Tuesday, March 13, 2012

My Friends in Granada Nicaragua Sexually EXPLOITING Boys?

'Joluva Hotel in Granada where underage Nicaraguan boys are enslaved waiting to be sodomized by pedophiles from around the WORLD.

Sorry, but you got the wrong hotel.

Granada Nicaragua's, Hotel Joluva, a gay, straight-friendly guesthouse, has been shut down after police arrested the owners and investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and pornography.
"All five men are being held under preventive prison sentences while they await trial on charges of promoting tourism for the purpose of sexual exploitation, pornography and sexual abuse, according to Granada Police Chief Horacio Sobalvarro."
I call total BULLSHIT.

First off, the owners of Joluva Hotel, Jan and Francis, who are from Belgium, are our friends and although it's true you never REALLY know someone 100%, we know and have experienced Joluva enough to know these allegations are BULLSHIT. And since they're getting a bum rap here on the internet, I feel inclined to respond. Especially after this Nicaragua website uses our Joluva video and mentions our names in attempt to kinda, sorta prove something salacious was going on at Joluva Hotel. *I'll try to refrain from blasting this particular article even though they could have easily contacted us if they REALLY wanted insight and info on Joluva, versus making assumptions, inferences and spreading innuendo. Totally NOT cool when people's lives are at stake. But anyway, fuck them. I'll get back to them later.

Here's our VIDEO on Joluva that supposedly offers proof that illegal activity was taking place. We totally apologize for this video because truth is, it is NOT a good video. At the time, we were still learning about editing. Joluva deserves a better video which we would be happy to do in the future.

BE WARNED- this video contains a butt crack and some guys in their underwear.

Joluva is a gay hotel which obviously caters to the gay traveler BUT it is also straight friendly, which is telling. I'll explain shortly. They're all over the internet, Trip Advisor... and for good reason, they're a legitimate gay destination, not some 'no-name, secret room down the alley with little boys for sale' kinda place. If they were exploiting boys or promoting underage sex etc, it would have been quickly known and shut down years ago. You think they would let 'straight people' in Joluva if they were doing illegal 'gay' activity, I think not. Promoting gay sex? Where are the fliers? Is there a price list? The straight world uses Tits and Ass to promote everything from cars to pencils, so please, a hot guy in his underwear just isn't enough. And a note to Jan & Francis, if you're going to exploit young men, you should do it by the hour, it's much more lucrative than actually having folks book a few nights. Joluva is NOT a bordello, just so we're crystal CLEAR.

The 'boringness' of this pic is pretty much the point.

You can't even ENTER Joluva without a key or someone letting you in so people just don't come and go. Jan and Francis were well aware who entered their hotel and since there's only 4 rooms, it's not as if it isn't manageable. They also have cameras, not sure why they would have cameras installed if their was so much illegal activity going on. But Jan and Francis weren't stupid, they knew they would have clientele from time to time who WERE of the 'sketchy' type, which is precisely the reason they had cameras installed and furthermore, wouldn't let any Nicaraguan 'boy' in Joluva who couldn't prove they were of legal age. I witnessed this a few times and it also happened to me and D'Angelo when we befriended a guy in Granada and invited him to our room for pizza. At the time, Jan knew us very well, but the guy still had to produce his 'drivers license' in order to come in. But I imagine your first thought would be we invited the guy in for 'other' reasons... because you know us gay guys, sex, sex, sex... but then again, like your first assumptions of Joluva, you'd be wrong.

Assume what you want, this guy was in our video and at the time of shooting was 24 years old. He's a dentist now.

The other problem having a gay hotel in a 3rd world country is the fact, boys, and I mean boys in every since of the word, WILL engage in gay for pay, if given the opportunity. The 'whys' and moral obligations of a society will not be discussed in this post but it is a fact- many Nicaraguan boys would like nothing better than to connect with a foreigner in order to receive money, gifts, attention, school tuition etc...but I digress. Again, this is the reason for the locked entrance, cameras, night security and proof of age requirement. These measures are standard in most legitimate hotels in Granada as well as in Costa Rica. *Some will make you pay an additional charge if you have a guest in your room.

Can a consenting adult in almost ANYTOWN or CITY around the world make a connection with another consenting adult, in let's say, the bar at the Airport Holiday Inn and return to first consenting adult's room? What is the responsibility of the Holiday Inn? Jan and Francis do everything in their power to ensure it's a consenting adult entering 'that' room. Probably a lot more than the Holiday Inn does.

Cute guys give legitimate massages at the Joluva. And? So? If you like a steroided, German lady with big hands giving you a massage, that's your prerogative... I'll take the cute guy. What you do or don't do with BIG hands, German lady is none of my concern... are we adults or are we not?

Joluva also has a private pool on another property they own. Every Wednesday and Sunday they take whoever wants to go, along with a bunch of Nicaraguan guys (all of legal age), to the pool and have a party.

Nothing like a gay KISS to throw gay in the face of the straight world.

I've been numerous times. It's fun. I've swam naked there before and have seen the 'private parts' and asses of a couple of the Nicaraguan guys there as well. I won't apologize as I have no guilt or shame about who I am. Think what you want. I've been to the pool at Joluva numerous times, I've never seen sex in or around the pool. But like I said, seen plenty of frolicking, horseplay and nude swimming- SCANDALOUS. That said, I'm not sure if sex in a pool with consenting adults is illegal or not in Nicaragua,but personally, I'm not opposed to the idea.

They're attempting to portray Jan and Francis as 'Chester the Molester' types and it's not difficult to do when you use words like, 'child sex, exploitation of minors, moral values, child abuse, pedophilia, manipulation, pornography etc.' It's not hard to make assumptions and draw misguided conclusions when you don't personally know the people involved.

Here's the BIG evidence one site reports they have on Jan and Francis:
Police, however, say they have witness testimony from five Nicaraguan boys, ages 14-17, who claim they were exploited. No one is claiming rape, but the alleged victims are claiming they were tricked, sexually exploited and had their “moral integrity affected,” the police chief said.
Total BULLSHIT..not to say, WAY general- WTF is 'moral integrity affected'? Probably some kids who wanted to sell themselves for easy money and Jan and Francis told them to get lost. And please, if they're sexually exploiting children, they're sexually exploiting children...shouldn't be hard to find plenty of these supposed, 'sexually exploited and abused' kids. Five boys, seriously?

This my friends has almost everything to do with GAY and 2 Belgium guys doing well in Nicaragua. Nicaragua does NOT like gay and you need to know that and these accusations are shaky at best. Unfortunately, Nicaragua will probably NOT play by the rules and that scares me for my friends. The media coverage is already against them.

The sad and a little ironic part of this story is how much Jan and Francis give back to the community of Granada: Shoes, school supplies, dental work, clothes, money, food, employment, the list is long and I've witnessed their good works on many of occasions. EVERYDAY, a steady stream of folks come to the gate of Joluva asking for 'something'. I've often told Jan I think he gets taken advantage of, he just smiles,,, then hands the girl a few bucks so she can buy a little food. But you don't want to hear about that do you?

Like I said, you never know someone 100%...but I've seen and experienced enough to make an educated judgment, and I'm here to say, underage ANYTHING does NOT happen at Joluva... but if there's proof of it...I'll cut their balls off myself.

PS. I'm not through with you 'Nicaragua Dispatch'. Your story SUCKED so I'll be answering to your bullshit soon and if you EVER want to debate this issue in an open forum, by all means, BRING IT.

PSS. If you've never been to Nicaragua,,you might be better off if you leave your comments to yourself.

TONS of Costa Rica Travel Info and VIDEOS on our website: Travel Costa Rica NOW and if you want to visit our YouTube Channel: iCostaRica24 ENjoY!

Comments (30)

Loading... Logging you in...
  • Logged in as
Thanks very much for stating the truth. Having been to Joluva many times, having met some of the staff member's children AND their wives, having seen the charitable works instituted by Jan and Francis, this idiocy has sent to the unemployment ranks several guys who have been working there, happily I might add, for years. Nice move, Nicaragua. Real smart.
I read the article at Nicaragua Dispatch and one thing that struck me was the line "but did advertise “spa services” with massages ranging from $20-$30". so what? most hotels offer "spa services" so is that some kind of proof of illegal activity? This sounds like a witch hunt to me. People are basically fucking stupid when you get right down to it. I hope it works out and clearer heads prevail.
Anyone know what is going on? I left Granada on 3/22 and they were still in jail because (I was told) that the Judge wouldn't sign the bail papers.
They are out of jail and keeping a low profile.....and they are preparing to FIGHT it out in court.
I stayed at Joluva several times with my ex from 2006 through 2010. Jan and Francis were always kind and helpful. They were respectful to gay and straight people alike. I never saw anything inappropriate during the times I visited (I was there 5 or 6 times). I was never offered sexual favors and it was never suggested by either of the owners. What I did get was laughter, a lot of interesting conversation, suggestions on where to eat and what to do. I believe this is nothing more than a gay witch hunt. I heard stories about “flower” girls, young girls who would give you more than flowers in the square at Granada at night. Why isn’t the issue being addressed and STOPPED?
I suspect someone wants Joluva’s property, something Jan and Francis have worked hard to build up, and fear it will be “confiscated” and taken away from them permanently. And as for underaged boys, the times I was there, I witnessed them asking for food or money OUTSIDE the front door and Jan, Francis or one of the workers shooed them away. Maybe a couple of times Jan might have handed them out something to eat—what a horrible thing to do….give a hungry kid something to eat. Jan and Francis helped Nicaragua and encouraged tourism in Granada by creating a welcoming envirnoment that made people like myself want to return to Granada.
Now they are being persecuted for being gay, pure and simple. I don’t believe for one instant that they EVER promoted child prostitution. I hope that gay newspapers, magazines and television channels get a hold of this story and run it. Jan and Francis deserve justice and I’m just afraid they won’t get it in Nicaragua. I had planned to return this year or next but if Jan and Francis are not treated fairly, Nicaragua will never again get my tourist dollars. There are other countries in Central America that I’d love to visit…guess Costa Rica and Panama are calling. Wake up Nicaragua! Granada is a lovely colonial city that is attractive to all folks, including gay people. They’ll come and spend there American dollars just like the straight folk. Don’t persecute gay people because of your outdated, homphobic machismo attitude! I wish someone would set up a fund to donate money to their legal defense. I don’t have a lot of money but I’d certainly throw some dollars their way!
3 replies · active 678 weeks ago
So is the hotel still closed until further notice?
michael alan's avatar

michael alan · 677 weeks ago

Yup,,that's exactly it.
We were planning a side trip to Granada from Costa Rica in May, but have decided to boycott Nicaragua until this plays out.
1 reply · active 676 weeks ago
I am sad and angry at the same time...I know Francis and Jan from visiting Granada. They were booked full but helped us immensely with another mansion they were managing for wealthy american owners. We were so impressed by their safety talks, they took us on a tour, showed us the Alegria development...very nice and they have worked so hard to be taken advantage or by the "LAW". It's horrible...they DESERVE to be freed and given their property back just like it was when it was siezed by the Police.
1 reply · active 670 weeks ago
Bravo to you for this wonderful article. I am impressed with your fortitude, integrity and honesty. The world would be much better with more people like you. Thanks
Thanks guys for posting this article. I actually never had the pleasure of meeting these guys or staying at their place. I had always intended to, but running a hotel, keeps one very busy.

Being in the same business they are in Costa Rica and also am involved in exposing myself as a gay man (foreigner) that caters to other gays and lesbians (not exclusively), I find this all very distressing and sad.

I really feel for these guys. They need our help. We have sent a donation and I am going to use this summary and email all my gay friends in an effort to try and elicit some more support.

Not only do I feel for Jan & Francis, I really feel this is a serious gay rights issue that affects the rights and freedoms of GLBT community in Nicaragua and Central America for that matter.

I hope others will consider doing the same. Here is a link to their current website that has a link for donations (Credit Cards or PayPal accepted) http://friendsofjoluva.blogspot.com/

I really hope they beat this!!! Cheers, Colin.
Hotel Banana Azul, Costa Rica.
The blog mentioned above says that in the last few weeks most of the Nica guys in this Youtube video from the pool and hotel were arrested and trumped up charges that even the victims say these guys did not commit. It looks like the Granada police and DA are targeting and making an example out of these guys. It's horrible that this video is being used as a weapon against them when they did nothing wrong, nothing illegal.
The verdict was today...Jan & Francis found guity of all charges. The sentencng is tomorrow. The other 3 defendents were let go.
3 replies · active 652 weeks ago
There is no justice for foreigners in Nicoragua. Vote with your feet and invest your $$ elsewhere. This country does not deserve our support.
It could always re open as The Jerry Sandusky Hotel
1 reply · active 645 weeks ago
Good article. I could not agree with you more. It's a difficult situation, especially when you're in a country that is in the process of development. On a lighter note, if you guys want a break from Granada, visit me in San Juan del Sur. I just landed a job working at Marsella Beachfront. The rooms start at $17 per night, and you can find out more <a title="here" href="http://marsellabeachfronthotel.com">here
Jay Redden's avatar

Jay Redden · 595 weeks ago

Jan and Francis were released from prison on Monday and are in Costa Rica now,
Colin Brownlee's avatar

Colin Brownlee · 595 weeks ago

Happy to hear that. Thanks for letting us know.
1 reply · active 588 weeks ago

Post a new comment

Comments by