Hotel Plaza Colon

The facade is original: a 19th-century townhouse front that has faced Parque Central since it was first built. Hotel Plaza Colón occupies a former family home in Granada's historic centre, expanded across three neighbouring properties while its colonial character was kept intact. Balconies and interior courtyards look onto the Cathedral and the park below, and rooms carry the same restraint, with wardrobes, minibars and flat-screen televisions set against original stonework and timber. It is a compact stay, with 27 rooms across single, double and two-bedroom junior suite configurations. Breakfast draws on coffee grown on the slopes of Mombacho volcano, served buffet-style or à la carte on a terrace that overlooks the park. At the bar, guests are offered El Macuá, Nicaragua's national cocktail, alongside local beer and wine. The hotel holds Preferred by Nature certification, the first in Granada to do so, and runs a small forest planted with over 500 hardwood trees to offset its own operations. It was also the first hotel in the city to install electric vehicle chargers. Outside, a horse-drawn carriage can be hired directly from the front step for a tour of the colonial streets. Managua's international airport lies about 45 minutes away by road.