A charming collection of cabins right on a Lake Nicaragua (Cocibolca) fresh water beach, on the island of Ometepe, with a lounging area right on the sand. A gently slopping sand bottom makes entry into the lake easy. The staff is most friendly and attentive. Although most of the staff speak limited English, a fluent English speaker is available in the office and they advertise that German is also spoken there.
Although a number of restaurants, and other places of lodging, are within easy walking distance, we had all of our meals in the hotel restaurant and they were delicious. No meals are included in the room rate. Pretty grayish-blue uracca birds swoop through the outside portion of the dining area, adding a tropical touch.
The office can arrange a number of guided activities, although not all are available every day due to rain or lack of a minimum number of participants. We rented a motor scooter to ride around the island’s only paved road on our own. The few others who were on the road were much more likely to be on a similarly small motor cycle or bicycle than a vehicle.
Our room had a single window and glass door. If you want more of a view, ask for it when making your reservation. And if you don’t enjoy “getting up with the chickens,” ask for a room away from the neighbor with roosters.

We live in Nicaragua and decided to take an overnight trip to Ometepe Island with some friends who were visiting. We had a two year old, a four year old, an eleven year old and a thirteen year old with us. This place was great for what we needed.

There are a few different price range options for you to choose from. We had reserved a basic cabin ($45/night) but once we arrived there, the woman at the front desk said they had two higher-grade cabins available on special for $70/night. These included TV and hot water, the basic cabins do not. We chose the $70/night ones because of the view, mainly.

The rooms were nothing spectacular, but face it, you are in Nicaragua. Our room had two queen beds and an armoire, a separate toilet and shower area. We did NOT have hot water, nor a TV. Our friends room, which was right next door, was the same except they did have a TV (Sky TV network). We never really found out about the hot water because there was a big storm that night and the power was out for a lot of it. The hotel does have a generator, which was great, we at least had lights and fans. Again, this is Nicaragua, the power here is NOT reliable, especially on Ometepe! So be prepared.

The staff was VERY friendly. We even ordered dinner for the kids to eat in the room, and they brought it to them without us even asking. The food there is pretty good. Worth the money. Order the chicken curry skewers and you won't be disappointed! And they make fabulous mojitos. :)

The beach area was wonderful for my two small children. They played in Lake Cocibolca (aka Lake Nicaragua) and loved it. Some other guests were there having cocktails on the shore, and had some music playing. It was paradise! There are blue birds there that will eat from your hand they are so tame. And pretty!!

There were definitely some gnat like bugs... the clothing I left out to dry overnight was covered with dead insects, but again, that is to be expected in a somewhat remote area.

The location of the hotel is nice, we did have our own vehicle (came over on the ferry with us, I highly recommend this if you can do it) so it was no problem driving around to the canopy tours, Ojo de Agua and some petroglyphs. I didn't see TOO many restaurant choices in the immediate area but we were only there for 1 night, so we didn't search too much.

I would definitely stay at Villa Paraiso again. The views of volcano Maderas from the shore, and if you walk into the lake far enough, you can see Volcano Concepcion, too, were totally worth the money and putting up with the power outages and gnats!

Go to Villa Paraiso for great food, but not to stay at the hotel. It's tilapia is some of the best I have had anywhere. The grilled steak and chicken are also superb.

Our kids loved playing in the volcanic sand on the beach.

But if you are staying anywhere on Playa Santa Domingo, the bugs are beyond horrendous. Having travelled and/or lived in Africa and Central only if there are mosquito nets, but the Villa Paraiso does not provide them. In the morning, our glass door was 85% covered with gnats.

Furthermore, the front desk was the least gracious of any in Nicaragua. They acted as though we were imposing upon them.

Our rooms was relatively small and dark.

We had high hopes, but Villa Paraiso was a profound disappointment and frankly made it miserable to stay on Ometepe. In retrospect, I would have stayed further up the slopes of either Volcan Maderas or Concepcion. This was by far the least pleasant hotel we stayed in while in Nicaragua.

Once you get off the ferry on Isle Ometepe it is about a 45 min drive to the hotel. We had the hotel pick us up but I believe there are also shuttles/taxi's as an option. The hotel is on San Domingo Beach. Each room is a separate building and our building was air conditioned which is a very import. upgrade to consider. There is a TV, bathroom small. Had a double bed and a single bed with a porch with 2 chairs and a hammock. Landscaping is beautiful. You can eat at the restaurant on the premises or walk a little down the road or on the beach for a few other options. All very good. There is Wi-Fi but cell phones do not work or at least mine did not (AT&T). For the nicest room we paid $65 a night which by Isle Ometepe standards is high...worth every dime!