Corn Islands Getaway
Last week we took off on a little getaway to the Corn Islands to celebrate my 35th birthday. Neither Meli or I had been before. My family had gone when they were here years ago but I couldn’t make it at the time. So we figured it was a good option for the big 3-5!
Waiting to board the flight from Managua to Big Corn Island
The flight leaves out of Managua at 6:30 in the morning with La Costena Airlines. It's about an hour and 15 minutes flying time, on small planes, and the tickets are about $185 per person round trip. We stayed in Managua the night before. But if you really wanted to just make it a quick get away from San Juan Del Sur you could have a taxi take you up there, leaving town around 3:30am to get to the airport for 5:30.
Big Corn Island with the runway for the airport
The runway on Big Corn Island takes up a good chunk of the length of the island. Both islands are small. Big Corn Island is only about four square miles, and Little Corn about one square mile.
After landing we jumped in a taxi straight to the port, for the boat ride to Little Corn. We hurried over but didn't need to. The boat didn’t leave for about an hour and a half after the plane landed so we had time to grab breakfast there.
The boat ride between the islands can be choppy. Often it's worse going from Big Corn to Little Corn as that’s against the waves. Grab a seat towards the back of the boat and it’s less bumpy. The front of the boat bounces up and down more.
There are no motorized vehicles on Little Corn. Walking paths and bicycles only. We’d booked Casa Flip Flop on AirBnB and Bruce the owner connected us with his worker Dexter who packed our luggage to the other side of the island in a wheelbarrow.
I was specifically looking for a place to disconnect and Casa Flip Flop was perfect. A little cabin right on the beach with no internet or wifi. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten away from everything and really just relaxed:)
There’s a little restaurant called The Shack over on that side we went to for breakfast. The main spot on the island to hang out is Tranquilo Cafe. And Cafe Desderi is also great.
If you like seafood the islands are awesome. I think I had lobster 7 times in 5 days.
Appropriately named boat on Little Corn
After three nights of relaxing on Little Corn we took the boat back to the big island. It was a lot smoother on the way back, as you're going the direction way as the waves.
The port on Big Corn Island
Meli was really craving internet access and a place with a restaurant on premises. So we stayed at Paraiso Hotel on Big Corn. It has great little bungalows with air conditioning, and a full-service bar and restaurant right on site. Plus the beach and a reef are right out front.
It was a little windy and overcast the whole 5 days we were there so we just did a single afternoon of snorkeling. However if you have your dive certificate and / or more clear skies it's an awesome spot to scuba dive or take a snorkeling day tour.
Given the small size of Big Corn even renting a little scooter and just puttering around all the roads is a lot of fun as well. We went all over the island. It's cool just to cruise the “highway” next to the beach.
The flight back takes off at 8:10 in the morning and you get an awesome view of the island as you're flying out.
It was a super cool trip, it feels like another country, with the people speaking Caribbean accented in English, clear water and the reefs. Definitely worth checking out if you’re living in Nicaragua or here for a long time.
Thanks for reading, have a great day!
Joel Stott-Jess
Cell / WhatsApp: (+505) 8176 8624
US Number: 1 786 753 8743
Skype: joelstottjess
Joel Stott-Jess is a New York Times featured agent / broker in San Juan Del Sur.
Originally from Alberta, Canada he has been doing business in Nicaragua since 2014.
An investment consultant, serial entrepreneur, surfer, and outdoor enthusiast he is an expert on the real estate and business markets in Nicaragua. He also operates The Central Investor, a real estate and investment blog focused on the entire Central American region.