Casa Marimba

Founded in 2016 by Lisa, Rafael and Iban, three friends from France who arrived while backpacking across Latin America, Casa Marimba grew out of a shared decision to settle on the shore of Laguna de Apoyo. The lagoon itself is older still: a crater lake formed roughly 23,000 years ago inside an extinct volcano, its clear water warmed by underwater vents. The guesthouse holds just five rooms, each named for a Latin American place and fitted with air conditioning and a lake or garden outlook. Room Mombacho has a king, double and single bed with a private balcony over the water; Room Granada pairs a king bed with its own terrace. You can kayak straight from the beach, free of charge, or book a massage session nearby. The restaurant runs a fixed Nica-Mediterranean menu built on local, organic ingredients, with vegetarian options and daily specials. Breakfast is included. Howler monkeys and over 200 recorded bird species move through the surrounding dry forest, among them the turquoise-browed motmot, Nicaragua's national bird. Granada is a 25-minute drive; Managua's airport is roughly two hours by road. It remains a small, family-run stay rather than a resort, with a fixed daily rhythm of breakfast, lunch and dinner service set around the lake.