DETAILS Nicaragua

GETTING THERE: Several airlines fly into Managua from the Washington area, including American, Northwest and Continental. We flew the Central American airline TACA ( http://www.taca.com ) from Dulles for $550 round trip, but ticket prices currently start at $650.

GETTING AROUND: On local buses in Managua, the crowding and pickpocketing are legendary. City-to-city, though, buses are safe and, especially if you pay extra for the express, comfortable. From the market, Mercado Roberto Huembes (pronounced "WHEM-base"), the express bus to Granada costs less than $1 for the 30-mile trip; to San Juan del Sur, 65 miles away, less than $3.

Car rentals are available in major cities: Managua, Granada and Rivas, among others. If you book online, though, make sure you're aware of all the charges: Our rate of $90 per week turned into $228 after the agency added a previously undisclosed, but obligatory, insurance fee.

WHERE TO STAY:

· Managua: For a splurge, try the new InterContinental , a peach-colored, five-star behemoth in front of the Metrocentro shopping mall (Costada Sur Centro Comercial Metrocentro, 011-505-2-784545, http://www.icmanagua.gruporeal.com ; doubles start at $115 per night). Or, for history's sake, the iconic, pyramid-shaped InterContinental (now officially a Crowne Plaza ), where American journalists bivouacked during the civil war (101 Octava Calle Sur Oeste, 011-505-2-283530, http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hd/MGAHA ; $84). A clean, comfy, cheaper alternative is the Hotel Los Robles de San Juan (Galería Casa de los Tres Mundos 1c abajo No. 238, 011-505-270-2114, http://www.brandtshotel.com.ni ), with doubles from $35 a night. Those seeking $10-a-night beds should look in the backpacker-heavy Martha Quezada neighborhood.

· Granada: We stayed in the stylish, gorgeously renovated Hotel Alhambra (Costado Oeste del Parque Central; 011-505-552-4486, http://www.hotelalhambrani.com ), on the town plaza. The huge doubles start at $50 a night; ours, with a balcony and endless hot water, was a well-worth-it $75.

· San Juan del Sur: The blocky Hotel Casablanca (Paseo Maritimo, 011-505-568-2135, http://www.sanjuandelsur.org.ni/casablanca ) isn't loaded with charm, but it's beachfront and offers both secure parking and an ATM. Doubles start at $50 a night; ask for the top floor. Locals recommend the cozy, B&B-ish Hotel Villa Isabella (Diagonal Norte Iglesias Catolica, 011-505-568-2568, http://www.sanjuandelsur.org.ni/isabella ), which has cable, a pool and Internet access; rooms are $50 with a shared bath, $65 and up with a private one. On the other hand, share a room in the Meanie-blue (but slightly run down) Hotel Estrella (Paseo Maritimo, 011-505-458-3310), on the main drag, and you could end up with a second-floor beachfront balcony for as little as $5 a night.

· Selva Negra Mountain Resort : The resort (Km 140 Hwy. Matagalpa-Jinotega; 011-505-772-3883; http://www.selvanegra.com ) offers a range of choices, from $10 for a bunk in a dorm-style hostel to $30 for a hotel room, to $50 for a private bungalow.