Mukul the Mayan word for "secret"

Mukul
Today is Wednesday October 16 and we are headed to Mukul

 Nicaragua's First Luxury Beach Resort that is located on the Emerald Coast of Nicaragua a 30-mile stretch of Pacific shoreline dotted with pristine jungles, rising cliffs, charming fishing villages, historic colonial architecture, and untouched sandy beaches. Mukul sits directly on the beach and has  over 1,600 private acres of lush vegetation.

Our driver Juan from Mukul picked us up at 8:00 from El Convento in Leon. It is a 3 1/2 hour drive from Leon to Guacalito De La Isla where Mukul is located. Since we had plenty of time I asked the driver to make a quick stop at Leon Viejo.

The Ruins of León Viejo are an exceptional testimony of the first European settlements in the New World. Founded in 

1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, during its short 
history, the city has undergone a series of natural disasters. Partially destroyed by the Momotombo volcano that irrupted in 1578, the earthquake of 1610 struck the final blow by destroying what remained standing. The decision was taken 
to move the city and to rebuild it six leagues away. The 

gradual burial of the city due to natural disasters has preserved the vestiges unaltered and in the same environment, without having undergone any change.

 

From here we continued our drive, Juan our driver was a 

wealth of information, it was so worth it to have a driver instead of us driving ourselves like we usually do. We would have missed so much.We had all day with him so we didn't rush to get to the hotel and he gave us a grand tour of the Pacific coast cities of Nicaragua during our drive.By the way the drive like MR. Toads wild ride at Disney, I am surprised 

we didn't run over a person, cow, dog etc....they were all on 

the road. Never saw one dead animal on the road either 
these street dogs are like the Nicaraguan gangsters the know how to run the roads, they even use the roundabouts.

Our next stop was Masaya, a very colorful town that Juan thought was important forums to check out. Here we stopped at the Mercado Artesania. The claim to fame is for savvy buyers to come here to purchase Nicaragua finest handcrafts. I could have spent hours here but there was a few other stops we wanted to make so we looked around and I purchased a beautiful hammock for 10.00!!! On our way out of the market a wonderful smell took over my senses and Juan said do you want to go see what that is, well I was  a dish called Baho. It was a flavorful dish that had yucca, plantains, vegetables and lots of meat!

Once we finished up with our lunch we were off again but this time the destination was Mukul our home away from home. 

After traveling through dirt roads that were washed out by rain storms we arrived to the lush and  tropical entrance of Mukul.The second you arrive the service begins, ice cold towels and a yummy Mukalito cocktail. I love that there is no reception desk here like typical hotels you are welcomed here like if it was your home. Your checking is done at your accommodation. The designer of this villa did not miss a beat, the rooms are exquisite furnished with all local artesanian pieces. I can do a blog on just the bathroom, they are huge totally open space with an amazing tub right in the middle, fresh yummy robes and amazing bath products. Facing the ocean is your super comfy bed with a huge sliding glass doors and what a surprise awaits you when they are opened , your own private plunge pool, outdoor seating area and a private outdoor garden shower. Just simply amazing.

After getting settled in we went to the open air lounge at the main area of the hotel to wait for our friends from Tampa that were joining us. We had a wonderful dinner and called it a night. What a great day.