photos: C. America

Granada as a retirement town: Granada and Leon are the two beautiful colonial cities in Nicaragua.  Of these two cities, Granada has the benefits of being smaller (131,000 vs. 210,000 people) and consequently quieter, is adjacent to the largest lake in Nicaragua, and generally has wider streets with wider sidewalks, including a prominent pedestrian street that leads from the city center towards the lake.  Granada has a clearly defined city center and central park together with numerous beautiful colonial buildings, churches, and mansions in various stages of preservation and restoration.  Most houses and shops in the historic city center are one-story tall and have a courtyard, as you will see on Google Maps. Tourism appears to be slowly on the rise, but Granada is not yet overrun with tourists or fancy hotels.  Hence property is still affordable.  No major road runs through town, so traffic and noise levels are modest.  The people are generally friendly though there is evident poverty in the city.  Throughout the year highs and lows range from ~ 90*F to ~ 73*F, so you need to adjust to the heat or have air conditioning.