La Gran Francia

The reason I'm writing about this hotel is because it was the most accessible hotel I found in Granada. Although not perfect, it is heading towards European and US standards. They currently have one "adapted" room (term used loosely) which is room 5.

In breif; the bathroom has a door width of 86cm with an ample floor area for wheelchair turning space of 117cm x 179cm (minus wc and sink fittings).

The WC has a floor - seat height of 40cm with no transfer bars available on either side. The wheelchair to WC transfer is to the right, the other side is blocked by the shower wall. The total sink height is 84cm whilst the leg clearance underneath is 71cm.

There is a small ramp down into the shower where there is one badly located grab rail. The shower is a long passage with the tap right at the end (79cm x 108cm). Once in the "shower tunnel" it is impossible to turn around in a wheelchair and any transfer (which would have to be onto a plastic patio chair) would be 180 degrees. The best solution that I can think of is to take your own self propelled shower chair with you to make the shower more user friendly!

The rest of the hotel was great, stylish, classical and colonial. The upper floors are not accessible as there isn't an elevator. They do however, promote a local initiative which is a small business of visually impaired people giving massages.

It is still one of the most accessible hotels that I've seen in Nicaragua even if it's not perfect, hopefully I'll find something better soon.

Date of stay: November 2007
Purpose of stay: Business