BACK TO PROPERTY OVERVIEW
Bao Bei
Granada, Nicaragua
Bao Bei
Granada, Nicaragua
Dashing Colonial Update
A glamorous gem of Granada’s colonial era, this circa 1930 estate fell on hard times, left abandoned for decades until its painstaking restoration in 2022. The villa’s classic hacienda layout features a stately travertine courtyard at its heart, refreshed by a palm-surrounded pool and a grand, arched and colonnaded portico. It is newly outfitted with a sculpted concrete cocktail bar and sweeping staircase that winds upstairs to the bedroom suites and a panoramic terrace set majestically above the neighboring rooflines.
Located on an elegant side street in old Granada, this grand villa’s respectful restoration dusted off and polished the estate’s fading beauty. Spearheaded by architects Timothy Perkins and Layla Xu, the complete renovation revived the villa’s soaring ceilings, grand arching doorways, and exquisite flooring. Perkins and Xu added contemporary flourishes by local artisans as part of the sumptuous property’s overall makeover, showcasing modern wood and concrete furnishings (cabinetry, staircase, bar) in curving, organic forms, as contrast to the colonial formality. New, muted lighting throughout creates a seductive and soothing atmosphere. And the glamorous villa features a lushly landscaped pool and upstairs exercise and view deck that melds magnificently into the 1930s-era architecture.
AROUND
Located on a quiet side street four blocks from Granada’s central park, Bao Bei occupies the beguiling city’s colonial heart. Museums, cafes, churches and other historical sites are walking distance from the villa, and Granada’s many leafy plazas, cobbled alleyways, and red-tiled roofs give it its distinctive charm. Considered to be Nicaragua’s most beautiful city, Granada is UNESCO protected, colorful, and buzzy. Architectural grandeur paired with lush tropical scenery and protected ecological regions have made Granada a destination. One popular street in the city is Calle la Calzada, a pedestrian street packed with cafes and restaurants, shops and kiosks. A bustling market fills the plaza near the cathedral at the city’s Parque Central, where vendors offer gem-colored sweets, handicrafts, tropical produce and even tropical birds.
Easily accessible from the villa and city, Lake Nicaragua is Central America’s largest freshwater location. It’s a popular launch for boat tours in and around the wildlife sanctuaries of Las Isletas, or unpopulated islands in the lake that are home to monkeys, tropical birds, and other protected wildlife. The otherworldly volcanic landscapes of the Masaya and Mombacho volcanoes are a short drive away, with dormant Mombacho offering hiking trails and the route to Masaya passing the Laguna de Apoyo, a crystalline lake in a volcanic crater, that’s a popular year-round swimming hole. Coffee lovers should visit the inland city of Matagalpa, a destination for its world-famous plantations.
LOCATION
Granada, Nicaragua. Nearest airport: Managua (1 hour)
BEST TIME TO VISIT: December to April (dry season); May to November (green season with nightly storms)
