Central America - Nicaragua Barcelo Montelimar

Hi,
Has anybody stayed in this hotel with kids (7 y.o. and 4 y.o.)?
I am thinking of going there the last week of April 08 and wondering:
1) How safe is the ocean? any pollution to speak of? Do we need to expect high waves in April? How shallow is it? I hope it is not too rough, although this resort is being marketed as a surfing place. Is the beach sandy or stone-based?
2) How child friendly is the kids club? What do the kids do all day? Do they have some sort of organized activities for kids?
3) What is make-up of the hotel clientele? My understanding is that 50% Canadians, 40% Europeans+ Yankees, 10% South Americans.
4) Has anybody driven with kids in Nicaragua? Do we need to have a car seat or can we just wing it without the car seat for 90 minutes drive from Managua to Barcelo?
5) Are there any kids activities nearby? For my kids - watching a monkey in the jungle or visiting a banana farm would be more than enough.... we are not looking for a Disneyworld monstrosity
6) Is Granada a kid frienldy place?

Thank you very much in advance for your advice,

I haven't been to the property in about ten years so you may want to look around for specific comments on property upkeep. Barcelo can be mixed bag.

1) The beach is excellent. The old dicatator had his beach house here (I believe it's now used as a reception and casino). It's a very long sandy beach, great for walking. There is a point where people can surf near a point. No too rough, not too tame. I seem to remember a fair amount of distance from the shore to the actual waves.

2) don't know anything about kid's activities. They had a great pool.

3) I believe the % of Central Americans is much higher (mostly Hondurans), probably about 30%.

4) For the four year old you don't need the car seat by law and you can get away with just strapping them in (but make sure they use their seat belt). Watch for animals in the road on the drive over there. The drive over is brief, probably slightly less than 90 minutes taking you through some cool scenery as you leave Managua (I like the Casa Colorado route more).

5) No idea

6) Granada is a good place to visit. Horse drawn carriages in the central park. Decent restaurants. you can walk around no problem, check out artisan shops, paintings, etc. Then you can drive out to the lake front for an ice cream by the pier. Also you can go to Las Isletas (hundreds of islands made from volcanic rock spewed out from a nearby volcano) for a boat ride. I've also heard that Mombacho Volcano has some tourist activities (tours, zip lines, etc) that are worth the visit.