Image of the dining area
View of the club house / pool area
After wiring a hold on the property (totally refundable), I arranged for my travel down to Nicaragua by the end of January. My wife and my children stayed back due to work and school, respectively. Ray and his wife Donna invited me to stay at their B&B in San Juan del Sur, while I checked out the area. I took them up on it. I booked my tickets and started to plan my trip, including checking out some other developers.
Flight Down 
At the end of January, I flew down to Managua via Miami. Since the flight to Managua, was almost empty (15-20 people on a Boeing 767), I was a little worried about investing in a vacation rental that potentially no one will be flying to. Had the U.S. economy been hit hard enough where people are just not traveling/vacationing anymore? Since then, I have been checking the flights, and it seemed like my flight was a fluke. Besides, why would American Airlines fly an empty 767 back and forth to Managua twice a day from Miami? Recently, on Monday March 31, I looked up on http://www.aa.com/ to see how booked the flight looked for Tuesday, April 1st (click on right image to expand). Note that the gold seats are marked "available". I also believe that the blue handicap seats would be available as well, making the plane about 1/2 to 2/3 full. I also looked at Delta and Continental, and noted similar availability.
What I did like about the flight was that it was only 2.5 hours from Miami, so it was less than 6 hours from Dallas with the layover in Miami... A whole lot better than our normal 21-hour journey to my wife's homeland (Goa, India). What I did not like was no food was served and no free adult beverages. To get those perks, you have to fly on a non-U.S. carrier (e.g. Copa or Taca).
Managua - MGA
Once we landed in Managua, I was quite surprised at how modern the airport was. The airport was very clean and new looking as shown in the photo of the main lobby (right). Going through immigration, I paid the US$3.00 and got my passport stamped. Next, I picked up my luggage, walked by some airport police, smiled at the customs officers, and searched for the car rental counter. I reserved a vehicle from Alamo. Both men across the counter spoke English quite well. The only problem was that they did not have my reserved AWD SUV available, and it took almost an hour to get me an alternate vehicle (4x4 pickup).
- Note: Later, I realized there was no need to have a 4x4, but if you like to explore and/or if it is the rainy season, I would recommend it. This trip, I had to use the 4x4 mode four times, but I was exploring on washed out dirt roads deep into the forest, crossing creeks and climbing steep terrain.
While waiting for my truck to be delivered, I noticed an ATM machine, so I decided to get some Cordobas while waiting. Unfortunately the machine only dispenses U.S. dollars, but just like any international airport, an exchange booth was available. Once the truck was delivered, I did a thorough inspection and made sure all the floor mats, the hazard triangle (required) and fire extinguisher (required) were present and accounted for. The truck they gave me was a four door 4x4 Nissan Frontier that was powered by a small diesel engine. What great mileage I got!
On the Road 
When exiting the airport, I could turn left and go through the heart of Managua, or turn right and go through Granada (another tourist destination to check out). I decided to go right. At the right, is a map of my route (in red) down to San Juan Del Sur, where Ray and Donna run a B&B.
In less than an hour, I was in Granada, and it is a beautiful colonial city with lots of tourists around the square. As I drove through, I saw a lot of restaurants, shops and old world charm. This is a town that's worth a thorough visit in the near future.
When exiting Granada (when you find your way out), the road gets quite bad with potholes that almost swallow you up. The good news is that road improvement projects are being done... but how extensive is anyone's guess. When I reached La Carretera Panamericana, the road becomes a road again, with no potholes in sight.
Passing through Rivas, I was amazed at how much has changed for the better. When I was there in 2000, the city was quite depressing and not much going on. Today, the town has a new coat of paint and was busy with people. Wow! What a transformation!
Travel south from Rivas, I turned right onto the road to San Juan... But it was not a road. They call it a road. It was long, wide and had vehicles traveling on it, but it had more potholes than asphalt, worse than the road outside Granada. If you are a civil engineering grad student, you could write a thesis on this road titled: "The Development of Potholes within Potholes". The road was so bad, that cars drove not on the road, but along the side the road, where a dirt road had developed. Good news, I saw road crews and surveyors out working on it, but I don't know what their intentions are (e.g . patching, capping or rebuilding it).
- Note: When I was driving through Nicaragua in a pickup truck, many people smiled and waved at me, and I smiled and waved back. What nice people I thought... But then after the tenth waver, I realized they were not waving to say hello, they were waving for a ride. Since the buses are full and sometimes unreliable, this is how many people get around... and on this trip I must have given close to 50 people rides in the back of my pick-up truck.
Note: Road Update from Ray (April 10, 2008) -
- The road from Pan Am Highway to San Juan is under construction. New culverts and bridges are under construction and the road will be re paved before the rainy season.
- The road from Grenada to the Pan Am Highway has been repaved.
- The Alcaldia of San Juan told Ray in a meeting of developers last week that the Ministry of Transportation has given him the funds to improve the road from Coco south to the border. Developers have already improved the road from San Juan to Coco and started one bridge.
- Note: Road Update from me (December 2008): My family and I went down to Nicaragua over the Thanksgiving Holiday, and were quite impressed with the road improvements. The road improvements from the Pan Am Highway to San Jaun del Sur and the improvements from Grenada to the Pan Am Highway have been completed!.. Also, San Juan has a new mayor and there are indications for increase improvements for the "Pacific Highway" between San Juan and the Costa Rican boarder.
Three hours and one-hundred-twenty miles later, I had made it to the sea side village of San Juan, and parked my truck outside Ray's and Donna's B&B. I got out of the truck and noticed the street was quiet, quaint and clean. I rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. Donna came to the door and welcomed me to their home.
Photos of Ray's and Donna's B&B (click to enlarge):
The Jacksons and San Juan Del Sur
This six-bedroom B&B will be my base for the next two days. After I got settled in at the B&B, Donna introduced me to Ray Jackson, a tall, fit, silver haired fellow with a good tan. Later, I was surprised to find out Ray was 70-years young, and a retired trial lawyer from California. I hope I'm that fit when I'm 70.
His son, Sean, ~45-year old Californian, who I'd meet later, is the second owner of the Secret Cove development. Sean is in charge of the operations and the development of the Secret Cove. Sean was the first Jackson to settle in Nicaragua. He met his wife (a Nicaraguan) in Guatemala, fell in love, and ended up with her in her motherland. Sean worked for Re-Max as an agent in San Juan, and then took up the opportunity to be a builder and has never looked back. I asked Sean, "What do you want to do next after completing the Secret Cove?" He told me that he wants to start another development. Sean speaks Spanish fluently, works hard and expects the same from his a crew of 10-12 laborers.
The third and final owner is Rudolf Walcher. I did not meet Rudolf on this trip. But he does have a role in getting permits and such.
That evening the Jacksons took me out for drinks at the Pelican Eyes resort that overlooks the town and bay, and then to dinner at El Colibri, a Mediterranean themed restaurant in a colorful garden setting. All was very good. Here is a guide of places to eat at in San Juan: http://www.sanjuandelsurguide.com/
Here are some of my photos of San Juan:
To see more photos of San Juan del Sure, click: http://www.panoramio.com/map/#lt=11.256405&ln=-85.874720&z=2&k=1&a=1&tab=2.
The Secret Cove Visit
The next day, we had breakfast, grabbed some sandwiches and went off to the Secret Cove via the Pacific Highway (an unpaved road also used by livestock). Ray also has a 35-foot sail boat that he uses to take clients down to the cove, but I wanted to see what the highway/dirt road was like. The road was not too bad, and is passable with a front wheel drive car. I was told that during the rainy season, there are a few days that the road becomes impassable, but for the most part its drivable.
After forty-five minutes of driving on the Pacific Highway, we turned right onto the Secret Cove access road that they share with several other developments. It is a steep dirt road that you follow down to the development (see photo left).
There, we met Sean and his crew working on the first house that sits right off the beach. I was happy to see that their craftsmanship was impressive and exceeded expectations, and the design was well suited to the topgraphy and the environment. To the left are some photos of the house (being completed):
Photo of Sean and Ray walking down to the first beach house.
Photo of the beach house while the doors and windows are being put in.
Photo showing off the craftsmanship of the overhang above the entryway.
Photo showing lattice ceiling work in one of the bedrooms.
Photo showing living/kitchen area that will have a bank of sliding glass doors/walls.
Photo showing Ray inspecting the woodwork of the kitchen cabinets as they are being installed.
Photo of house with beach in background.
Photo of the wood-working shop on the property.
For scenic photos of the Secret Cove, click on the following link:
http://www.panoramio.com/map/#lt=11.091366&ln=-85.737669&z=1&k=1&a=1&tab=2
Please note that the beach is larger than it appears in the photos. I was surprised when I first set eyes on it. The sand is a fine salt and pepper sand- consisting mostly of quartz. During high tide, the beach is a sliver of bleached white sand, and during low tide, a lot of rock outcrop is exposed on both ends of the beach, but still plenty of sand. The cove is protected quite well for anchored boats or for kids to play in the water. For larger waves, you can take a trek (less than 1-mile) to an un-named beach that faces the open ocean.
View Larger Map
Conclusion: After two days of checking out the Secret Cove development, visiting other developments, comparing workmanship, walking the beaches in the area, driving the Pacific highway to Costa Rica, and talking to Sean and Ray in great detail; I feel that the Secret Cove offers the following:
- best bang for the buck,
- buying from developers who are former ReMax agents in Nicaragua that know the market and the pitfalls,
- great ocean views from every room in the condo/townhouse,
- best layout and buiding design for the tropics with ocean breezes,
- short trip to and from the U.S.,
- very close to Costa Rica with direct flights from DFW to Liberia (*See note below),
- a small international beach community,
- greatest earning potential, and
- the most memorable vacation experiences.
The risks:
- buying at a time when the US economy is tenuous,
- buying in at the early stages of development (2 out of 15 condo units sold and 10 out of 24 single family lots have been sold as of 08 April 2008);
- buying from owners that are new to the scene in developing properties in Nicaragua; and
- buying property in the early stages of Nicaragua's evolving real estate boom.
With what I observed on my trip- and what we saw available in the market, we decided to buy at the Secret Cove. I talked to Ray last weekend concerning our beach townhome, and he assured me that the permits have been granted (scanned/emailed them to me), the excavation work is being conducted, and the foundation and walls will be constructed soon. He has given me a targeted completion date of November 2008. Also, Ray continues to show the development to other potential home buyers, and I wish him and Sean success in their exciting venture.
More to come... shortly.
The next two images are new renderings of Secret Cove Yacht Club- According to Ray, it will soon be under construction. The club will be built on the southeastern corner of the SC property, so that the small rock-outcrop will separates the club from the main SC beach, maintaining the beach's secluded exquisiteness- yet, you are just a couple of skips away from a cool refreshment. 
Cross-sectional views of one of the townhouses.
Plan views of one of the townhouses.
