Casa Gallo: a Spacious & Beautiful Colonial Home

Property description

Casa Gallo is an owner-managed traditional colonial home 4.5 blocks from the Central Park, in a quiet area of large colonial homes. This 5,330 square foot house (8,500 sq. ft. including gardens), plus a 4500 square foot connecting Annex available at an additional cost, have all been restored and modernized to serve as a delightful vacation rental home. With the highest possible rating scores for 14 reviews Casa Gallo is the nuber one rental in Granada.

There are three bedrooms in the main home (including a 20' x 20' master bedroom with 15' ceilings), 3 bathrooms, dining area, kitchen, bar, a large living room, and a TV room, all fronting the large interior courtyard with its beautiful palm trees and garden open to the sky. A beautiful pool, gazebo with table and chairs, and a fountain complete this central area.

(The original connecting Annex has recently been lovingly restored to provide two additional queen-bedded, air-conditioned bedrooms with private baths available at an additional cost to those renting the main house who need more than 3 bedrooms--please inquire for rates.)

There are two distinct seating areas along the edge of the interior courtyard in addition to the dining area, kitchen, bar, and gazebo seating. The home is furnished in colonial style, with antiques and replicas. Stairs in the rear of the courtyard lead to a second level balcony with panoramic views of Granada rooftops and Mombacho Volcano. A beautiful secure private walled garden of 2,300 square feet with fruit trees, banana trees, bougainvillea and lawn is entered through a large covered patio from a secure door at the rear of this balcony.

All bedrooms have bathrooms with hot water showers, air conditioners with remote controls, and ceiling fans. Two bedrooms have queen beds and cable TV, the third has twin beds. (Additional extra-cost queen-bedded rooms are available in the Annex, please inquire.) There is a laundry room with washer & dryer, and a garage.

Casa Gallo has two private employees to serve you, José and his wife, Maria-Elena, both native Granadinos. José is the on-site manager, as well as gardener, handyman, and caretaker, who also knows where to buy all the best local food (e.g., nacatamales and vigoron). José works 9-4 Mon-Fri with an hour off for lunch, and 9-noon on Saturday, but lives just around the corner and is available 24/7 to handle any and all emergencies that may arise. Maria-Elena works half-days in the morning, cleaning, making beds, and doing the house laundry. She is also an excellent cook who will prepare tasty local dishes (comida typica) for you at a reasonable cost--when we are there we enjoy her food every day: Gallo Pinto, Indio Viejo, Carne Desmenusada, Salpicon, Guiso de Pipian, Costillas de Cerdo, and others too numerous to mention. (Hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza are readily available in town of course, but it would be a shame to come to Granada and not sample the best of its traditional food.) Because Maria-Elena and José live just around the corner she can cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner for you and bring it over when you want it. Count on it: Although their English is rudimentary, José and Maria-Elena will take very good care of you indeed!

A Movistar cellular phone is available for guests' use--minutes may be purchased at the Movistar office Across the street. A broadband internet connection with WI-FI is installed that also allows you to use SKYPE on your laptop to make long-distance calls. For those who know how set up a VPN connection NetFlix can be streamed to laptops and iPads. A safe box is available in the Master Bedroom for guests' use; the special key requires a deposit that is 100% refundable when it is returned.

For transportation, tours and tourguide, and airport transfers just email the owner for links to the best contacts and the driver he always uses.

Casa Gallo has an automatic standby water system of 1500 liters, and two battery-backed standby electrical systems that provide essential 110 volt power for much of the house in the event of the occasional water and power outages that make life in Granada so interesting.

Standard rental rates are $200 per night, $1300 per week, and $4000 per month. High season rates are shown in RATES section. Casa Gallo sleeps a maximum of 6 including children--sorry, no cribs or cots available. (Extra queen-bedded bedrooms are available in the Annex at an additional cost--please inquire.) All rentals are charged a $20/day flat utility rate that is less than the average daily electricity cost for Casa Gallo--we make up the difference. There is a refundable $100 damage deposit. A 3-day minimum stay is required outside of High Season and a 25% deposit will hold the reservation until one month prior to occupancy when balance is due. No long term rentals, no pets.

Included in every rental at no charge is a welcome offering of a pound of our favorite coffee and a 6-pack of our favorite beer.

In his role as manager José will provide house keys and cellular phone on arrival and will assist you when you arrive at Casa Gallo to take care of any and all house-related problems (and many others as well) that may arise during your stay.

Payment of deposits and balances can be made by credit card via an invoice sent by the owner at your request. No checks please.

To see a map of Granada showing in red exactly where Casa Gallo is located use the arrow to scroll sideways through the photos to the last one and then tap on it. The map in the VRBO listing is accurate when the page is enlarged a few clicks.

Some Guest Book Comments: 2010-2015

-Casa Gallo has been the perfect place for us to stay during our visit. The house is truly a gem to be proud of. We felt like Spanish Royalty for a week. José and Maria Elena are very sweet and easy to talk to even if your Spanish is limited. Thank you, Richard and Trudy for sharing your gorgeous home with us.
-It is like being at home! Thanks to José and Maria Elena, moving around Granada was easy, and eating some nice homemade food with friends was a perfect way to get back in touch with them.
-We truly owe our sincere thanks to José and Maria Elena for guiding us, helping us, and for putting up with our Spanish conversations and charades. Maria Elena's cooking was wonderful. Richard and Trudy, thank you so much for sharing your home with us.
-What a wonderful peace and quiet pervades this amazing oasis that is Casa Gallo. Our stay here has been amazing--Granada is quite wonderful--still for the most part untouched.
-The house is so comfortable and well-appointed, and is a great spot from which to explore Granada.
-We love the ambiance and easy living; after a week we are just as relaxed as can be with not a pain anywhere in our bodies.
-I love it here its sooo awesome, I wish I could stay longer its soooo pretty (age 9)
-José has been extremely kind and showed us all around Granada and Masaya. This place is a jewel.
-We have thoroughly enjoyed our one-week stay. José was most helpful and walked with us to the grocery store when we failed to find it on our own.
-This home is beyond incredible. Pictures and descriptions could never do it justice. the housekeeper took care of the house impeccably, and José was our guide and “fixer” extraordinaire. I’m sorry we have to leave.
-Great vacation – the house has been wonderful. the housekeeper and José have been terrific. Spent every afternoon in pool! Hope your visit is as wonderful as ours!
-We loved your home, it was comfortable and José was very nice and made our stay feel like home. Casa Gallo is perfect and we will be back—hope it will be soon.
-Casa Gallo in one word? Paradise! We have fallen in love with the house and the area. Many thanks to the wonderful José.
-We can't say enough good things about Granada, and especially Casa Gallo, which is in a great location with the walk to the center of town being easy and safe. José was absolutely wonderful.
-Casa Gallo was a wonderful retreat! After a long day of travelling...Casa Gallo was like a little piece of paradise.
-As we entered Casa Gallo...we were awed by the majestic beauty inside...much better than any hotel we have ever stayed in.
-We had a fantastic time in Nicaragua...Casa Gallo is amazing! José was wonderful and will take great care of you.
-We spent the month of July in Nicaragua and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Casa Gallo was indeed a highlight...the staff, José and his assistant, were exceptionally gracious.
-Thank you for letting us stay and enjoy your beautiful home...it met every expectation!
-What a fabulous place--we thoroughly enjoyed our week here in Granada!
-Casa Gallo is fabulous and in a great location...it was large and luxurious...we walked into town almost every day.