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Investment InsightGranada's Expanding Tourism Sector
Granada, in recent years, has been a sleepy little Colonial City with historical charm and elegance. While it doesn’t have the high rise building growth and shopping malls of Managua, Granada has an amazing variety of restaurants and tourist activities for a city its size. With an increasing number of tourists flowing into Granada every day new restaurants and hotels seem to be popping all over the place. With new services, dining options, and reasonable prices Granada will continue to grow over the next few years. This influx of tourists has led many to open new businesses. Directly on the Central Park several new businesses opened in 2007 including Amsterdam News Cafe, Café Lucas, and Plaza Colon Hotel which includes a corner Wine Bar at Plaza Colon. The Amsterdam News Cafe located next to the Remax office on the park offers a variety of food, juices, and libations. The News Cafe has considerable charm and a welcoming atmosphere. Café Lucas, located opposite La Gran Francia next to the Granada Municipal House, has a low-key atmosphere with a jazzy feel. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner they have a variety of different dishes ranging from Chinese rice and noodles to delicious carne creations (meat). The new Wine Bar located next to Plaza Colon on the park has a surprising variety of wines and a great ambience. Plaza Colon, which opened this time last year, has received great reviews. They offer great service with unique rooms and some with balconies overlooking the Central Park. In addition to those directly on the Park, the Calzada (the walking street adjoining the park) is teeming with new businesses both restaurants and lounges. West of the park the infamous Jimmy of Jimmy Three Fingers has opened a second story balcony overlooking the street for lunch and early evening lounging. An amazing French restaurant has opened another two blocks further west and offers full five course dinners. Safari Lounge a block off the square offers a variety of food in their Zebra themed restaurant. They also have theme nights where they mix things up a bit. A couple Sundays ago I went for Indian food that was excellent and had quite the turnout. East of the square near Kathy’s Waffle house, Garden Café is offering a nice variety of sandwiches and salads (if you go, sit in their amazing indoor garden). There are many more new and old Restaurants, Bars, and Hotels in Granada that offer surprisingly good food for a city this small. What makes Granada amazing is that everything is within a 10 to 15 minute walk. You don’t need a car even to live here and if you do decide that you need to do a shopping trip Managua is a short bus trip away. Those of us who do have cars do make occasional trips to Managua for grocery shopping and other business. The road to Managua and the airport is amazing, four lanes in most places and usually less than a 45-minute drive. Being the Gastronome that I am, I give my seal of approval on the current state of variety and quality of Restaurants within Granada. Making reservations or planning a trip to Granada? Feel free to email me at any time for recommendations on Tourist Destinations / Restaurants / Hotels. By Jonathan Belcher - Laguna, SA Send Comments to ~ belcherj@lagunasa.com
Investor FocusNow Certified Organic Finca Java - New Approach to "Green" Real Estate Investing FINCA JAVA IS CURRENTLY SEEKING ORGANIC COFFEE BUYERS FOR THIS YEAR'S HARVEST! This year's harvest will yield over 40,000 lbs of coffee and they have not even ramped up production to obtain even close to full yields! Contact Us
The coffee produced is certified organic and 100% maintained as part of the community and each year when it is harvested the owner of each parcel shares in the revenues from his parcel. These parcels are located within a 240 acre project directly on the shores of Lake Apanas. The infrastructure is in, the coffee is planted and being improved and the plans are in place for construction to begin on the boutique hotel and fishing lodge on the shores of the lake. This is a very unique investment opportunity and with the road improvements and power generation going in all around the immediate area of this project future appreciation projections look incredible. Finca Java Update - the boutique hotel and restaurant are well under way and will be open for visitors soon! For complete details please Contact Us or visit the web site below. Web site - www.fincajava.com
Proyecto Laguna - Make a Difference!
Web site - www.proyectolaguna.com
Latest News & EventsNicaragua is and always will be in the news and for good reason. Here are some of the latest articles from around the globe....
* This issue's Facts & Figures information is provided by the National Statistics Institute (INEC) located in Managua, Nicaragua. Data for 2007 is incomplete and the tallies were only available through June 2007. Actual numbers are higher. |
In this issueHOT Investment Tip!
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Having just returned to Granada from a holiday vacation I have a strong sense that tourism will be very strong during the 2008 season. Several business owners around town have informed me that restaurants and hotels have been packed over the past two weeks. Visiting Tequila Vallarta on the Calzada (the wide, mainly pedestrian, promenade that connects the Central Park to Lake Nicaragua) I have noticed many new restaurants that have just opened in the last few months. The street was packed with visitors and locals and almost no available tables. This month I have prepared a small guide to Granada and its newer establishments. Although most of the restaurants and hotels I have included are relatively new, there is an abundance of other establishments that have good service and amazing food. If at any time you are planning a trip to Nicaragua or are currently here, feel free to contact me at any time to ask about other restaurants and hotels.
Have you ever dreamed of being a coffee baron or do you long for a nice piece of land that is producing annual income for you while at the same time improving our planet AND gaining appreciation? Finca Java, a very unique and forward thinking development project created by Cristobal Robertson, can provide this for you. Currently, 5 acre hacienda parcels are available for around $50K and these parcels are planted in coffee and precious hardwoods to produce income in perpetuity but they also allow room for a nice home in the Lake Apanas area and many other great features. 
Community outreach and empowerment is an important part of our work here within Nicaragua. We encourage all developers and investors to get involved on some level. Laguna, SA is proud to support Proyecto Laguna, a non-profit company currently working in the pueblo of Diria. The work performed by the dedicated team at Proyecto Laguna is making a difference on a daily basis. Their efforts are supported solely by donations and they need others to get involved. Please view their web site for complete details, even a small donation will make a direct impact in a child's life.
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