site.btaA Bulgarian Woman’s Bold Leap into Surfing and Hospitality

Nearly 11,000 kilometers from her hometown in southern Bulgaria, Jenny Petrova has carved out a new life as the owner and manager of a surfing hotel in El Transito, a quiet village on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast. What began as a spontaneous land purchase has transformed into a thriving retreat for surfers and travelers alike.

Petrova’s journey started in Madrid, where she studied business administration at university. After working for a startup and later in real estate evaluation, she felt uninspired and decided to take a break, setting off on a journey through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Belize—all renowned surfing destinations. An avid surfer herself, Petrova was drawn to Nicaragua’s untouched waves and the absence of large crowds.

“There aren’t many people here to steal your wave,” she told BTA in an interview from the patio of her hotel, Alive.

In 2017, Petrova purchased a plot of land for just USD 20,000, not initially planning to build a business but seeing it as a potential investment. However, what began as a casual purchase quickly turned into an ambitious project. By 2018, she had started construction of a hotel, and by 2021, it was ready to welcome guests.

Though she doesn’t recall what first drew her to the location, her mother reminded her that she once called it “the most wonderful place on earth.” The waves, the tranquility, and the lush palm trees captivated her.

Petrova’s investment has helped revitalize the area. When she first arrived, many homes were abandoned, but her hotel has drawn more foreigners and encouraged locals to return and refurbish their homes. Today, her neighbors include a mix of Nicaraguans, Americans, Austrians, and Canadians.

The place is now on surfers’ radar.

The El Transito waves are for beginner and intermediate surfers. 

The majority of clients in Petrova’s hotel are German-speaking: mostly Germans, Austrians, and Swiss, plus Canadians and Americans. Local people come occasionally, too. 

Running a beachfront hotel has not been without its difficulties. Petrova faced shoddy construction, theft, and her own inexperience early on. Now, the biggest challenge is maintenance, as the salty air and humid climate take a toll on the property.

She praises her local staff, mostly El Transito locals. “They don’t have a mean bone in them, and I like their attitude,” she told BTA.

She manages the hotel alongside her partner, Max Espinoza, a Nicaraguan who has been taking Bulgarian language lessons for two years now and now speaks Bulgarian at a conversational level. He oversees the hotel’s maintenance.

On one booking platform, customers commend all aspects of Petrova’s business but mostly the location, the beautifully designed hotel spaces, the staff and food.

Jenny told BTA that she does not make a profit from the food the hotel offers but still does it because she wants to make sure the hotel guests have a complete experience.

Surprisingly, she admitted she is not a fan of seafood herself. "But living on the coast, often I don't have much of a choice," she added.

Her hotel regularly runs yoga classes and organizes yoga retreats.

A minuscule Bulgarian community

Jenny Petrova is among a minuscule Bulgarian community in Nicaragua. She has been introduced to three other Bulgarians but did not stay in touch. The only Bulgarian she calls a friend is Katia Roa. The two met via an acquaintance and then Jenny stayed with Roa when she had to travel to the capital Managua.

Roa herself has been longer in Nicaragua, on and off, after first arriving in 1990 with her Nicaraguan husband Marcos and newborn daughter Adriana. She remembers being part of a 25-strong Bulgarian community in Managua in her early days there. “Most of those, mostly men, were the children of diplomats who once worked in Nicaragua. They went to high school and university in Nicaragua, married local women and made Nicaragua their home,” she told BTA.

Currently she knows of 10 Bulgarians in the country but having lived for several years now on a farm that is away from the capital, she hasn’t been in touch with them since the pandemic.

Bulgaria and Nicaragua established diplomatic relations in 1979. Bulgaria opened its embassy in Managua in 1980 but closed for financial reasons ten years later. It was reopened briefly in 1993 at the level of chargés d'affaires – only to be closed permanently in 1997. Now the Bulgarian Ambassador in Mexico is in charge of Nicaragua as well.