The Unknown Ahead

After a two hour boat ride through Nicaragua and out into the Caribbean Sea, you’ll find yourself on the remote island of Calala. This gorgeous all-inclusive resort is the entire island. With only six rooms, that means you practically have an entire island to yourself. 

My guess is that you’re wondering what the price tag is going to be for the luxury of an entire island that’s also all-inclusive…it could be free! Hyatt has partnered with Small Luxury Hotels (SLH), so you can book your stay using nothing but World of Hyatt points (about 40,000 points per night). If you book through Calala’s website, it’s over $3,000 per night for a private cabin and all-inclusive food and drinks. It’s definitely a great use of points, if you have them. We used our Chase Sapphire Preferred card and converted those points to Hyatt. My husband is obsessed with getting good value for points, so if he was excited to use them for Calala, it has to be a good deal.

How do you get to the NiCaribbean?

Calala is located off the coast of Nicaragua in Central America. It’s a bit of an adventure to get there, but worth the effort for a bucket list trip. You have to fly into Managua, take a smaller plane to Bluefields on the coast, and then take a two hour boat ride through mangroves and then out into the ocean. But part of the luxury of Calala is that they are with you nearly every step of the way. A staff member meets you at the airport and basically holds your hand. You get to skip the line at the airport and are ushered right into the waiting room to hop on your 40-minute flight to Bluefields. Once you land, staff members grab your luggage for you and escort you to the boat. You all ride together in Calala’s private boat right up to the hotel’s dock. All the while, the hotel’s manager is texting you on WhatsApp to make sure you’re comfortable. I was really impressed with the logistics! AND they bring you a snack, water bottle, and coffee.

The smaller plane that takes you to Bluefields can be a little unpredictable. They also fly to the Corn Islands, so depending on how many people are there that day, they make last minute decisions about the size of plane needed and which routes they’re flying first. Just go with the flow. On the way to Bluefields, we were on a small but “normal” plane. On the way toward home, however, we were on a tiny plane. It made my heights-aware husband a little nervous, but it was totally fine.

The boat ride was really beautiful. They wrap up all of your luggage in plastic bags so nothing gets wet. They also offer rain gear if you don’t want to get splashed. We were lucky with the weather, and our ride was a joy. If you’re prone to seasickness, take a Dramamine before you hit the open ocean. We opted to stop halfway through our trip at a little cafe in Pearl Lagoon. Not only did it break up the boat ride, but it was also nice to grab a coffee or beer…you’re on vacation after all!

An interesting thing to note is that locals speak English here. When visiting Managua or Granada in Nicaragua, everyone speaks Spanish as you would expect in Central America. But on the coast, English and Creole are the main languages. Nicaragua was part of the slave trade, so people on the coast are mostly Black with historical ties to Africa and Jamaica. There are also indigenous languages spoken such as Miskito. The history of Nicaragua is really fascinating.

We visited Granada before going to Calala. If you’re interested in learning more about Nicaragua, check out my post on Granada!

Welcome to Calala

You’re met at the pier with live music, the staff is there to greet you with a wave, and a coconut drink is popped in your hand. The manager, Claudia, whisks you away for an orientation while your bags are brought to your room. Claudia is amazing. She is a little bundle of energy and knows every inch of the island.

The rooms are stunning. Each of the six rooms was carefully designed to face out into the ocean and maximize your privacy. There’s a large bed, plenty of storage space for your clothes, a separate bathroom, and an outdoor shower area. Everything is thoughtfully placed so that you always have an amazing ocean view. There’s also a terrace for your morning coffee, a hammock, and these super comfy bean bags to sit on and watch the sunset every evening.

Although Calala is luxurious in many ways, be aware that the rooms are somewhat similar to “glamping”. There’s no air conditioning, but there are two large ceiling fans that keep the air moving. We slept with both sets of french doors wide open all night and loved the breeze and sound of the ocean. You’ll find little geckos in the room and there are a few bugs, but no mosquitoes! We loved the indoor/outdoor feel of the room, but it might not be everyone’s idea of luxury. They also leave you a gift every night, like a bottle of rum or a little wooden turtle. It’s a really nice touch.

The grounds are immaculate. One side of the island has a lovely beach, good snorkeling, a pool, lounge chairs, a swim-up bar, an area for lunch, and is equipped with books, yoga mats, kayaks, and paddle boards. There’s also a bathroom, so there’s no need to go far. The opposite side of the island features another beach with an idyllic swing in the ocean, a larger spot for dinners, a bar, a pizza oven, a bathroom, and the main kitchen. There’s also a little spa if you’re interested in a massage. All of the walkways are sand and are meticulously raked so it feels like you’re the only person on the island leaving footprints in the sand. You can walk around the entirety of the island in just a few minutes.

The Food

Beach BBQs, cooking classes, local specialties, a 7-course wine pairing menu, and lobster galore. The food here is soooooooo good. There’s even a menu for various types of coffee beans!

Let’s start in the morning. You choose your coffee and a time for delivery in the morning. Since we slept with the windows open, we were usually up with the birds around 7AM. Our French presses arrived around 7:30 along with a little biscotti to enjoy on the terrace. It’s a wonderful way to wake up! You can sip at your leisure in pajamas looking out to the ocean. When you feel ready, head to breakfast and choose from a wide variety of options. I loved the local Nicaraguan breakfast of rice and beans, plantain, and eggs. But there was everything from pancakes to huevos rancheros to granola to bacon. If getting dressed in the morning doesn’t sound appealing, then simply have your meal ordered to your room!

The lunch options are just as varied. They have a wood fired pizza oven, so there are several types of pizza available. They keep the oven going until around 4:30, so you can order a pizza pretty much any time of day. There are also a plethora of starters including really delicious lobster skewers. The salads are great too! You can add any protein to your salad as well – chicken, shrimp, steak, lobster. And of course, there are main courses galore so you never get bored. Every day features a new bite of dessert too, if you’re so inclined. The key lime cheesecake was super decadent.

Although all of the meals were wonderful, dinner is really where Calala shines. Everyone starts to gather around the bar around 6:30 or so. And by everyone, I mean all 12 of you if every room is booked. You get to know the other guests really well! Each dinner features something totally different and fun.

One of my favorites was a local Nicaraguan BBQ night. We were entertained by musicians singing songs in English, Creole, and Spanish. Next, there was a really fun hermit crab race…yes, hermit crabs! There are huge ones all over the island that you find wandering along in the evening. Our hosts rubber-banded numbers to them to correlate with your room. The fastest hermit crab to exit the circle in the sand was the winner! Everyone was quite invested in their crab. Afterward, we all sat down at tables on the beach and enjoyed “rundown” soup, various salads, sides and desserts.

Throughout our stay on the island, we also did a pre-dinner rum tasting. I think there were eight different local rums of various ages, coconut rums, and a really yummy espresso rum that became my favorite after dinner drink.

The most lavish dinner was a 7-course meal with wine pairings that rivaled any great restaurant in the US. Each course was divine and paced really well. The tables were decorated beautifully and everyone was gifted a box of local cigars. After dinner, everyone hung out sampling cigars and drinking until after midnight.

The Service

The people are really the heartbeat of Calala. There are about 30 staff that live on the island (they work for about 3 weeks and then get a week off on the main land) to take care of 12 guests. The grounds are truly spectacular. There isn’t so much as a stray coconut on the sand.

The service team is truly incredible. You get to know each of them really well during your stay. Need a mimosa? No problem! Just use the Service WhatsApp number and let them know where you are and what you want, and your drink arrives in minutes. These guys really pay attention to detail. By the time we left, they knew exactly how I took my coffee and which brand of beer we preferred.

Throughout dinners together, you learn a lot about the culture of coastal Nicaragua as well. The guys shared their favorite stories, a local medicinal rum that’s made from roots, shared favorite local dishes, demonstrated how to open coconuts, and even gave us a recipe for “rondon” soup.

When you leave Calala, the entire team shows up at the pier to wave goodbye.

Activities

If you think you’ll go stir crazy on a small island for a week, think again! There are plenty of offerings that get you off the beach, if you’re feeling restless. Have you ever tried line fishing? We took a boat out and fished in a few spots using nothing but a line, sinker, and hook. Everyone caught fish except me! Oh well. I wonder what the catch of the day will be for lunch…

We also did a cooking class with the head chef that was really fun. Not only did we learn to cook a local dish, but he was so engaging and entertaining too. We learned all about the local ingredients and heard stories about his childhood learning to cook from his father.

Island hopping was a blast! We all poured into the boat with beers in hand to look around at the other islands nearby. We even saw a whole where sea turtles had laid eggs and bits of the hatched shells. I would totally freak out if I actually got to see baby sea turtles! We weren’t there at the right time of year, but if you’re interested, visit Calala between March and October!

By the time you add snorkeling, kayaking and paddle boarding to your day, time moves too fast here! We stayed for five days, but I definitely could have spent a few more relaxing on the sand and enjoying the offerings of the island. I don’t think I wore shoes the whole time…