Just outside the charming town of Masatepe a small lane winds through bright flowers...through a gate and the lane opens to a paradise on the edge of the rolling hills.....Volcan Masaya smokes in the distance. Villas vista Masaya is the dream of Nel and her late husband Joop, Dutch ex pats who envisioned a holiday rental that is much more than your average stay. They created an ecological preserve of sorts...integrated with the natural environment and the local community. You can feel their passion and dream sprinkled throughout the property. The morning coffee is grown just next to your villa! I have travelled to many places around the world and this is by far the most peaceful and beautiful place I have been. On top of the pure beauty, Nel and the local Nicaraguan people working here are generous, warm and knowledgeable. They will take you on a tour of the property and will help you with anything you need. Villas Vista Masaya is the perfect place to avoid the feel of a typical resort stay but with all the amenities of a luxury vacation. The salt water pool is two steps out the door and the villas are charming and comfortable. There is always a breeze coming across the hills that takes a bite out of the tropical heat. You can walk to Masatepe or take a Tuk Tuk ( local three wheel taxi) where you can shop at the market an immerse yourself in local Nicaraguan life. The people are kind and humble and as a foreigner you feel completely safe. Affordable luxury blended with numerous local attractions and amazing people....a perfect getaway just off the beaten path. You will not want to leave.....be sure to take a look in the Masaya volcano at night!!

Located outside Masatepe. It is located within reasonable driving distance to Masaya and Granada. The owner provided a welcoming house with great amenities. The kitchen is has a working stove, oven and refrigerator. There is a blender, coffee maker and citrus juicer available in the kitchen for daily use. Hot water is available in the shower, which is not standard in Nicaragua. There is no A/C, but do not worry, it isn't needed. The house has a lot of windows (with screens to keep the bugs out) which keeps the house cool. There is a ceiling fan in one of the bedrooms, which was only turned on twice in two weeks. Sheets and towels are provided and you can request new ones as needed. The house is fully furnished, with rocking chairs, beds, dinning table and a hammock. There are mangoes and coconuts available to eat during season. You may also purchase coffee at a reasonable price.

Nel and Joop, Although we didn’t have the chance to meet you, Jeremy and I just want to say thank you for making our stay the best. From bringing in the high chair and the most beautiful bed for Luna, to the amazing communication and bringing in Jeremy’s parents for a couple days, this house was a dream. We leave on Tuesday the 18th of February 2020, but I already know that we will miss this house and the people so much. What a pleasure it was to find such a calm, peaceful location and the property itself is stunning. We hope to meet you soon and talk about the wonderful and amazing things you have done to make this property spectacular. Thank you again for accommodating us and making sure that our Luna was comfortable, without even being here. We enjoyed getting to know your family, the workers Miguel and Jairo ( who were amazing by the way). We hope to see you next year, with more family. We really felt like this will be our vacation spot every year and thank you so much for making us feel like family here. All the best and all our love, Katerina, Jeremy and Luna Kamp

Stort modernt hus med västerländsk standard, underbar utsikt över Masayasjön från uteplatsen! Vacker miljö med fruktodlingar på den stora tomten. Underbart att äta frukost på altanen och få besök av kolibrier. Det kan vara lite besvärligt att komma dit från Masatepe, inte alla mototaxis vill köra på den dåliga grusvägen som går till boendet. Sängarna var i hårdaste laget.

We rented one of Nel's houses for 3 nights. We were coming from Leon (2.5h away). Nel was nice enough to send a great, reliable, English speaking driver to get us and bring to our house safely. We were very grateful for Nel's assistance as our Spanish is limited. We stayed at house #7, the last one by the cliff, the best view of Masaya lake and nicest breeze! The house was well constructed, rooms were spacious, and tastefully decorated. Beds were comfortable, good linens, nice pillows. Mattresses were on the harder side but comfortable. The kitchen was fully stocked. We put the juicing machine to a good use as Nel let us collect fresh oranges from her garden daily! Hot water showers were very welcomed as well. I want to thank Nel for a wonderful stay, great conversations, useful advice, and for making us feel at home at her beautiful property.

We rented a 2-bedroom bungalow for 3 months and absolutely loved the place. The altitude of Masatepe is around 400m so the temperature is a bit cooler than many other areas, which is one of the reasons we picked this area. The surrounding nature is amazing with views of Masaya lake, city and volcano from the property. There is also a supernice pool to relax in, good internet and lots of fruit trees on the property. The bungalows are of good western standards, although as everywhere in Nicaragua there are some bugs and creatures finding their way in. The owners Nel and Joop are very friendly, helpful and talkative, great people! The neighbourhood around the property is also very safe and tranquil and allows for strolling or running. We got to know the lovely neighbours in the area and used to buy eggs and fruit directly from them. Otherwise you would have to go into the village Masatepe for shopping at the daily market or supermarket. The condition of the dirt road is not great but there are moto-taxis driving you back and forth to Masatepe for 15-20 cordobas per person. So anyone looking for a peaceful place with fresh air and beautiful surroundings - this is the place!

I planned my own travel journey in Nicaragua in the summer of 2017 and stayed several night in Villas Vista Masaya in a lodge each traveller would dream of. Dutch founders Nel and Joop do have definitely an eye on quality and service. The lodges are built with enough space, comfort and facilities. Really very nice! Waking up in this lodge and sitting on my veranda, watching and hearing all kind of birds and overlooking a stunning nature, brought me in a real paradise far away from home, however I felt immediately very home in Villas Vista Masaya. Villas Vista Masaya does have a very nice swimming pool, all eco oriented with a great view over Lake Masaya. In the evening there is an option to have dinner with other guests in the Casa Club. Masetepe is very close by to buy food to prepare your own meals in case you prefer. Nel is a great advisor with regards to transport arrangements and site trips in Nicaragua. Villas Vista Masaya offers great value for money packages and staying here will make a real difference in your journey in Nicaragua. It was for me one of the most relaxing places in nature I have experienced off all journeys all around the world.

Dit keer een kort bezoek (3 nachten) ivm ons werkbezoek aan San Marcos. Het is hier altijd prima verblijven. Een gevoel van thuiskomen bij Joop en Nel. Prachtig uitzicht, mooie huisjes en de vlinders en vogels laten je genieten van de natuur in Nicaragua. Met een beetje geluk komt de guardabarranco (nationale vogel van Nicaragua) voorbij vliegen. Deze keer was het zwembad klaar bij Casa Club en daar hebben we natuurlijk van genoten

Voor de derde keer voelt het opnieuw als thuiskomen. Alleen nu ook in een heerlijk zwembad met het schitterende uitzicht op het meer van Masaya. Ieder stukje in het landschap, iedere doorkijkje is het waard om te fotograferen of, beter nog, uit te tekenen of te schilderen. Alleen al daarvoor kom ik terug. De kolibries en de vlinders krijg ik er gratis bij. De groene rust voelt geweldig. En de gastvrouw en -heer, Nel en Joop zijn dat ook. Daarom 5 sterren!

04.00 uur: langzaam wakker worden samen met de vogels; daarna doorsluimeren met de geluiden van de natuur. Je hoeft jezelf niet te dwingen om op te staan om 06.00 uur , dat gebeurt geheel vanzelfsprekend: het balkon nodigt uit om met een kopje koffie de vogels en de natuur te ondergaan. Het uitzicht over het kratermeer, de stad Masaya, het meer van Managua en de bergen van Matagalpa is van immense aard. Een betere start van de dag is voor mij nauwelijks denkbaar, het is puur geluk om zoiets te mogen meemaken en beleven. De ligging en bereikbaarheid van Villas Vista is goed gekozen; in korte tijd kun je veel van Nicaragua ondergaan, zowel natuur als stad.