Need a REAL massage? The kind that hits every sore, stressed muscle and makes it relax? The kind that makes you groan in pain/pleasure when your shoulder and neck muscles finally unclench and relax? The kind where you walk in with your shoulders up to your ears and you walk out looking human again?

Come to Balance Spa and ask for Omar. No joke -he's got magical hands! I loved it so much, I went more than once. If I had more time, I would have gone every day.

Prices were reasonable ($20-30 US/hour depending on the kind of massage. I don't think we spent more than $20 or $25 - I can't quite remember as we paid in Cordoba) and the spa itself was quiet, lovely, clean and airy.

We chose Hotel La Bocona to round out our colonial Granada experience and were so pleased we did. The hotel offers a truly old world experience with with elegantly appointed rooms and common areas, immaculate gardens, friendly staff and a relaxed atmosphere. Centrally located, the hotel provides easy access to Granada and most activities on foot. The downside to this locaiton is that there is street noise, as the rooms face the street and rely on large doors for ventilation. The staff is friendly and helpful with recommendations to make the most of our stay, despite our inability to speak Spanish. Our only challenge was at check-out where we had some confusion. We would highly recommend Hotel La Bocona to others looking for a colonial Granada experience.

My partner and I stayed at Hotel La Bocona for 4 days at the very end of December and both of us enjoyed it immensely. The hotel is perfectly located about two blocks away from Parque Central. It’s a short walk over to restaurants on Calle La Calzada and other Granada landmarks.

The hotel is small (with only six rooms) so sometimes you feel like you're the only ones staying here. The hotel is simply gorgeous! It’s a fabulous restoration of a Spanish colonial home, with original ceiling artwork and tiling. The interior courtyards, along with a pool, are wonderful places to relax. The rooms were large, with lovely high ceilings, and were beautifully furnished.

I can’t say enough good things about the staff at La Bocona. Jakob at the front desk was very helpful in making tour reservations. Nadene, the manager, gave us a fabulous tip about where to spend New Year’s Eve (we had a great time at Hotel Granada's party). And Olga and the rest of the kitchen staff were very friendly, attentive and cooked delicious breakfasts. They were marvelous.

One caveat about La Bocona: our room was loud and hot during the day. Some of the rooms border Calle La Libertad, which can get very noisy. The noise dropped off almost completely at night but if that’s an issue for you, you might want to request the interior room by the pool or one of the rooms on the other side of the hotel. The rooms do not have A/C, which is not much of a problem at night. But we were too uncomfortable to spend much time in our room during the day.

All in all, we loved our stay in Granada and Hotel La Bocona was a wonderful choice.

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful stay in Granada.
La Bocona is a gem! The rooms are enormous, elegantly decorated and emmaculately maintained. This boutique hotel is quiet and relaxing, breakfast is simple and delicious, the spa is delightful and the staff warm and friendly.
I had the poor luck of falling ill during my stay in Nicaragua -- nothing related to the hotel ---- and a staff member, the sweet Olga, took care of me like I was family. She made me tea and made sure I was ok. A big thanks to Olga and the entire staff at La Bocona for making our stay feel like a home away from home. I highly recommend this hotel if you are looking for an unique experience in Granada.