seamless. It is actually the best trip we’ve ever had. My husband was so thrilled! And Jicaro was incredible. It was like living on Fantasy Island. I have told all of my friends and I will definitely recommend you to everyone. Thanks for everything.
Annette Melvin,  New York, January 2013

James,
We are back in the USA I am sorry to say. I would have loved more time in Nicaragua. The itinerary you put together for us was perfect. Our trip could not have been better. Thank you for everything. You did a great job!!!!!!
Larry Friedman, Nevada, December 2012

James,
Thanks for your help during the trip. We are home safely and had an incredible time. Everything was just wonderful…and I am so glad we did make it over to Little Corn Island. Little Corn Beach & Bungalow is really such a special place!!! I just loved it and wish we could have snorkeled but you can’t change the weather. We LOVED Nicaragua and all the places you sent us to. Many thanks.
Fran Talarico, Massachusetts, November 2012

Hi James,
We just came back from Nicaragua. I want to to tell you that your choice of the hotels was magnificent. Hotel El Convento is a piece of art by itself. Everything worked pretty smoothly – tours and transfers. Thank you very much for your help. Are you doing only Central America or South America too? It was a pleasure working with you. Thanks.
Sofia Zinkovskaya, Ohio, November 2012

Hello James,
We made it home safely from our vacation early Saturday morning. We loved Nicaragua, even more, in my case, than my previous time there. The transfers were excellent and the tours that we did were equally fine. San Juan del Sur was new to me and very nice, as was our visit to Leon. I plan to visit Leon again as our time was very short and it is a fascinating city with history that I am interested in. In all cases, our guides were competent and informative. I am very impressed that you were able to put together such a nice itinerary in such a short time. Many thanks for that.
Alexandra Dixon, Washington, November 2012

James Dyde was great. He answered all of my questions, set me up on a payment plan. Very helpful and accessible! I really appreciate the travel process with Nicaraguan Vacations. The resort was perfect. Exactly what I was looking for in traveling by myself. The food was awesome and the beach was intimate. I felt like I had the entire resort to myself.
Ferdinando Taviani, Louisiana, October 2012

Hi James,
Our vacation to Nicaragua was great! I love it! You arranged it so perfectly! Nicaragua has so many beautiful things to discover! Your services were great and certainly I will refer it to our friends.
Thank you!
Yohanna Gonzalez, California, September 2012

The trip was fantastic: I have traveled in Costa Rica and Guatemala on several occasions – They are a bit more polished and tourist-ready. Nicaragua has a ways to go – but is inherently beautiful. I am glad you are including Nicaragua in your business plan. The country deserves better than it has had in the last oh… 100 years. On specifics: the boat/ bicycle trip was worth the price! (Bone rattling bike ride and not meant for cowards but absolutely fun experience) …. The city tour was good – guide was just fine…. Hotel Dario was fantastic – and reasonably priced.  The transportation to and from Aqua Wellness was reliable, efficient, and polite.  Aqua Wellness is a fantastic place – not for children or elderly however given the 210 steps from top to bottom. The beach is absolutely out of this world great… monkeys, butterflies, birds, etc…. so the pictures which are beautiful could not possibly do the place justice.  I will, of course, recommend your company (and Nicaragua) to friends and family.
Pauletta Otis, District of Columbia, September 2012

I have not used travel agents before, but a friend recommended that I contact James Dyde for help in planning our trip to Costa Rica and what a difference it made in the superb quality of our vacation. Having transportation prearranged was a godsend and we were delighted to find every driver punctual, friendly and excited to point out and explain the sites surrounding us. We took a number of tours with wonderful guides – all clearly loved their jobs and went out of their way to make our explorations memorable and answer our many questions. And we were very pleased with each of our accommodations, as well as their variety. We had not planned to include Nicaragua in our travels, but did at James’ suggestion with great results. James just seemed to get what we were looking for in a vacation with our adult kids and planned a very creative itinerary. We loved entering Nicaragua by boat on the Rio Frio, and the contrast between Granada and our yoga/surf retreat at a remote Pacific beach. With everything taken care of for us, we were able to really relax and enjoy a wonderful trip.
Loretta Lowrey, California, July 2012

Hi James,
I hope everything is well with you. I was very pleased with my vacation last week, I loved Aqua Wellness Resort. The experience all and all was great. Thank you very much for all your help. Have a great day.
Holly Herrera, California, June 2012

Good Morning James,
Here is the scoop:
1st place – Luxury life
2nd place – Pure life
3rd place – Real life
Let me explain. Pelican Eyes was amazing. It had beauty, it had a great little town, a great place to party on the beach front, wonderful food totally the best 1st place to go. And also tons of steps. 2nd place, Aqua Wellness Resort, again lots of steps, but this place brought us back to reality, we arrived to no electricity, it is 98 degrees , but did reading on this and knew to expect that this could happen, and knew the answer was to have a cocktail, however along with no electricity means no ice means warm cocktails, so at first we thought you have got to be kidding we just left Pelican Eyes – WHY??!! But then we figured it out. PURA VIDA! I met a girl there, she was there for 5 days already staying for another week for the yoga and meditation and then it clicked – what more could we possibly want? We have it all… private beach with all the beauty and amazing sunsets, surrounded by nature and best of all I could enjoy the man of my life without the hustle and bustle of the outside world except for the monkeys. And thank you for that. The 3rd place was perfect. After having pure life to see the real everyday life. Hotel Dario in Granada was a perfect location in the middle of everything and life was happening there. Great food, wonderful people, great tours with a great tour guide, Eduardo. We saw poverty which broke your heart but the people were happy and lived such a simple life. I will be back to Nicaragua next year. I am hoping for 3 weeks if you can work your magic again that would be great! Also if you can send me your business card as I have a hair salon and as you can tell I like to talk a lot! Thank you you did a great job with all of our places and I learned a lot of life lessons. AMAZING!
Michelle Regec, Pennsylvania, April 2012

Hi James,
We are back safely now. We had an amazing time in Nicaragua. You did an exceptional job orchestrating the trip. We loved the experience and our kids were ecstatic. We really liked how you set it up so that we gradually drifted south. Starting with Leon was a good first stop. Granada was a great next step and San Juan del Sur was really fun and relaxing. Your team was great accommodating some last minute requests. We added a tour through the sawdust carpets and a trip to have our kids take an art class from a local painter in Leon. We also hired a guide to take us on a “food tour ” of great authentic local foods in Masaya and Granada. Overall, a great trip. Don’t be surprised if we are calling again to do another trip next year in Nicaragua. We want to check out the Corn Islands and the Caribbean side. One comment for what it’s worth would be to put together a list of really good places to eat. When we asked for suggestions from hotels etc. we were given really crappy places that were geared toward tourists. Overpriced club sandwiches and freaking tostones. But we came to find that the local food was exceptional so long as we stayed away from places with menus in English.  Anyway, just a small suggestion. We’d love to refer you (and will, given how happy we were). Thanks again!
Christian Payne, California, April 2012