Stayed at the Hotel Los Balcones in Leon for three nights in February. After reading all of the rave reviews regarding this property, I really wanted to stay here. The ambiance of the hotel was great (a former Spanish colonial mansion), but I felt the front desk staff wasn't overly friendly. The rooms were great (heard the balcony rooms are wonderful) with a double bed, a/c (definitely need because Leon is HOT!) and cable tv. There was no hot water. It was in a great location - a few blocks from Basilica de la Asuncion, around the corner from the supermarket/cinema and a block from Bigfoot Hostel (where you can book volcano 'surfing' and hiking trips) and Via Via (good for some drinks, food, music and pool table). The complimentary breakfast included a plate of fruit and toast with coffee. Being one of the more expensive hotels in Leon (US$35-40/night), I would have liked to have checked out the others in the area before returning again to this property. Although I speak Spanish, please note that most hotels, such as this one, do not have English speaking staff.

We stayed at Hotel Balcones for the New Years Holiday weekend and we found the service to be excellent. We also watched the cathedrals midnight firework show from the hotels third floor balcony which we learned happen at different times during the holidays. The hotel is well maintained, much of staff speaks English. The building is very nicely restored. After visiting many other cities during our vacation, we ended up extending our stay at Balcones, instead of touring our next and last city of Chinandaega. Leon was great, we recommend it for those who are looking for less tourists than Granada.

I just returned from a three week solo trip to Nicaragua and was able to cover a good bit of the country in that time frame. I researched anything and everything I could find out about the country online and in print before I left. One of my chief travel concerns was finding quality accommodations throughout my itinerary where I would feel safe with the expensive camera gear I was hauling around. Tripadvisor and a number of kind people who answered questions I posted online were invaluable aiding in this task. I was fortunate enough to have been recommended Hotel Los Balcones as the place to stay in Leon. Over three weeks traveling around the country, having stayed at about six or seven different locations, Hotel Los Balcones turned out to be my nicest accommodation. I chose Los Balcones over some of the more expensive places in town (you'd be surprised how many nice accommodations throughout Nicaragua don't have hot water). The owner, Carlos Herdocia Sr., has had this property in his family for generations and takes great pride in offering quality service to all his guest. I was fortunate enough to have been given a tour of the location when I arrived. The hotel was clean, well maintained, an exceptionally helpful staff in place, and most of all safe. My Spanish is not as good as it should be and I was fortunate that not only was Mr. Herdocia fluent in English, but some of his staff as well. I was also fortunate enough to come across a link where I was able to book the room at an exceptional rate, even cheaper than through the hotel itself. The link is: ----, a very efficient U.S. operation confirming my reservation/purchase within 24 hours and providing me with a direct domestic phone line to contact in the event of any questions. Thumbs up for Hotel Los Balcones in Leon!!"

We were in Nicaragua on a tourism visit. We were staying at another Hotel in town called El Convento, but there prices were a little high. During our stay, someone referred us to Hotel Los Balcones de Leon. We were told it was next to the movie theatres in Leon, so we went and toured it before watching our movie that night. We thought the place looked wonderful! Me and my wife decided to stay there for the remaining couple of nights. There prices were about $49 or $53 U.S. if I can recall, that was more than half off from El Convento Hotel, where we stayed at first. We recommend Los Balcones Hotel, it is a good bet for your money if you're planning on visiting Leon. We will also post some photos that we took.