June 12, 2022 . Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. . Anyway, the flight was about 90% full, and within five minutes boarding was completed. There are no freebie luxury resorts worth that kind of transfer imo. The $1 million package caters for up to 8 people across four luxurious beachfront suites on Calala Island. Well, Im on a spiritual journey. At Island Helicopters, we guarantee the best pricing. Fly from Managua (MGA) to Bluefields (BEF) While this isnt what youd necessarily expect from a luxury resort: Still, the process of getting from Managua to Calala Island isnt easy. Location: Nicaragua Points: World of Hyatt Category 8 from 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night (off-peak pricing) Nicaragua may not be the first spot to come to mind when you . Just to give you a sense of how time consuming the transfer process was, we left the Hyatt Place Managua at 5AM, and we only made it to the resort at around 11AM, so it took about six hours door-to-door. Seems like either that's a really weird boat to be doing that, or they need to put some weight up in the nose of the boat. But the staff also went above and beyond in so many ways, from organizing the unique activities every night, to leaving little gifts of cigars and chocolates in our villa, to the little things, like taking note of our love for the yellow chilli sauce and serving it with every meal. The reason this suddenly became relevant in our world was because Calala Island belongs to Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and they have a partnership with Hyatt. It is an ultra all-inclusive resort where . This is also where youll find the complimentary bug spray and anti-itching creams, in case the no-see-ums take a particular liking to you (as they did with me). It turned out to be one of the most special travel experiences Ive ever had. The check-in agent was friendly, and handed us a laminated boarding pass with a number, as well as a bottle of water with a baggage tag on it. Puerto Lempira is 193 miles from Calala Island, so the actual climate in Calala Island can vary a bit. So my mention of safety was supposed to be positive, that I didn't experience any issues and felt comfortable. Security took just a minute, and then we were inside the small domestic terminal. My back hurts just after watching the video! Jessy was over the moon as she fiddled her way through the crab legs, just as much as I took great pleasure in having an entire T-bone steak to dig into. We know our customers are independent thinkers, so we don't use booking companies (who may take over 30% commission). There are no freebie luxury resorts worth that kind of transfer imo. Rickys love for travelling and learning more about the world is unbounded. I never thought Id actually hear anyone say this, but there were two girls seated next to us that got to talking: Where are you going? The first step in getting to Calala Island is to fly with La Costea Airlines, which is Nicaraguas airline. If they are charging $2800 per night to stay at a tiny remote island (which is basically extortion for a country as undeveloped as Nicaragua), they should include a helicopter transfer with a stay of at least 3 nights. On the second night, it was time for a decidedly different kind of activity: a crab race! Indeed, youll likely find larger, fancier villas with more spruced-up interiors at other resorts around the world. That flight took only about 15 minutes, and by 8:15AM we landed in Bluefields. With all the ingredients fresh from the ocean, we couldnt really go wrong here so we sampled everything from the snapper ceviche to the snapper croquettes to the snapper fillet, from the lobster skewers to the lobster burger. An exclusive private island hideaway in the undiscovered part of the world, the NiCaribbean. . I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so to me that's the equivalent of paying ~$600 per night. Its time to review my recent stay at Calala Island, though I first want to write a separate installment about getting to Calala Island. We take care of all transfers from the airport to and from Calala Island. The ATR42 is pretty nice for a turboprop, and we had our choice of seats. The flight to Bluefields takes around one hour, and affords some spectacular views of Nicaraguas claim to fame as the land of lakes and volcanoes, including Lake Nicaragua, the Mombacho Volcano, and even Ometepe Island far off into the distance. Enjoy four beautiful suites which were carefully designed with guests in mind. After being flown via private plane to Nicaragua . As a result of the strong winds, we primarily frolicked in the water on the southern side, where theres a set of swings in the water that makes for a nice photo opportunity. Check-in from 12:00-12:30FREE Check-out FREE. . When staying at Calala Island, getting there is half the fun at least if youre a thrill-seeker like me. Our representatives will accompany you throughout the journey. For example, the island for the deserted island picnic was no longer deserted for the time being, as the Pearl Lagoon community had sent caretakers to each of their islands to keep watch and protect against piracy during these economically challenging times. Calala Island: Paradise and luxury if you can handle the boat transfer - See 52 traveller reviews, 268 candid photos, and great deals for Calala Island at Tripadvisor. This is one of the best! Oh my. The new terminal will make traveling to and from Saint Hubert Airport much more efficient and convenient. I actually bit my tongue for most of the ride because I figured Id I didnt then the hard crashes on the waves might make my teeth crack as they slammed together. Reply #12 on: January 15, 2023, 09:16:41 PM . One quirk about Calala Island is that coconuts will regularly fall from the palm trees on a regular basis. When are you planning on posting your review of the resort itself itself? Take advantage of a free roundtrip airport shuttle, a swim-up bar, and a poolside bar at Calala Island. The 90-minute speedboat journey from Bluefields is very much unlike anything else youll encounter in other parts of the world. Then, a small bench sits to the side of the bedroom, serving as a divider to the bathroom area. Instead, the net serves to protect you from any bits and pieces from the thatched roof that might fall down from time to time. Widely acknowledged as one of the crowning jewels of the undiscovered Nicaraguan Caribbean, Calala presents the purest expression of the Tropical Island fantasy. The full list of activities is as follows: Many of the activities are weather-dependent. For all that transit, you didn''t seem to get much of a sense of the realities of the area (which is unique and fascinating and scary in all sorts of ways.) In hindsight, Im glad that Claudia gave Jessy a heads-up about what to expect, as I dont think Jessy wouldve been a very happy boat passenger otherwise. Heading out onto the front deck, then, lets take a look at the outdoor facilities that complete the Junior Suite. . This reminded me of the boat ride from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island on a speed boat. While the boat ride from Bluefields was something that I personally relished as an adrenaline junkie, youll probably feel less enthusiastic about it if you prefer a more serene start to your island getaway. If you prefer, you can also reach Calala by helicopter in around 80 minutes from Managua. You open a Hyatt card for 60K point bonus and your partner open Chase card for 60K point bonus. (If we had booked a hotel in the city of Managua, Nestor would arrange a licensed taxi to bring us to the hotel. Due to the somewhat stormy and unpredictable weather when we stayed in early November, some of the activities that we wouldve loved to embark on, like snorkelling or ocean fishing, were unfortunately not possible as the ocean water was overly milky. One of our favorites is COMO Maalifushi, the only resort on the southern island of Thaa Atoll. Doubt they get many guest that pay the full $2800 per night, hence the rather shabby transfer arrangements. For everyone else, stay tuned for the review of the actual resort before deciding whether or not Calala Island is worth visiting, in spite of the transfer. Lastly, the managers command centre and the staffs quarters are found in the middle of the island, maintaining a low-key presence as they work to put on an amazing experience for the guests. It jumps from one consideration to Review: Aeromexico 737 Business Class Mexico City to San Francisco, another incredible island resort experience in the Maldives last year, Video: I Stayed on a $3,000/Night Private Island, The New CIBC Costco Mastercard, Coming March 2022, Lufthansa Unveils New First Class and Business Class Seats, The British Airways Avios Multi-Carrier Award Chart, Porter Airlines to Develop a New Terminal at Montreal Saint-Hubert Airport, The 12 Best Ways To Fly Business Class to Asia on Points, Air Canada and United Launch New Routes to Washington DC. (Note that theres no coffee or tea setup in the villa itself, as the resort prefers to operate with a central kitchen for all things food and drink. However, the reason I came to that conclusion is because I know they do this every single day, and I assume nothing usually happens, and not because I actually wasnt at least a little bit scared. Book Calala Island, Calala Island on Tripadvisor: See 53 traveller reviews, 268 candid photos, and great deals for Calala Island, ranked #1 of 1 hotel in Calala Island and rated 5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. At $1 million for a weeklong vacation, this Calala Island extravaganza is no doubt the world's most expensive trip . Theres an outdoor table with two chairs, which was the perfect place to sip on some Nicaraguan dark roast in the mornings or a cocktail in the afternoons. The infinity pool at Calala Island ordinarily makes for a picturesque place to hang out, especially as it never really gets busy and youre quite likely to have the whole place to yourself. Overall, I found the booking and pre-arrival experience to be seamless, if a little shrouded in mystery. Shorvin let us know to use the bathroom here if we needed to, as we wouldnt have many opportunities to do so on the journey ahead. From here, guests can take a thrice-daily, 50-minute commercial connection to Bluefields (flight transfer included in rental price), where they will be met by a representative of the island and taken to the nearby harbour. The TL;DR version is as follows: we had a lovely time during the day, a less than stellar experience at night, and separate medical issues for both of us as soon as we left. Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2rio's travel planner. The island lies in the Pearl Cays of the Caribbean Sea, just off the coast of Nicaragua; the area is known locally as the NiCaribbean. Guests of the 5-star Calala Island Set Net can relax with head massage, hand massage and couples massage or beauty therapy, body wraps and a body scrub offered at a wellness center. For a taste of local life, Pearl Lagoon is just 45 minutes away by boat . . The open ocean part of the video had me straight up laughing the entire time. Otherwise you are looking at rough sea which I def dont recommend! Calala Island is nestled in the undiscovered Pearl Keys, completely filled with coconuts, white sand, crystal clear waters, low grass, and . Compared to the more developed Pacific side of the country, Nicaraguas Caribbean coast is much more lush and tropical, and its inhabitants mostly Creole of African descent rather than the predominant mestizo (i.e., mix of Spanish and indigenous ancestry). Pictures cant do justice to this, so you can see a video here (the first 30 seconds is in the mangrove area, while the last 60 seconds is from the open sea): When we were on the open sea, Ford started asking me already about what the other options were for leaving Calala Island, as he was seasick, and had terrible back pain. I can't wait for the actual review of the property Lucky. I just went to Elephanta Island 3 weeks ago via the normal tourist boat, and never saw any offers of a speedboat. Loved this, thank you. The journey to Calala involves a domestic flight from Managua to Bluefields (approximately 60-90 minutes), followed by a transfer by road to the harbour then a boat ride of 90-120 minutes or so. There are many clever scenarios to get the 200K points required for an epic week at Calala Island. Im interested in seeing how yours compares to the recent review of this same property on TPG. The island is only accessible via boat or helicopter, the latter of which can only be chartered out of Managua at an enormous expense. Military Customs checkpoint on the mangrove ocean part felt like a straight-up bribe to me. Also, these small beaches arent the pristine white-sand kind. We discovered 3 nights of availability over Labor Day weekend almost exactly 13 months in advance. Calala Island (thankfully) doesnt have mosquitoes, although it does have sandflies or no-see-ums, which do bite, but are too small to be kept out by the net. I wouldn't do that if they paid me $2800 per night. As our taxi zipped through the narrow and fairly dilapidated streets of Bluefields, it was clear that this part of Nicaragua was very much lagging behind in terms of development. As you can imagine, World of Hyatt award availability is hotly contested at this property, and its very much recommended to book well in advance. 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