Ananda Off-grid Luxury_King Suite + share kitchen

Ananda is a one-of-a-kind sustainable off-grid guest house. Situated on the foothills of a dormant volcano inside a Biosphere cloud forest Reserve we are surrounded by nature and yet only a 10minute walk from some great restaurants. This large 50m2 suite looks onto an active volcano & Lake Nicaragua. It includes in-room WIFI, en suite bathroom with solar heated hot shower & covered private porch with dining area & hammock. The suite connects internally to the well equipped shared kitchen. Designed to maximize comfort & privacy while offering a highly sustainable and unforgettable experience on the edge of the jungle. The views from our property are spectacular and hikes of Maderas Volcano depart from the property. Concepcion King Suite sleeps up to 2 people and includes 50m2 of private space. It includes; * A large & elegantly decorated bedroom with king size bed, ceiling fan, furniture made from local precious hardwoods and multiple large, screened & secure windows allowing you to stay cool year-round. * Large covered porch offering incredible views of Concepcion active volcano, Lake Nicaragua and our surrounding landscaped gardens. The porch includes a comfy 2-person hammock, wooden dining table and chairs and built-in desk area. * Tasteful tiled private bathroom with solar heated rain shower, excellent lighting, dual-flush toilet & large mirror. *Clothes rack and luggage storage. We offer unlimited filtered volcanic spring water and free high-speed WIFI (N.B like anywhere on the island, we cannot guarantee uninterrupted WIFI). We also have a breakfast service in case you don't want to make your own. Priced at only $4.00 per breakfast, our breakfasts include tea/ organic freshly roasted island coffee (we roast our own coffee and grind daily), fresh juice, a seasonal fruit plate and a hot plate (generally eggs, gallo pinto, plantain and our own home-made whole wheat toast). Our location is wonderful - close to the village center of Balgue but not too close. Within 10mins walk you will find great restaurants and some even deliver to your door! We help you arrange your tours, taxis and scooter/motorbike rentals etc. We pride ourselves on being highly sustainability (100% solar energy, recycling of gray water, bio-digestors for processing black water, use of ambient LED lighting throughout, solar heated hot water, organic farming) Other important information to know; *The last 650meters to us is along a bumpy dirt road (i.e. the road to Totoco Eco-lodge). SUV, high clearance vehicles and off-road motorbikes are highly recommended. At times especially in our rain season the road may not be passable for normal sedans and or scooters! Also there is no street lighting along this road so bring a flash light. * Our property is set on 5acres where we grow organic bananas, plantains, ginger, tumeric, sweet potato, lemons and moringa. *The water you drink and bath in on the property comes directly from Maderas volcano and is truly some of the best water you will ever taste! It is natural volcanic spring water full of minerals and incredibly good for your health. We provide complimentary filtered spring water for our guests. * There is a well equipped shared kitchen for your use. The kitchen includes a full sized fridge, oven with 6 burner gas cookers, cutlery, plates and basic ingredients. * We have 24hour presence on the property including a night guard. * We have two large dogs called Alfie and Osa. They are dearly loved pets but they also guard at night. * The entire property only runs on solar energy as such we do not offer air conditioning but all of our rooms/suites include industrial strength ceiling fans and large screened windows allowing cool breezes to circulate. *Our two guest rooms share a well-equipped kitchen complete with full-size fridge, oven and 6-burner gas cooker, pots, pans and utensils. *Communal dinning area *Gardens We have provided a comprehensive manual in each room to help guests with the organization of their activities/tours, transport, restaurants etc. Some of our local restaurants even deliver to the door! Our wonderful staff, Adelayda & Mercedes (house-keeping 7am-2pm) and Miguel (general helper 7am-4pm except Sundays) are here to help you. They speak only Spanish. We also have a 2 rotating night guards (Renee and Jose) that works from 4pm to 7am daily. In case of a late check-in one of them will hand over the key and show you to your room. If you still have questions, we are happy to help-out. It is best to message us between 9am - 4pm via the AirBNB platform and we will aim to respond as quickly as possible. Our property is located on the road to Totoco Ecolodge, about 600meters from the main road where buses run and restaurants are found. It is a rustic and rocky dirt road. Balgue is a growing tourist hub for the island and offers quite a few great quality restaurants. It is also the perfect place from which to explore the Maderas side of the island which is home to more forests/jungle, fauna and flora. Your hike of Maderas Volcano literally begins from our back yard. We are located close to the town of Balgue (close but not too close). Within 7mins walk. It takes around 40mins to get to us by taxi from the port of Moyogalpa and 20mins from the port of San Jose del Sur. See the section 'Getting around' for details on how to get to us. PLANNING TO ARRIVE ON ISLAND WITHOUT A VEHICLE?: The quickest and easiest way to get to us is via taxi. There are taxis always waiting at the ports and the cost is around US$25 from MOYOGALPA or SAN JOSE DEL SUR (total cost for up to 4 passengers). To find the ferry schedule do an on-line search for 'Ometepe Ferry & Boat Schedule'. TIP: In order to avoid paying higher taxi prices, do not arrange your taxi with the people at the port in SAN JORGE. These are not officials and are simply trying to earn easy commissions by jacking up prices. PLANNING TO ARRIVE ON ISLAND WITH A VEHICLE?: If you are planning to bring a vehicle to the island you will require a reservation for your vehicle (only and not for the passengers). We are happy to make this reservation on your behalf. The ferry companies traveling to Ometepe will permit reservations up to 3 weeks prior to the travel date. The rough cost of bringing a vehicle to the ferry is around US$25 (each way). MAKING A RESERVATION FOR YOUR VEHCILE: 1) Check the ferry schedule below to see which ferry you would like to take to and from the island. 2) Send us a message including dates and what kind of vehicle you are bringing i.e. motorbike/ATV/car/4WD/Minibus. 3) We will arrange the reservation and confirm back to you. For travel dates more than 3 weeks in the future, please make a note to contact us 3 weeks prior to the date and we will get on to it. Reservations are generally made in the name of XALLI HOTEL (our other business on the island). WHICH FERRY IS BEST FOR ME? We recommend the REY DE COCIBOLCA that travels between the ports of San Jorge and San Jose del Sur on the island. The problem is that it only makes 2 trips to the island per day (departs San Jorge daily at 9.30am and 5pm) so the times may not suit your needs. The Rey de Cocibolca is owned by the local Altagracia council and is not only the biggest and most comfortable ferry but also is the cheapest. Moreover, the port of San Jose del Sur is closer to us than the port of Moyogalpa so the travel time to us upon arrival on the island is shorter(URL HIDDEN) WHAT TO DO ON THE DAY YOUR TRAVEL TO THE ISLAND (WITH A VEHCILE): 1) Arrive at the port of San Jorge at least 30minutes prior to the departure time on your travel date. 2) Upon arriving at the port of San Jorge you should go to the glass windows located to the left before passing through the gates. There you will inform the appropriate ferry company that you have arrived and will make payment. At the window closest to the gates you need to pay the port taxes which is C$82 for a 4WD. (Please note minibuses and trucks will cost more and motorbikes, less.) From there you go to the gates and inform the guard you are traveling to Ometepe with your vehicle (“vamos a Ometepe con nuestro vehiculo”). From there proceed to the vehicle waiting area until it is time to board. Each ferry company has its own process (which it tends to change from time to time just to keep us all on our feet!). In the case of the Rey de Cocibolca you should know – 1) passenger tickets are purchased before you travel at the window outside of the port gates 2) the driver does not need to buy a ticket and is included in the cost of bringing the vehicle over 3) you will pay for the vehicle once on the ferry. Someone will come to where you are sitting in order to take payment. The cost is around C$500 (around US$18). ONCE ON ISLAND – DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS TO US: We are located in Balgue on the Maderas side of the island. Firstly you need to start to head in the direction of MADERAS VOLCANO. This means after departing Moyogalpa or San Jose del Sur you should be heading south(ish). Nicaragua is notoriously bad at providing good road directions. To help you, we recommend you either hire a vehicle with a GPS system or download the free app called WAZE. BASIC DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS ARE: 1) Head in direction of ALTAGRACIA, 2) Follow the signs to MADERAS VOLCANO (you will come across one paved road that leads to your right. Take this. 3) Continue driving to Santa Cruz where you will come to a split, pls choose the Balgue direction. 4) Upon entering into Balgue you will see a sign for Totoco Eco-lodge on your right hand side. Follow this up the volcano until you see the sign to enter our property (right hand side and says 4 ELEMENTOS) about 600meters from the main road. Follow the drive-way all the way to the house (approx another 150meters). Our entire property runs purely on solar energy. We have sized the system well so during the dry season (December - April) you do not have to ration your energy consumption. During the rain season (May - November) you will need to be mindful and switch off lights and fans that are not necessary. On certain occasions we will need to turn on our generator to pump up our batteries. The landscaping on the property is work in progress. At this moment we are working on our entrance experience (paths, parking and gardens). This work is non-intrusive. We have two medium/large dogs on our property, Alpha and Osa, they are an integral part of our family and sweeties but they also provide security at night. They bark at strangers but never bite. With each new guest they become more accustomed to having people they don't know in their space. Is Ometepe the right fit for you? If you have a love for nature and all things natural, you will love Ometepe! The island is home to an abundance of flora and fauna and has everything from waterfalls, black and white sand beaches, incredible nature hikes, ancient petroglyphs, scenic wetlands and a natural volcanic swimming pool. If, however, you have a phobia of spiders, insects and other creepy crawlies, then Ometepe is perhaps not the right fit for you Whilst the accommodations we offer are anything but rustic, the island is and as its biosphere status implies, there is an enormous amount biodiversity which translates into an incredible array of insects. Other rooms at Ananda Guesthouse: https://airbnb.com/h/ananda-guesthouse-1bdrm-apartment https://airbnb.com/h/ananda-guesthouse-luxury-triple-with-porch https://airbnb.com/h/ananda-guesthouse-luxury-double-room