The Monkey Hut, Lake Apoyo, Nicaragua – January 2008
Portnaster
Situated on the shores of the beautiful Laguna de Apoyo, a 200m deep volcanic lake, the Monkey Hut is a great place to chill out for a few days and wash the dust from your hair.
There is a variety of accommodation to choose from. The main house has dormatory at $10 and single/double rooms $16/$18, there is also a separate cabana that sleep 2-4 persons $45-$70. You can rent the house for private groups from $230 per night. Prices are in USD. Children under 4 are free of charge. All rooms have fans and hot water. There is a communal kitchen and a barbecue pit for the use of the guests and the cabana is well equipped with mini kitchen, microwave and shower.
The hostel runs on an honesty system, where the guest keeps a record of the snacks and drinks consumed and the bill is added up at the end of your stay.
If you don’t want to spend your time relaxing in a hammock listening to the sounds of the howler monkeys or splashingaround in the crystal clear waters there’s plenty of other free activities – bird watching, Kayaking, basketball or hiking through the jungle that surrounds the lake.
If you don’t have the time to spend a few days at the lake you can pay the entrance fee of $6 and just spend the day. The Monkey Huts sister hotel, The Bearded Monkey in Grenada, provides day trips on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at a charge of $1 each way for transport.
To get to the Monkey hut you can take the truck provided by the Bearded Monkey or take a taxi from Granada $10-$15.
Contact details:
The Monkey Hut, Laguna de Apoyo, Tel: (505) 887 3546; e-mail:thebeardedmonkey@yahoo.com
Web site: www.thebeardedmonkey.com/monkeyhut.htm
We adored our night in the villa (a splurge at $45 USD) at the Monkey Hut.
We were on the shore of Lake Apoyo in our own house complete with 2 hammocks, mini fridge, microwave, bathroom and shower made of rock. Sunset was great and then a cool breezy evening with a nearly full moon across the lake. No insects, none, nada, haven’t seen any in the whole country.
Well . . . except for 2 tarantulas in our sink and on the leg of the bed on Isla de Ometepe, but that’s another story.
Yes, the bar and snacks are on the honor system. Each guest (daytrippers and overnighters alike) has a tab on a clipboard and money is only exchanged as you check out and depart. Same system we found next door the next day when we moved to even nicer accommodations at Crater’s Edge Resort $45 USD (double with 2 beds, private bath and breakfast buffet included).