Totoco Eco Resort

Totoco is what I imagine heaven would be like! It's hard to do the property justice in photos but you're surrounded by tropical flowers and butterflies, with stunning views of Volcano Conception and Lake Nicaragua. It's an incredible place to relax and enjoy nature. We sadly only visited Totoco for a couple of days, but I attended a really special cacao ceremony and an amazing yoga class. The teachers and everyone at Totoco were so kind and welcoming. The food and drinks we had at Totoco were some of the best we've had in Nicaragua. The traditional breakfast is not to be missed! We tried a few variations at hotels and restaurants and this was my favorite by far. If you haven't stayed at an ecolodge before you should take into consideration that the rooms are not equipped with AC (ours had a fan that did the job). The bathroom in our room (Nim) was open air, which was so lovely. The shower had solid water pressure and plenty of hot water. Our room was equipped with a compost toilet that was surprisingly clean and comfortable compared to another one we had at an AirBNB. We had no issues doing our business. Our room wasn't fancy but it was nicely decorated and very comfortable, with a net around the bed to keep bugs out. Totoco is located at the end of a long and bumpy road, and the property is dark after the sun goes down. We used our phone flashlights to get to our room. We rented an ATV for a day and that worked out great to get to Cascada San Ramon. We took a taxi to Playa Mango to watch the sunset, which was magical. I absolutely loved our stay at Totoco and hope to return for a longer visit someday!

Stayed here for three days. My room was refreshed daily. No toiletries of any kind which was very odd. Our inside light fixture was a hanging light bulb missing the cover. No fitted sheets which was somewhat annoying. Hot water outside shower with view of volcano. No hot water in bath sink. Air conditioning wasn't needed, but I did keep the fan on. The drinks and food were fairly priced. Daily water replaced. 2 bottles. Candles. Our bathroom door malfunctioned. A repairman spent 45 minutes with a drill. It still didn't work. No deal breaker. The pool looked like it had better days. Cloudy water and not that stunning advertised as an infinity pool. No mosquitoes with strong winds. The staff were sometimes slow. One day they had a birthday party in front of guests which is unusual by American standards. All in all it was a good stay. Some of the room walls could use a good cleaning. The place has a lot of potential, but missing are the small details that can make a property special to want to return. Do better. The money will be there with return guests.

So let’s start with the one good thing about Totoco; the setting and views are sensational. Concepcion towers magnificently and is an ever-present and stunning backdrop. The lodge however is a disaster. Poorly maintained (our bathroom door handle fell off on arrival), it has clearly been left to rot by its new European owners. We were advised in Granada by another hotelier that it was not what it once was but this little prepared us for a pool that is falling to bits, broken tiles throughout including in the bathrooms, leaking thatched roofs long overdue replacement, barely edible food, torn mosquito nets and so on. How they justify up to $100 a night for this dump is baffling. We stayed four nights and were the only guests for three which was not a surprise. The staff were pleasant - it is not their fault after all - but with so few guests these were kept to a minimum so sometimes they couldn’t provide simple services like making cocktails or finding ice. It’s such a shame as Totoco could be paradise if the necessary investments in new plumbing, new beds, redecorating, new roofs etc could be made. Currently, the owners are taking the money and running. One separate point to note for information is the walk to/from charming Balgue. It’s exactly one mile and a walk we enjoyed day and night. However, it’s not for the faint hearted. The track is steep and also very uneven in parts, suitable only for four wheel drives and ATVs. At night some quite scary dogs can also come for you! Be prepared. We have been travelling in Central America for six weeks and this has been our poorest stay by far which is sad as Ometepe is beautiful and should feature on everyone’s Nica list.