Villa Espiral 2010

Here's a link to some video and stills from our August, 2010 trip to Villa Espiral, Rancho Santana, Tola, Nicaragua.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfglmzZa0uI

July 2010

Hola Amigos,
Villa Espiral has been mostly booked this year, and folks are having a great time! We've had several repeat guests so far this year, including Brian Bridgford and Darrell Hawkins, the Chekarian family, the Arguello's and others. Good to see you coming back! Thank you! We hope all of you who follow this blog will join the Villa Espiral family and make it your home away from home in Nicaragua. Here are some pictures from Darrell Hawkins, John Hanusek, and last week's guest, Gene Manako. Enjoy!












Marco Foreman, stoked!














Check it out! Chess, a book, playing cards, wifi internet, and beer. Just a few options....












Getting ready for some fun.














Gene Manako was celebrating his 40th birthday with friends and family. We get happy when we see smiles like that!











Gabe Kling, surfs Rosada so beautifully!









































Sometimes the water is so clear that it's like surfing in a tropical aquarium.






This is either Brian Bridgford or Darrell Hawkins. Nice positioning.













Somebody from Gene's crew is in there somewhere.

























Gene, reaching for the rail.













Matt, on a glassy one.








Gene, high and tight on a fast one.





Marco, keeping it tight to the pocket.









































It's not easy to surf vertically at Rosada.












Power fan.














Fresh watermelon, a beer, and a firing left beyond the pool.












Gene, attacking a dark, gnarly beast.












It rained really hard one night and the critters were lining up to get into the house and out of the deluge.











Yoga instructor Audra Glyn Smith, in tune with her surroundings.

underwater.MP4

Click here to view this video

This little video by Villa Espiral guest Gene Manako shows the diversity of life in the waters out in front. Use the password Manako.

March 2010

Hola Amigos,

Bienvenidos from Villa Espiral, Rancho Santana, Tola, Nicaragua!

These beautiful ladies are Isamar and Yamali, from nearby Gigante, where Villa Espiral manager, Gray Gardner lives. You will see lots of pretty smiles in Nicaragua.













Folks have been waiting until right before a planned trip to inquire about the availability of Villa Espiral. Lately, I have been sending quite a few replies, saying, "sorry, but it is already reserved for those days."

This is the hammock, the pool and the ocean you will be missing if you wait too long. So if you want to visit or return to Villa Espiral, please contact us as far in advance as possible.

I just returned from Villa Espiral and, while we didn't score the greatest surf or throw a big birthday bash like last year, we still had a great time. There are so many cool people, beautiful places, and fun things to do (including just hanging in the hammock), that you can really get energized by the experience.


Our friend Mateo knows how to enjoy the moment. He also manages a boat and can take you to various surf and fishing destinations in the area. You can contact him at
http://justinthenicatime.shutterfly.com/
At his site, you can also check out recent boat trip pics, like our March 14th surf at Manzanillo, shot by our friend and Iguana Beach resident, Bob Schmidt. You can see the boat being launched from the beach at Gigante, as well as some of the scenery on the way. Manzanillo wasn't great for surfing on that day, but it was still as beautiful as ever, and always a pleasure to be there. If you don't have a car, I'm guessing that Mateo would pick you up right out front of Villa Espiral. All you would have to do is paddle out to the boat.



Ok. The obligatory surf shots. Thanks again, Mateo for the boat trip, and thanks Bob for the photos.











Gray, cutting back.














OK. Yes, I did drop in own my own son, but he was too far back!



























Rob and Gray's boat will be getting upgraded with killer gear, including a Suzuki outboard motor and will be put into service soon . So folks, there are some handsome, enterprising young friends down here, with a very compelling product...Great Experiences!















Gray is the manager of Villa Espiral. Chico is his loyal companion. Don't worry, Chico is a loving pal. On the other hand, nobody is gonna mess with you when he is around. Gray is your go to guy when it comes to Villa Espiral and the adventures and experiences that are available in the area.
















Despite the lack of rain in October and the long dry season that followed, Villa Espiral is keeping it green.

























































































































































































































We had a blast going to the ladies softball playoff game in Tola. Yamali's team won! Here she is, hitting a grand slam!































































And she pitched!











































It was a fun crowd, with the girls and ladies in the crowd whooping it up and stomping on the bleachers.



















For many of us, Playa Rosada is the main draw.




















Villa Espiral's neighbors, the Brown family girls (and Oro). Contact Marc Brown if you are interested in property at Rancho Santana marcb@ranchosantana.com

















Diving is really fun at Rancho Santana. Here, Ryan, Raquel, Gray and Chico prepare to jump off the rocks right next to the blow hole at Rosada.












Gray, Yamali, Ryan and Raquel wish you the very best and hope you can come down soon!





















We have these cool new T shirts available too! $20.00 plus tax shipping and handling. They come in white, sand, olive, dark blue, light blue, brown and black. Sizes are medium, large, extra large and double extra large. Shoot me an email at lincolngardner@sdmnica.com. You can pay by check or paypal. Saludos!














Tola is the municipality where Rancho Santana and Villa Espiral are located.




















Olas Gigantes is Gray, Ryan, Cody and Zach's hotel on the water in Gigante.



www.villaespiral.com