A year and a half after first opening its doors for business on Calle La Calzada, in the heart of colonial Granada, Hotel Darío celebrated its grand opening last week unveiling – for the first time – the complete hotel under its new concept for promoting Nicaraguan culture and poetry.
The 22-room hotel, located inside a regally restored historic home, is now complete with a conference room, workout facilities for guests and wireless Internet in the rooms.
Guests who arrive at the Hotel Darío are greeted with a complimentary blue cocktail – the hotel’s own creation to honor “Azul,” the most recognized work of the hotel’s namesake, celebrated poet and Nicaraguan national hero Rubén Darío.
In staying with the poetry theme, the hotel is naming each of its rooms after a famous Nicaraguan poet, the works of whom will be displayed inside the bedroom in framed format. The hotel has also created a new poetry library system, allowing guests to borrow books featuring the works of different national and international poets to read during their stay.
The owners of the hotel, Carmen Garcia and Francisco Velilla, of Barcelona, Spain, say the idea of the hotel is to promote Nicaraguan culture, which many tourists list as one of the country’s main attractions.
“We want the tourists to feel like they are living the culture of Nicaragua,” said hotel manager Ana Azalea Zavala.
During the Aug. 21 grand opening, guests felt just that as they mingled in the elegant center courtyard, sampling hors d’oeuvres and the hotel’s Azul cocktail before gathering for a free concert by legendary Nicaraguan folksinger and songwriter, Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy.
The Hotel Darío also boasts the “El Tranvía” Restaurant, one of the nicest in town, and the cozy Chocolate coffee shop, both facing the pedestrian boulevard of la Calzada. For more information, visit www.hoteldario.com.
