After a couple of weeks in the routine of Esteli, we were getting some major cabin fever to get the kids out of the house and do something active! So we asked Marcelo for suggestions of places we could go close by, and he provided us with great options to help fill our last two Saturdays!
Centro Recreativo La Ensenada
This was a terrific way to spend a morning/afternoon! La Ensenada is an outdoor restaurant and swimming pools combined. For the cost of the understanding that you will order drinks and food from their restaurant while you are there, use of the pools is free for as long as you like!
It had one larger pool and one small pool perfect for Shiny to run around in! We got dropped off about 10:30 and stayed until almost 3:00, with delicious traditional Nicaraguan meal options for lunch (and things like cheeseburgers and chicken for the kids).
The property also included a yard area with playground equipment for the kids. Now why can’t we have cool multi-purpose restaurants like this in Ohio (I mean, besides that we could only effectively use them 3-4 months out of the year…)?
La Casita
La Casita is an organic, homemade foods cafe (outdoor, of course) which specializes in breads, coffee, and natural drinks for a light breakfast/brunch/lunch (all menu items grown and produced onsite on their little organic farm or locally). But the business also includes sales of all kinds of plants, flowers, and trees they grow like a greenhouse shop, and a large area of flowering trees and cactus gardens with walking paths, open lawn for playing, and playgrounds for the kids. Marcelo picked us up after the kids finished their last Fun Arte class at 10:00 our final Saturday and we met up at La Casita with Anabel and two of their teenage kids, Victoria and John Mark.
We enjoyed our “merienda” of individual bread loaves with choice of spread and toppings (mine was a yogurt spread with cucumber and tomato slices to make my little sandwiches, Denver’s was with Swiss cheese, and the kids chose a chocolate spread). I especially enjoyed my pot of fresh brewed chai tea latte! After eating we all hung out in the gardens and playground area. The kids especially loved the zip line swing, which sped across from a low platform on the playground to be stopped with a whiplash-inducing jolt and bounced back by a metal spring at the end of the cable, which they thought was hilarious!
And Shiny had fun ordering around her special friend Victoria (“Vicki”) one last time!
La Casita ended up being another great way to spend a Saturday, enjoy some delicious food, and get the kids out to use up some energy! Thanks for introducing us to these fun spots, Marcelo and Anabel!
I love reading your blogs, Tara! Thank you so much. I can travel Nicaragua in spirit through looking at these beautiful pictures and getting all the scoop from you. Say HI to your kids from me. <3
Awww I will make sure to tell the kids you said hi, and I’m so glad to share more parts of Nicaragua with more of our Nicaragua loving friends! If we are ever on a trip coming through New York, we need to pop in and see you (or line up another Mariposa visit at the same time some year!)!