Letters From Nicaragua: Part 4- the Exotic Best Western Hotel

A pretty major surprise upon checking into motel was how how many people spoke a  few words of English.  Most of the time, their English was better than my Spanish.   Pam, however, was having a blast, working every Spanish phrase she knew and trying to pick up new ones. The people were very friendly as a rule, and Pam could win over the most unhappy ones.
There were more staff working this hotel than any place I had been to. The constant feeling is that everybody needs a job, but that doesn't mean that everyone is well paid.

The hotel does not really feel like a hotel, more like some kind of collection of dormitory rooms laid out in a spiderweb design that usually leaves newcomers searching for hours trying to find their rooms. Next trip, I will setup my GPS to help me find the way to the room and the restaurant.
The hotel includes breakfast at the restaurant as part of the price and that really makes the stay worth it. This is not some little room with a wafflemaker and dispenser of Cheerios, this is a nice place with waiters dressed in their best, and always within reach, but never hovering.
The hotel room itself was small, almost shoebox size, and from the looks of things, I started worrying that air conditioning was not included in the price. I soon found that the room had really good air conditioning , and found as we travelled that this kind of unit is used everywhere in the country. It is something newer, mounted high on the wall, with a moving vent, and controlled by remote control. You could see the temperature setting in a red LED on the wall unit and control it from anywhere with the remote....we never lost that remote! As we spent more time at the hotel, waiting for our friends to arrive on another flight, we realized that this place was a destination for some people, not just a quick stop before the airport. We saw an outdoor wedding or business gathering by the pool, I'm still not positive which it was,  and also saw many families come play with their children in the large, beautiful pool.

It was about then, busloads of young people were coming in, and it turns out, there are probably more Americans in Nicaragua doing mission work than there are surfers vacationing from the USA.
Soon, our friends were there, with bags, surfboards, kids, and wives that were ready for a drink!