Steve Case, an American businessman aged 48 famous for being co-founder of America On line (AOL), officially announced that, with an investment of $800 millions, the American company called Revolution Places LLC plans to build a tourist complex that will be an example of integration between community and protection of nature in Punta Cacique.
Punta Cacique is located northern Guanacaste, in Sardinal de Carrillo, between Playa Hermosa and El Coco beaches. The project will generate 2,000 direct jobs.
Steve Case, an American businessman, age 48, knew that the Internet would be a part of the daily life when that idea generated more skepticism than enthusiasm. Nowadays, after 25 years and millions of dollars later, Case has another vision for his new group of companies called Revolution. The industry is Tourism.
He spent 10 years working on the success of American On Line, and he will spend 10 more years working in what he assures will be the best resort in the world, in Costa Rica.
Case knows by experience that his talent is to build a successful business, and not to administrate it.
Some years ago he was driving around Costa Rica and he fell in love with it because it reminded him of Hawaii, where he was born and grew up. 'It looked like Hawaii 50 years ago', he said. He saw the opportunity right away.
Case commented that Costa Rica feels closer to the States than Hawaii, it is exotic, authentic, beautiful and secure too. 'It is exactly the scenery we want.'
Steve Case wants to create a new resort concept. He wants to integrate the communities to the resort, and make the guests part of it. Usually, people travel, live in a hotel for some days, go to the pool, take a tour, but they do not know the place as such.
Revolution is creating a new kind of resort, more like a 21st century project, according to the needs of the market, in harmony with nature and in alliance with the community. Case is going to spend ten years of his life in Costa Rica trying to create what he hopes will be the best resort in the world and the model of what is going to be a resort in the 21st century.
They are creating a new little town. The local people will have the chance to open businesses and integrate themselves in the economy. In that way the tourists will be motivated to go out and give some support to these local businesses. Entertainment is important and new options are being studied.
Case said that they are announcing the investment of $1 million in order to microfinance the local businesses to stimulate their capital. They are also going to plant one million trees. They want a new forest that will help to solve the problem of water in Guanacaste.
Tourism sector in Hawaii is managed by local people who have developed the abilities. There is a particular interest here. 'This project should make Costa Rican's feel proud. It is their community, their peninsula and not ours', said Case.
Case also promised that his investment will remain in the country regarding the referendum results about the Tratado de Libre Comercio (Cental American Free Trade Agreement) with USA, coming on the 7th of October 2007.
The original design of the property has been changed. It was too dense; it had permissions to build 2,000 units and 7 hotels. Revolution has changed it dramatically. Now there are 2 hotels, 300 villas, restaurants and boutiques. Therefore, 80% of the land will not be developed.
Something that bothered Steve Case was that it was going to be one of those closed worlds, with a huge wall that looked like a jail or a fort, and signs that make the locals feel that 'we are building something here and you are going to be left out'. The wall has been torn down already.
The local people have to be prepared to be part of the development. One can see when people like what they do, or they simply do their job, because it is the only thing they could find. It is called in Hawaii 'aloha' spirit. It is an attitude, more than a service job.
It has to be a balance between environment and culture. If the country permits to build 500 hotels on the beach, all looking the same, it will not be very visionary. They have to build with a taste and a feeling for local culture, there is no doubt about that.
In twenty years the vacation system will be reorganized around the consumers; therefore, Revolution wants to build something that gives people the feeling that they are in Costa Rica, not in a hotel that looks like it has been made with a cookie cutter, identical to all the others.
Steve Case thinks that it is difficult to make a projection about the success of Revolution right now. It was a journey of 20 years with AOL, the second 10 years was the time when he took off and, fame and fortune arrived, he liked the first 10 better. He is still learning and he thinks that he is best at building and innovating. He plans to concentrate on that.
He has invested more than $500 million in Revolution, and he is still investing, it does not bother him. He invested for 10 years before AOL was profitable.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Where we live! Playas del Coco
Playas Del Coco
Not all roads are endless. One long road ends in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Province where the town of Playas Del Coco sits like a pearl on the end of a silver chain. The road from San Jose through Liberia is long, but the gem at the end is worth the trip.
Walking from the Luperon Supermarket along the main street of Playas Del Coco, I ask myself, “What is it about this little town that draws me and keeps me here?” What I see doesn’t give me the answer, because what I see is not Las Vegas-style glitter or the usual tourist ballyhoo. Instead, I see a single two lane road stretching lazily ahead of me through a quiet town center. There is activity, but it is not hurried. I see some bicycles, pedestrians and a few cars and motorcycles. I see the modern, low-key facade of the Coco Verde hotel and casino, more or less at the town center. I see the water of Papagayo Bay shimmering in the distance, about a half-mile ahead.
People on foot parade in and out of the small restaurants, shops, vendor stands and other small businesses set back from the blacktop (this road, known as El Centro, is one of two paved roads in Coco—as the town is called by everyone within 50 miles). Coco doesn’t have sidewalks, but no one seems to mind. There is something upbeat, something different, about this place. Coco gives off a unique flavor of optimistic cheer. I decide that what I like about the place is defined by what it is not.
Playas Del Coco is not a “bustling tourist destination.” Tourists come here, but Coco doesn’t bustle (during the day at least), it sort of emits a low level hum. The activity is slow-paced and pleasant.
It is not a place where eating places have names like Starbucks, Pizza Hut or McDonald’s. There is not a golden arch to be seen. There is a Jimmy Burger, however, which puts out a truly fine hamburger. There are some huts, but none of them are Pizza Huts. A very attractive entryway graces the Paradise Pizza, a pizza place that offers many varieties of that excellent Italian pie. I pass the midtown Papagayo Seafood restaurant, which boasts an enclosed upstairs dining area for those who think they need air conditioning.
Ambling along, I stay to the right as the road forks and the vista of a broad beach and moored fishing boats opens to me. I see small shops and outdoor stalls displaying souvenirs and the other things that tourists seem to like. I follow the road around to the left. I make another left, completing a loop, and I’m heading back the way I came. I pass the Bohio Bar, where local people congregate every evening at Happy Hour. Across the street from Bohio, I see an open air coffee shop outfitted with five or six stools, a counter and a kitchen that takes up all the space behind the counter. Instead of a flashy menu advertising overpriced coffee combinations and pastries, I see a hand-lettered menu with a wide range of breakfast choices, all reasonably priced. The coffee choices here are not latte or Cappuccino; the choices here are small or large. It’s Costa Rican coffee, and it’s always excellent.
Beginning at 8 PM or so, music (turned up full blast) and other sounds of serious partying fill the air. People throng the sides of the road. The flow of people in and out of the restaurants and bars is constant. A smile is on every face. That’s what I like about Coco.
Not all roads are endless. One long road ends in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Province where the town of Playas Del Coco sits like a pearl on the end of a silver chain. The road from San Jose through Liberia is long, but the gem at the end is worth the trip.
Walking from the Luperon Supermarket along the main street of Playas Del Coco, I ask myself, “What is it about this little town that draws me and keeps me here?” What I see doesn’t give me the answer, because what I see is not Las Vegas-style glitter or the usual tourist ballyhoo. Instead, I see a single two lane road stretching lazily ahead of me through a quiet town center. There is activity, but it is not hurried. I see some bicycles, pedestrians and a few cars and motorcycles. I see the modern, low-key facade of the Coco Verde hotel and casino, more or less at the town center. I see the water of Papagayo Bay shimmering in the distance, about a half-mile ahead.
People on foot parade in and out of the small restaurants, shops, vendor stands and other small businesses set back from the blacktop (this road, known as El Centro, is one of two paved roads in Coco—as the town is called by everyone within 50 miles). Coco doesn’t have sidewalks, but no one seems to mind. There is something upbeat, something different, about this place. Coco gives off a unique flavor of optimistic cheer. I decide that what I like about the place is defined by what it is not.
Playas Del Coco is not a “bustling tourist destination.” Tourists come here, but Coco doesn’t bustle (during the day at least), it sort of emits a low level hum. The activity is slow-paced and pleasant.
It is not a place where eating places have names like Starbucks, Pizza Hut or McDonald’s. There is not a golden arch to be seen. There is a Jimmy Burger, however, which puts out a truly fine hamburger. There are some huts, but none of them are Pizza Huts. A very attractive entryway graces the Paradise Pizza, a pizza place that offers many varieties of that excellent Italian pie. I pass the midtown Papagayo Seafood restaurant, which boasts an enclosed upstairs dining area for those who think they need air conditioning.
Ambling along, I stay to the right as the road forks and the vista of a broad beach and moored fishing boats opens to me. I see small shops and outdoor stalls displaying souvenirs and the other things that tourists seem to like. I follow the road around to the left. I make another left, completing a loop, and I’m heading back the way I came. I pass the Bohio Bar, where local people congregate every evening at Happy Hour. Across the street from Bohio, I see an open air coffee shop outfitted with five or six stools, a counter and a kitchen that takes up all the space behind the counter. Instead of a flashy menu advertising overpriced coffee combinations and pastries, I see a hand-lettered menu with a wide range of breakfast choices, all reasonably priced. The coffee choices here are not latte or Cappuccino; the choices here are small or large. It’s Costa Rican coffee, and it’s always excellent.
Beginning at 8 PM or so, music (turned up full blast) and other sounds of serious partying fill the air. People throng the sides of the road. The flow of people in and out of the restaurants and bars is constant. A smile is on every face. That’s what I like about Coco.
GUANACASTE NATIONAL PARKS
Costa Rica’s main attraction is the incredible bio-diversity found within its borders. The exceptional park system represents 13% of the national territory and reflects a strong commitment to preservation. Everyone visiting Costa Rica will help shape the future of conservation.
GUANACASTE
The Guanacaste region stretches from the western edge of Lake Arenal out to the Pacific Coast, encompassing the Nicoya Peninsula, all the way north to the Nicaraguan border. This region tends to be a little drier than other areas of Costa Rica, with a wide variety of flora and fauna in its many national parks. In the north, the mega-parks of Santa Rosa and Guanacaste protect delicate forest systems and provide a migration corridor for highland animals moving on to greener pastures in the wet season. In the south, prehistoric limestone foundations make for an interesting landscape, and at Barra Honda, some breathtaking cave formations sought by spelunkers from around the globe.
THE PARKS
Palo Verde National Park
Palo Verde is very important to ornithologists because over 300 species of birds have been recorded here. Enormous numbers of herons and storks make their home in the park, as well as the rare Jabiru Stork, known to nest only in Palo Verde.
One of Palo Verde’s unusual characteristics is its wide range of habitats, due to both elevation changes and seasonal changes. In the wet season, large areas of the forest are flooded, while in the dry season the opposite is true; so animals that normally live in the marsh have adapted to living in other areas until the rains re-irrigate the wet season marshlands.
Many tour operators organize boat rides on the Corrobici or the Bebedero Rivers to see a multitude of birds, monkeys, crocodiles etc.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park
This is quite a unique park, packed with immense diversity in both animal and plant species and in its geologic formations. Wildlife here ranges from the famous Resplendent Quetzal you find in more centrally located forests to woodpeckers found in dry forests. Of course, you still find motmots, tapirs, peccaries and coatimundis living side by side with armadillos, monkeys and toucans.
Now about that volcano …. Rincon has several cones, lagoons and craters, which have given it the nickname, “The Yellowstone of Costa Rica”. It has erupted at least 12 times since 1860. Although it’s still very active, scientists believe that the abundance of fumaroles, boiling mud pots, springs and sulphuric steam vents help it to let off enough pressure to prevent a big explosion. There are lots of trails through these wondrous sights, so you’ll have no problem getting photos of the rainbow-hued landscape, coloured by minerals the volcano emits through steam vents.
ARENAL VOLCANO
In July of 1968, the people of Arenal Hill were suddenly made to realize that what they always thought was a harmless hill was actually a violent, resting volcano. This volcano came to life, in a fury of rocks, lava and ash. It devastated the west flank and caused 78 deaths. Intermittent rumbling, explosions and nocturnal fire-spitting are the mesmerizing features that draw visitors to its base by day and night. Clouds often obscure the summit, but when lava flows cascade, incandescent rocks fly and Arenal roars, few forget it. Its flanks have been declared a national park but the nocturnal light show can be witnessed equally well from outside the boundary.
SANTA ROSA
This remarkably hot park preserves more than 120,000 acres of tropical dry forest and overgrazed pastures hugging the coastline of the peninsula, Santa Elena, where its purpose is to protect turtle nesting grounds. Easy to access and well structured, Santa Rosa was the site of three historic battles to preserve Costa Rica’s independence. The first and most dramatic in 1856, is well illustrated by the exhibits at the small museum of La Casona.
There are many trails for hiking through the tropical dry forest out to the beaches, where it is possible to camp overnight with a permit.
LAS BAULAS NATIONAL MARINE PARK
Playa Grande plays host to the giant Leatherback (baulas) turtles. This giant of the turtle world measures up to eight feet and weighs around 1,500 pounds. Unlike other turtles, it does not have a hard shell but a thick, black, leathery skin; nor does it show strong fidelity to a particular nesting site. Solitary female leatherbacks, come ashore on the Pacific coast usually between October and February to dig their huge nests where they lay about 100 eggs in a laborious nocturnal operation, before covering them with sand and wading back to sea.
Sources: ICT, Fodor’s and several web sites on Costa Rica.
GUANACASTE
The Guanacaste region stretches from the western edge of Lake Arenal out to the Pacific Coast, encompassing the Nicoya Peninsula, all the way north to the Nicaraguan border. This region tends to be a little drier than other areas of Costa Rica, with a wide variety of flora and fauna in its many national parks. In the north, the mega-parks of Santa Rosa and Guanacaste protect delicate forest systems and provide a migration corridor for highland animals moving on to greener pastures in the wet season. In the south, prehistoric limestone foundations make for an interesting landscape, and at Barra Honda, some breathtaking cave formations sought by spelunkers from around the globe.
THE PARKS
Palo Verde National Park
Palo Verde is very important to ornithologists because over 300 species of birds have been recorded here. Enormous numbers of herons and storks make their home in the park, as well as the rare Jabiru Stork, known to nest only in Palo Verde.
One of Palo Verde’s unusual characteristics is its wide range of habitats, due to both elevation changes and seasonal changes. In the wet season, large areas of the forest are flooded, while in the dry season the opposite is true; so animals that normally live in the marsh have adapted to living in other areas until the rains re-irrigate the wet season marshlands.
Many tour operators organize boat rides on the Corrobici or the Bebedero Rivers to see a multitude of birds, monkeys, crocodiles etc.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park
This is quite a unique park, packed with immense diversity in both animal and plant species and in its geologic formations. Wildlife here ranges from the famous Resplendent Quetzal you find in more centrally located forests to woodpeckers found in dry forests. Of course, you still find motmots, tapirs, peccaries and coatimundis living side by side with armadillos, monkeys and toucans.
Now about that volcano …. Rincon has several cones, lagoons and craters, which have given it the nickname, “The Yellowstone of Costa Rica”. It has erupted at least 12 times since 1860. Although it’s still very active, scientists believe that the abundance of fumaroles, boiling mud pots, springs and sulphuric steam vents help it to let off enough pressure to prevent a big explosion. There are lots of trails through these wondrous sights, so you’ll have no problem getting photos of the rainbow-hued landscape, coloured by minerals the volcano emits through steam vents.
ARENAL VOLCANO
In July of 1968, the people of Arenal Hill were suddenly made to realize that what they always thought was a harmless hill was actually a violent, resting volcano. This volcano came to life, in a fury of rocks, lava and ash. It devastated the west flank and caused 78 deaths. Intermittent rumbling, explosions and nocturnal fire-spitting are the mesmerizing features that draw visitors to its base by day and night. Clouds often obscure the summit, but when lava flows cascade, incandescent rocks fly and Arenal roars, few forget it. Its flanks have been declared a national park but the nocturnal light show can be witnessed equally well from outside the boundary.
SANTA ROSA
This remarkably hot park preserves more than 120,000 acres of tropical dry forest and overgrazed pastures hugging the coastline of the peninsula, Santa Elena, where its purpose is to protect turtle nesting grounds. Easy to access and well structured, Santa Rosa was the site of three historic battles to preserve Costa Rica’s independence. The first and most dramatic in 1856, is well illustrated by the exhibits at the small museum of La Casona.
There are many trails for hiking through the tropical dry forest out to the beaches, where it is possible to camp overnight with a permit.
LAS BAULAS NATIONAL MARINE PARK
Playa Grande plays host to the giant Leatherback (baulas) turtles. This giant of the turtle world measures up to eight feet and weighs around 1,500 pounds. Unlike other turtles, it does not have a hard shell but a thick, black, leathery skin; nor does it show strong fidelity to a particular nesting site. Solitary female leatherbacks, come ashore on the Pacific coast usually between October and February to dig their huge nests where they lay about 100 eggs in a laborious nocturnal operation, before covering them with sand and wading back to sea.
Sources: ICT, Fodor’s and several web sites on Costa Rica.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Costa Rica Whales - A Cross-Species Costa Ballena Encounter That's NOT to be Missed
Lois M. Smith - September 28, 2007
The boat is quietly rocking in the gentle swells. We have come close to a place not too far offshore where our guide had spotted a blow, an eight-foot geyser of spray like a salty feather adorning a dark lump in the glassy green of the sea. We had all caught a glimpse of a tail, and nearby, a bit of fin, and then nothing. So we sit, silently drifting in the coastal current.
There is something quite unnerving about knowing that somewhere down in the depths below your suddenly small-seeming boat an intelligent and fully adapted creature the length of a ranch house is torpedoing through the coolness, chugging schools of small herring and not-quite-so-small mackerel like a college pledge on a spring-break bender.
Shadowy intimations of ancient Pinocchio-prompted terrors creep out of deep storage. Tick... tock... Then someone shouts and points, and we turn our heads just as a 100 yards away, this gloriously slick black and white-bellied creature in a staggering feat of strength, propels twenty-five tons of itself completely free of all marine clutches, and hangs, horizontally suspended, for a split second of time standing still, before the clock restarts with the jolting slap-swoosh of the mother of all belly flops.
Every human jaw is slack and open, every heart is pounding: it is an epiphanic moment. "That," shouts the guide, "was one heck of a humpback breach!" "Funny," I think, "it looked like Yahweh to me."
Whale watching is one of those thrills that help clarify your place in the universe; it is a heartening and humbling experience that's not to be missed. Fortunately, there are few places in the world that rival Costa Rica's southern Pacific zone as a prime spot for close cetacean encounters - cetacea being the name for the order that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The jungle-lined shores that stretch south of Dominical have even come to be known as the Ballena Coast, with ballena the Spanish word for whale.
Sierra Goodman of the Vida Marina Foundation (Fundación Vida Marina) explains that there is a very good reason that this area draws so many whales.
It is called the Costa Rican Thermal Convection Dome, a rich ecological zone that results from a layer of warm water that perches atop cold, low-oxygen depths. This convergence of habitats brings together a great diversity of ocean life. Costa Rica's is the only constant thermal convection dome in the world.
Sierra knows a lot about what goes on in the waters off the Osa Peninsula and Ballena Coast because she has spent the past ten years studying this fabulously rich marine laboratory and, in particular, documenting its cetacean population.
The Vida Marina Foundation, which she founded, seeks first and foremost to protect and preserve the marine habitat, promoting research and public education as key components of that goal.
One of the most immediate and effective ways of educating the public is through whale-watching excursions. And guess who runs some of the best and most respectful whale- and dolphin-watching trips in Costa Rica? That's right, Sierra Goodman through the Vida Marina Whale and Dolphin Research Tours located in Drake Bay.
"Costa Rica has the longest humpback whale season in the world, because whales from both the northern and the southern hemispheres come to winter here," says Sierra. If seeing a humpback is your dream, the prospects are good now through March, beginning again in July. And it looks like 2007 is a banner year. "There are just so many humpbacks out there, it's amazing!" she exclaims.
However humpbacks are not the only mammals to be spotted on the Vida Marina trips in Drake Bay and beyond. Also routinely seen are orcas, pilot whales, Sei whales, Brydes whales, beaked whales, and pseudo orcas. And that's just the whales.
Sierra points out that there are huge and diverse populations of dolphins, including common, bottlenose - one resident bottlenose pod numbers more than 1000 - pantropical spotted dolphins, rough-tooth dolphins, and Costa Rica's very own sub-species of spinner dolphins. Not infrequently, Sierra and her crew come upon injured and scarred mammals during their excursions. While many potential dangers exist, perhaps the greatest threat to Costa Rica's cetacea population is commercial fishing, particularly domestic and foreign long-line fishing boats and shrimpers who injure and kill countless whales and dolphins each year.
Humpback whales by the beach in Costa Rica
Sierra is optimistic that the Vida Marina Foundation working in alliance with national and international organizations such as the Mar Viva Foundation and the Nature Conservancy will eventually convince the Costa Rican government to protect the waters surrounding the Osa Peninsula and Ballena Coast.
Sierra acknowledges that an important aspect of achieving a partial or complete fishing ban is to provide alternate employment to the fishermen who now make their living off these waters. "We just can't say, 'Well that's done, tough luck, guys!'"
Some fishermen, however, are already leaving their dangerous and demanding profession, lured into safer and more lucrative employment by the influx of international tourism that is drawn to the area in no small part by whale-watching opportunities. Some former fisherman have even joined the ranks of whale-watching providers.
There is little doubt that the slow recovery of the humpback whale population, as well as that of other cetacea species, is due to international efforts to curb whale hunting.
The growing educational and economic value of whale watching in Costa Rica has played a part in the resurgence of national interest in the issue at the government level, as became evident earlier this year. Costa Rica has been a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC,) since 1981, but until this year had not sent a representative to the annual meetings for some twenty-three years.
The degree of renewed Costa Rican interest in whale-related matters was reflected in the fact that the nation sent none other than its own Minister of the Environment, Roberto Dobles Mora, as delegate to the 2007 IWC meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
Uninfluenced by recent acts of Japanese generosity in Costa Rica, Mr. Mora proceeded to vote against Japanese attempts to suspend the hunting ban and to justify its own hunting for "research" purposes. By the end of the meeting, Costa Rica had emerged as an influential and important member of the critical Latin American IWC contingent.
This is seen as a very positive step by Sierra Goodman, who notes that the Costa Rican Environment and Energy Ministry (MINAE) has been very helpful and supportive of the Vida Marina Foundation's efforts to protect the waters off Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast.
"Costa Rica is world-famous for its rainforest, and rightly so," Sierra notes. "But what people don't realize is that Costa Rica's marine zones are equally astounding, they're an unbelievable natural treasure just offshore."
Sir Francis Drake might have found little action to his liking in the area, but you're sure to be far luckier. If you happen to be headed that way, be sure to let Sierra show you just what she's talking about!
The boat is quietly rocking in the gentle swells. We have come close to a place not too far offshore where our guide had spotted a blow, an eight-foot geyser of spray like a salty feather adorning a dark lump in the glassy green of the sea. We had all caught a glimpse of a tail, and nearby, a bit of fin, and then nothing. So we sit, silently drifting in the coastal current.
There is something quite unnerving about knowing that somewhere down in the depths below your suddenly small-seeming boat an intelligent and fully adapted creature the length of a ranch house is torpedoing through the coolness, chugging schools of small herring and not-quite-so-small mackerel like a college pledge on a spring-break bender.
Shadowy intimations of ancient Pinocchio-prompted terrors creep out of deep storage. Tick... tock... Then someone shouts and points, and we turn our heads just as a 100 yards away, this gloriously slick black and white-bellied creature in a staggering feat of strength, propels twenty-five tons of itself completely free of all marine clutches, and hangs, horizontally suspended, for a split second of time standing still, before the clock restarts with the jolting slap-swoosh of the mother of all belly flops.
Every human jaw is slack and open, every heart is pounding: it is an epiphanic moment. "That," shouts the guide, "was one heck of a humpback breach!" "Funny," I think, "it looked like Yahweh to me."
Whale watching is one of those thrills that help clarify your place in the universe; it is a heartening and humbling experience that's not to be missed. Fortunately, there are few places in the world that rival Costa Rica's southern Pacific zone as a prime spot for close cetacean encounters - cetacea being the name for the order that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The jungle-lined shores that stretch south of Dominical have even come to be known as the Ballena Coast, with ballena the Spanish word for whale.
Sierra Goodman of the Vida Marina Foundation (Fundación Vida Marina) explains that there is a very good reason that this area draws so many whales.
It is called the Costa Rican Thermal Convection Dome, a rich ecological zone that results from a layer of warm water that perches atop cold, low-oxygen depths. This convergence of habitats brings together a great diversity of ocean life. Costa Rica's is the only constant thermal convection dome in the world.
Sierra knows a lot about what goes on in the waters off the Osa Peninsula and Ballena Coast because she has spent the past ten years studying this fabulously rich marine laboratory and, in particular, documenting its cetacean population.
The Vida Marina Foundation, which she founded, seeks first and foremost to protect and preserve the marine habitat, promoting research and public education as key components of that goal.
One of the most immediate and effective ways of educating the public is through whale-watching excursions. And guess who runs some of the best and most respectful whale- and dolphin-watching trips in Costa Rica? That's right, Sierra Goodman through the Vida Marina Whale and Dolphin Research Tours located in Drake Bay.
"Costa Rica has the longest humpback whale season in the world, because whales from both the northern and the southern hemispheres come to winter here," says Sierra. If seeing a humpback is your dream, the prospects are good now through March, beginning again in July. And it looks like 2007 is a banner year. "There are just so many humpbacks out there, it's amazing!" she exclaims.
However humpbacks are not the only mammals to be spotted on the Vida Marina trips in Drake Bay and beyond. Also routinely seen are orcas, pilot whales, Sei whales, Brydes whales, beaked whales, and pseudo orcas. And that's just the whales.
Sierra points out that there are huge and diverse populations of dolphins, including common, bottlenose - one resident bottlenose pod numbers more than 1000 - pantropical spotted dolphins, rough-tooth dolphins, and Costa Rica's very own sub-species of spinner dolphins. Not infrequently, Sierra and her crew come upon injured and scarred mammals during their excursions. While many potential dangers exist, perhaps the greatest threat to Costa Rica's cetacea population is commercial fishing, particularly domestic and foreign long-line fishing boats and shrimpers who injure and kill countless whales and dolphins each year.
Humpback whales by the beach in Costa Rica
Sierra is optimistic that the Vida Marina Foundation working in alliance with national and international organizations such as the Mar Viva Foundation and the Nature Conservancy will eventually convince the Costa Rican government to protect the waters surrounding the Osa Peninsula and Ballena Coast.
Sierra acknowledges that an important aspect of achieving a partial or complete fishing ban is to provide alternate employment to the fishermen who now make their living off these waters. "We just can't say, 'Well that's done, tough luck, guys!'"
Some fishermen, however, are already leaving their dangerous and demanding profession, lured into safer and more lucrative employment by the influx of international tourism that is drawn to the area in no small part by whale-watching opportunities. Some former fisherman have even joined the ranks of whale-watching providers.
There is little doubt that the slow recovery of the humpback whale population, as well as that of other cetacea species, is due to international efforts to curb whale hunting.
The growing educational and economic value of whale watching in Costa Rica has played a part in the resurgence of national interest in the issue at the government level, as became evident earlier this year. Costa Rica has been a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC,) since 1981, but until this year had not sent a representative to the annual meetings for some twenty-three years.
The degree of renewed Costa Rican interest in whale-related matters was reflected in the fact that the nation sent none other than its own Minister of the Environment, Roberto Dobles Mora, as delegate to the 2007 IWC meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
Uninfluenced by recent acts of Japanese generosity in Costa Rica, Mr. Mora proceeded to vote against Japanese attempts to suspend the hunting ban and to justify its own hunting for "research" purposes. By the end of the meeting, Costa Rica had emerged as an influential and important member of the critical Latin American IWC contingent.
This is seen as a very positive step by Sierra Goodman, who notes that the Costa Rican Environment and Energy Ministry (MINAE) has been very helpful and supportive of the Vida Marina Foundation's efforts to protect the waters off Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast.
"Costa Rica is world-famous for its rainforest, and rightly so," Sierra notes. "But what people don't realize is that Costa Rica's marine zones are equally astounding, they're an unbelievable natural treasure just offshore."
Sir Francis Drake might have found little action to his liking in the area, but you're sure to be far luckier. If you happen to be headed that way, be sure to let Sierra show you just what she's talking about!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Costa Rica Hurricanes - Fact or Fiction?
Manuel Pinto - Costa Rica
On Saturday 29th October 2005 Hurricane Beta turned into a strong Category 3 storm and was about to hit the coast of Nicaragua.
Here in Puerto Viejo, the town is empty of tourists and the San José weekend Ticos. In San José, the advice to anyone even considering coming to the Costa Rican Southern Caribbean Coast (Caribe Sur) this week is this: Are you crazy?
They explain that there is a strong hurricane nearby and conditions are horrible. The roads may be closed, flooding and very high winds. Stay away at all costs.
Our friends, our attorney, clients and tourists - everyone has been calling or writing us with deep sincere concern. Be careful! Get out! You are going to get hit by the hurricane!
But it's a myth!
So, here we find ourselves on Saturday morning - hours before Hurricane Wassername does lash out it's fury on the Nicaraguan Coast and we pray for those that will be affected.
In the meantime, here in Caribe Sur (Puerto Viejo, Cahuita & Manzanillo), the ocean is calm, the sky is blue, there is a slight breeze in the air and the birds and monkeys are singing. In about an hour, we'll be going snorkeling where the water visibility is 10+ meters.
At lunch time, we have a BBQ planned in the yard with friends that felt adventurous enough to come down for the weekend despite all the advice they received in San José.
In the afternoon, we'll take a hike along one of the beautiful pristine virgin beaches, where the water is Caribbean Blue and the concept of paradise seems to have been found.
I've seen plenty of articles warning tourists and residents about being careful with the Caribbean Coast, as it is supposedly vulnerable to hurricanes. This is not correct!
Hurricanes in the southern Costa Rica region are a myth!
Another in a long list of myths about the Southern Caribbean region. In fact, by definition, it is impossible to have hurricanes here.
We are located at the 9.6th latitude, below the 10th parallel. Except in extreme exceptions, hurricanes can NOT go below the 10th parallel! In other words, it is almost impossible for us to ever get hit by a hurricane.
I have not been ble to find any mention of our region ever coming close to getting directly hit by a hurricane, neither is it particularly vulnerable to other hurricanes - out there.
We are one of the very few locations of the entire Caribbean Basin that are actually immune from hurricanes. In extreme cases, we may the feel secondary effects such as some sub tropical force winds or an increase in rain, but even this time with such a big storm visiting our northern neighbor the sun is shining and the seas are tranquilo! Puravida!
On Saturday 29th October 2005 Hurricane Beta turned into a strong Category 3 storm and was about to hit the coast of Nicaragua.
Here in Puerto Viejo, the town is empty of tourists and the San José weekend Ticos. In San José, the advice to anyone even considering coming to the Costa Rican Southern Caribbean Coast (Caribe Sur) this week is this: Are you crazy?
They explain that there is a strong hurricane nearby and conditions are horrible. The roads may be closed, flooding and very high winds. Stay away at all costs.
Our friends, our attorney, clients and tourists - everyone has been calling or writing us with deep sincere concern. Be careful! Get out! You are going to get hit by the hurricane!
But it's a myth!
So, here we find ourselves on Saturday morning - hours before Hurricane Wassername does lash out it's fury on the Nicaraguan Coast and we pray for those that will be affected.
In the meantime, here in Caribe Sur (Puerto Viejo, Cahuita & Manzanillo), the ocean is calm, the sky is blue, there is a slight breeze in the air and the birds and monkeys are singing. In about an hour, we'll be going snorkeling where the water visibility is 10+ meters.
At lunch time, we have a BBQ planned in the yard with friends that felt adventurous enough to come down for the weekend despite all the advice they received in San José.
In the afternoon, we'll take a hike along one of the beautiful pristine virgin beaches, where the water is Caribbean Blue and the concept of paradise seems to have been found.
I've seen plenty of articles warning tourists and residents about being careful with the Caribbean Coast, as it is supposedly vulnerable to hurricanes. This is not correct!
Hurricanes in the southern Costa Rica region are a myth!
Another in a long list of myths about the Southern Caribbean region. In fact, by definition, it is impossible to have hurricanes here.
We are located at the 9.6th latitude, below the 10th parallel. Except in extreme exceptions, hurricanes can NOT go below the 10th parallel! In other words, it is almost impossible for us to ever get hit by a hurricane.
I have not been ble to find any mention of our region ever coming close to getting directly hit by a hurricane, neither is it particularly vulnerable to other hurricanes - out there.
We are one of the very few locations of the entire Caribbean Basin that are actually immune from hurricanes. In extreme cases, we may the feel secondary effects such as some sub tropical force winds or an increase in rain, but even this time with such a big storm visiting our northern neighbor the sun is shining and the seas are tranquilo! Puravida!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Costa Rica Wildlife - A Jaguar's Kiss
Dale Morris
I have been alone here for six long months. But never mind the lack of human company - I am truly happy with my beach, my paradise, my own forest, my own cliffs, my own sun and moon.
Costa Rica, so full of people, tourists, busy beaches and overbooked hotels, but not here, not at Nancite. Nobody lives in this place except myself. Sixty kilometers from the nearest settlement, it is a tiny dot on a map, set aside for its importance to the world of animals.
Permits are issued to those who want to come and see its wonders, but they seldom do - its too much effort to walk the demanding miles of muddy trails that one must traverse on foot to get here. I am allowed though, this is my research site, my beach, my paradise, my forest, my cliffs, my day and night and my own private natural marvels.
The very last hues of Tangerine and saffron fade into a deep textured Indigo like that of plush velvet drapes, streaked by a radial fan of hazy red fingers. The darkening sky, a star-studded blackness, advances slowly but surely, like treacle, over the fading colors. Inky black silently envelops the earth below and signifies the end of another hot balmy day. I peer out to sea and wait for them to come- it wont be long now.
Santa Rosa National park lies on the Central American Pacific coast and is one of the major breeding grounds for the Olive Ridley Sea turtle. I am here in order to study these huge 45kg animals as they lumber out of the sea to lay their eggs under the warm tropical sand. I have no electricity, no telephone, no outside contact what so ever- a stark change from London my hometown.
On one night, every month during the summer, they arrive in their thousands, filling up the beach so that there is no space to walk. It is one of the true spectacles of the natural world.
The first night.
By eleven forty five this one kilometer stretch of sand has become congested with shelled reptiles, in places, stacked two or three high in the headlong scramble to find a viable nesting spot.
I am knocked off my feet (literally as well as metaphorically) whilst making my way as best I can up and down the beach. This is only the beginning of four nights falling down deep holes previously abandoned by digging turtles. My ankles and shins are bruised and swollen from the repeated butting and scraping of turtles totally oblivious to my presence. They have but one goal, to dig, to lay, to return to the sea.
With up to twenty thousand miniature tanks trundling their way towards me, beach space is at a premium.
The third night.
I am suffering from severe sleep deprivation. Coffee supplies have long since run out and I have begun to hallucinate. In the darkness I imagine the elongated shapes of nonexistent crocodiles lurking between the turtles while human shadows flick in and out of the edges of my vision.
The fourth night.
At three in the morning the turtle numbers start to wind down. Eventually there are less than a hundred of them on the beach, a great opportunity to catch a quick nap before I declare the riot officially over.
I pull my white sheet out of my backpack and make myself comfortable above the high tide mark and within seconds I have fallen into a deep sleep.
It seems only moments later that I awake with the sensation that something warm and wet has just touched my face. In my groggy state I can just make out the silhouette of an animal standing over my outstretched feet. It is not a turtle!
In the near complete darkness I arrive at the conclusion that a rather bold coyote has discovered me and has come to take a closer look. I sit bolt upright, fully expecting the coyote to realize it's mistake, turn tail and flee, but still the dark shape does not move.
When I finally get my flashlight to work and point it at the offending shape I get the shock of my life. Standing not two meters away from me, illuminated in the yellow light of the torch beam is a full-grown male jaguar.
"Whoosh" an instant hit of adrenalin, time slows down, my senses snap to focus with a clarity I am unfamiliar with.
For some strange reason, my initial reaction is to bombard this huge cat with a string of foul language at the top of my voice. This has no effect; he just stands there, motionless with his beautiful amber eyes staring into my own. I then remember my sheet and the golden rule of look bigger, look bigger, when facing a predator. So begins a frantic sheet waving session. I flap it over and around my head and flick it out towards his motionless figure but he is not impressed!
Seeing as this does not terrify him into making a speedy retreat, I hurl the sheet directly at him. It covers the front of his body completely, but then he shakes that enormous head of his and the sheet falls to the ground and rests crumpled at his forepaws.
Time for plan C! Crouching down I begin to throw handfuls of sand at him, the only available material on the beach, but the wind prevents any of my badly aimed missiles from hitting home, I succeeded only in getting a mouth full of sand and half blinding myself.
Then I remembered the big steel calipers I use for measuring turtles. They are on the ground behind me. I grab them and start to beat the sand at the jaguar's feet. This goes on for some moments, but eventually he turns and trots back towards the forest. He stops again, about ten meters away from me and turns his head to look one more time with piercing eyes. Then with a flick of his mottled tail, he is gone.
The following morning.
I return to the scene of the encounter. In the sand, the imprint of my sleeping form is clearly discernible, and next to it the prints of the jaguar are placed either side of where my head had been.
Everyone comes to Costa Rica with the hope of catching a glimpse of the world's most magnificent cat. Virtually none of these people will realize this dream, this animal is almost extinct due to human persecution.
I feel privileged and honoured to have had this experience, and I only need close my eyes to see his eyes, amber within amber, and feel the warmth of his kiss upon my face
Dale Morris and his wife Sasha left Great Britain 11 years ago and he has written numerous articles about wild animals in Costa Rica since 1997. Dale works as a freelance nature writer and photographer and his work has been published in BBC Wildlife, Geographical and Global Adventure and regularly contributes to 'Costa Rica Outdoor' Magazine and Asahi weekly in Japan.
Together, Dale and his wife have worked in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Costa Rica and Scotland and have been attacked by mosquitoes, killer ants, monkeys, chimpanzees, jaguars, fish with sharp teeth, scorpions, bees, bears, giraffe, elephants and drunken Scotsmen during that time.
I have been alone here for six long months. But never mind the lack of human company - I am truly happy with my beach, my paradise, my own forest, my own cliffs, my own sun and moon.
Costa Rica, so full of people, tourists, busy beaches and overbooked hotels, but not here, not at Nancite. Nobody lives in this place except myself. Sixty kilometers from the nearest settlement, it is a tiny dot on a map, set aside for its importance to the world of animals.
Permits are issued to those who want to come and see its wonders, but they seldom do - its too much effort to walk the demanding miles of muddy trails that one must traverse on foot to get here. I am allowed though, this is my research site, my beach, my paradise, my forest, my cliffs, my day and night and my own private natural marvels.
The very last hues of Tangerine and saffron fade into a deep textured Indigo like that of plush velvet drapes, streaked by a radial fan of hazy red fingers. The darkening sky, a star-studded blackness, advances slowly but surely, like treacle, over the fading colors. Inky black silently envelops the earth below and signifies the end of another hot balmy day. I peer out to sea and wait for them to come- it wont be long now.
Santa Rosa National park lies on the Central American Pacific coast and is one of the major breeding grounds for the Olive Ridley Sea turtle. I am here in order to study these huge 45kg animals as they lumber out of the sea to lay their eggs under the warm tropical sand. I have no electricity, no telephone, no outside contact what so ever- a stark change from London my hometown.
On one night, every month during the summer, they arrive in their thousands, filling up the beach so that there is no space to walk. It is one of the true spectacles of the natural world.
The first night.
By eleven forty five this one kilometer stretch of sand has become congested with shelled reptiles, in places, stacked two or three high in the headlong scramble to find a viable nesting spot.
I am knocked off my feet (literally as well as metaphorically) whilst making my way as best I can up and down the beach. This is only the beginning of four nights falling down deep holes previously abandoned by digging turtles. My ankles and shins are bruised and swollen from the repeated butting and scraping of turtles totally oblivious to my presence. They have but one goal, to dig, to lay, to return to the sea.
With up to twenty thousand miniature tanks trundling their way towards me, beach space is at a premium.
The third night.
I am suffering from severe sleep deprivation. Coffee supplies have long since run out and I have begun to hallucinate. In the darkness I imagine the elongated shapes of nonexistent crocodiles lurking between the turtles while human shadows flick in and out of the edges of my vision.
The fourth night.
At three in the morning the turtle numbers start to wind down. Eventually there are less than a hundred of them on the beach, a great opportunity to catch a quick nap before I declare the riot officially over.
I pull my white sheet out of my backpack and make myself comfortable above the high tide mark and within seconds I have fallen into a deep sleep.
It seems only moments later that I awake with the sensation that something warm and wet has just touched my face. In my groggy state I can just make out the silhouette of an animal standing over my outstretched feet. It is not a turtle!
In the near complete darkness I arrive at the conclusion that a rather bold coyote has discovered me and has come to take a closer look. I sit bolt upright, fully expecting the coyote to realize it's mistake, turn tail and flee, but still the dark shape does not move.
When I finally get my flashlight to work and point it at the offending shape I get the shock of my life. Standing not two meters away from me, illuminated in the yellow light of the torch beam is a full-grown male jaguar.
"Whoosh" an instant hit of adrenalin, time slows down, my senses snap to focus with a clarity I am unfamiliar with.
For some strange reason, my initial reaction is to bombard this huge cat with a string of foul language at the top of my voice. This has no effect; he just stands there, motionless with his beautiful amber eyes staring into my own. I then remember my sheet and the golden rule of look bigger, look bigger, when facing a predator. So begins a frantic sheet waving session. I flap it over and around my head and flick it out towards his motionless figure but he is not impressed!
Seeing as this does not terrify him into making a speedy retreat, I hurl the sheet directly at him. It covers the front of his body completely, but then he shakes that enormous head of his and the sheet falls to the ground and rests crumpled at his forepaws.
Time for plan C! Crouching down I begin to throw handfuls of sand at him, the only available material on the beach, but the wind prevents any of my badly aimed missiles from hitting home, I succeeded only in getting a mouth full of sand and half blinding myself.
Then I remembered the big steel calipers I use for measuring turtles. They are on the ground behind me. I grab them and start to beat the sand at the jaguar's feet. This goes on for some moments, but eventually he turns and trots back towards the forest. He stops again, about ten meters away from me and turns his head to look one more time with piercing eyes. Then with a flick of his mottled tail, he is gone.
The following morning.
I return to the scene of the encounter. In the sand, the imprint of my sleeping form is clearly discernible, and next to it the prints of the jaguar are placed either side of where my head had been.
Everyone comes to Costa Rica with the hope of catching a glimpse of the world's most magnificent cat. Virtually none of these people will realize this dream, this animal is almost extinct due to human persecution.
I feel privileged and honoured to have had this experience, and I only need close my eyes to see his eyes, amber within amber, and feel the warmth of his kiss upon my face
Dale Morris and his wife Sasha left Great Britain 11 years ago and he has written numerous articles about wild animals in Costa Rica since 1997. Dale works as a freelance nature writer and photographer and his work has been published in BBC Wildlife, Geographical and Global Adventure and regularly contributes to 'Costa Rica Outdoor' Magazine and Asahi weekly in Japan.
Together, Dale and his wife have worked in Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Costa Rica and Scotland and have been attacked by mosquitoes, killer ants, monkeys, chimpanzees, jaguars, fish with sharp teeth, scorpions, bees, bears, giraffe, elephants and drunken Scotsmen during that time.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Billion Dollar Tourism Project For Guanacaste
Friday, August 31, 2007
By Ralph Nicholson
Two Hotels, Marina, Golf Course and 800 Home Sites
US developers on Wednesday announced plans for a 15-year, billion-dollar tourism project, to start construction in November on two beach-front properties in Guanacaste’s north.
The project, known simply as Guacamaya after one of the beaches, will include a Ritz Carlton hotel, a smaller, as-yet-unnamed boutique hotel, an 18-hole golf course, a 200-slip marina, an equestrian center and up to 800 single family homes.
For the first time, the project will include a desalinization plant that will turn sea water into drinking water and ease pressure on Guanacaste’s fragile water supplies.
“This further consolidates the area as a destination for the upscale tourist market,” said the Minister for Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, at a party to launch the project.
“To be chosen for the site of such an upscale or high end project, well, it is not every country that can do this,” he told about 120 invited guests from local and national government and the tourism industry.
Mr Benavides was speaking after officially opening the offices of Plantación Properties, an affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates, which will market and sell the residential arm of the project.
The development, to be built on about 800 hectares (2000 acres), is a partnership between Union Box Company of Baltimore in Maryland and Greenfield Partners, a privately-held real estate investment firm in South Norwalk, Connecticut.
The property, which was purchased in two chunks over three years, covers three, white-sand beaches --- Playas Guacamaya and Zapotal, plus the smaller Playa Celeste --- all about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Tamarindo.
A $100 million, 110-room Ritz Carlton hotel will be built across Zapotal beach, beginning construction late next year. Larry Silverstein, the Chief Executive Officer of Union Box Company, said he expected the hotel to be completed by the end of 2010.
“We talked to a number of hotels --- we approached some and others approached us --- but it was clear the Ritz was a very good fit for us,” Mr Silverstein said.
“That whole area is somewhat unknown,” he added. “For most people the world stops after Playa Potrero and starts again, further north, at Playa Ocotal. The Ritz is a distinct brand that can bring immediate recognition, as opposed to there being just another hotel.”
It is understood the developers will build the hotel, while the Ritz will lend its name to the structure, taking a management fee and a percentage of room sales, as has become customary with hotel projects.
Work on an 18-hole golf course, designed by architect Rees Jones, will start at the same time as the hotel. Mr Jones, who has designed more than 100 golf courses, mainly in the US, will lay out the course in the Zapotal Valley, which stretches about four kilometers back from the coast. There will be no residential sites within the valley.
A 200 slip marina, capable of docking so-called mega-yachts of up to 92 meters long (300 feet) will be sited at the southern end of the development, between Zapotal and Celeste beaches.
A boutique hotel, yet to be named, and of somewhere between 50 and 100 rooms, will be built to service the marina.
However, phase one, including more than 100 residential homes, will begin construction within three months, giving developers cash flow while they build the hotel, marina and golf course.
“We will release 140 lots to start with in what will be known as the Beach Village,” said Molly Harris, President of Plantación Properties.
“There will be architectural guidelines upon what people can build but at the same time our clients don’t want to deal with a cookie-cutter mentality,” Ms Harris said.
She confirmed house prices were likely to start around $800,000.
In phase two, luxury home lots --- about 100 of them --- will be released. Architects from both the United States and Costa Rica, will then build a variety of model homes. The houses will sell for between $5 and $10 million each.
There will be an equestrian center and horse trails throughout the property. Developers will also include a mountain-bike trail. Both are likely to spill over into neighboring properties as developers seek to share amenities.
In fact two other developments --- the Rosewood Hotel to the north and the project known as Las Catalinas to the south --- have already pledged to share such infrastructure as roadwork and possibly power.
It is also likely Guacamaya’s neighbors will want to share water infrastructure as well.
“The problem is not the existence of water but the infrastructure to distribute it,” Tourism Minister, Benevavides, said in response to questions. “And I have no doubt these projects are going to help us solve the problem.”
Mr Benavides confirmed the developers had formally asked for government assistance in setting up a desalinization plant.
“This is a brand new concept. We will be able to explain the project to the other institutions in the country and help them get through the red tape,” Mr Benavides said.
Mr Silverstein said the biggest challenges they faced were the same as for every developer along the coast --- a lack of infrastructure, finding a suitably skilled work-force and a backlog in supply of building materials.
“No there is not enough water,” he said. “We are not the only ones tapping that water reserve. We believe we have sufficient water to maintain the residential component, which is why we are building the desalinization plant.
“A desalinization plant is a new idea here, but the fact is that most of the resorts across the Caribbean are all operating on desalinized water.
“It is something we must do. I think what will bring buyers is the level of assurance we can give them. They want to be safe, they want water when they arrive here, and they want a constant supply of electricity.”
There have been a rash of developers announcing luxury hotel projects in the past 10 months.
The El Salvador-based Grupo Poma conglomerate, has already broken ground on a five-star, 180-room, JW Marriott resort on the property known as Hacienda Pinilla, south of Tamarindo.
The US-based, Global Financial Group has also announced plans for a $300 million 320-room Hyatt resort in Brasilito, and late last year two Minnesota developers announced they would build a $120 million, 150-room Regent Hotel on Guanacaste’s Papagayo Peninsula.
Steve Case, the founder of the internet giant America Online, announced plans last month to open an $800 million beach resort just south of Playa Hermosa, featuring two boutique hotels.
Meanwhile, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, confirmed it has signed a management contract with developers HPC Costa Carmel Limitada to manage a new luxury resort to be built upon a 60-hectare (150-acre) property on Playa Guachipelín.
By Ralph Nicholson
Two Hotels, Marina, Golf Course and 800 Home Sites
US developers on Wednesday announced plans for a 15-year, billion-dollar tourism project, to start construction in November on two beach-front properties in Guanacaste’s north.
The project, known simply as Guacamaya after one of the beaches, will include a Ritz Carlton hotel, a smaller, as-yet-unnamed boutique hotel, an 18-hole golf course, a 200-slip marina, an equestrian center and up to 800 single family homes.
For the first time, the project will include a desalinization plant that will turn sea water into drinking water and ease pressure on Guanacaste’s fragile water supplies.
“This further consolidates the area as a destination for the upscale tourist market,” said the Minister for Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, at a party to launch the project.
“To be chosen for the site of such an upscale or high end project, well, it is not every country that can do this,” he told about 120 invited guests from local and national government and the tourism industry.
Mr Benavides was speaking after officially opening the offices of Plantación Properties, an affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates, which will market and sell the residential arm of the project.
The development, to be built on about 800 hectares (2000 acres), is a partnership between Union Box Company of Baltimore in Maryland and Greenfield Partners, a privately-held real estate investment firm in South Norwalk, Connecticut.
The property, which was purchased in two chunks over three years, covers three, white-sand beaches --- Playas Guacamaya and Zapotal, plus the smaller Playa Celeste --- all about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Tamarindo.
A $100 million, 110-room Ritz Carlton hotel will be built across Zapotal beach, beginning construction late next year. Larry Silverstein, the Chief Executive Officer of Union Box Company, said he expected the hotel to be completed by the end of 2010.
“We talked to a number of hotels --- we approached some and others approached us --- but it was clear the Ritz was a very good fit for us,” Mr Silverstein said.
“That whole area is somewhat unknown,” he added. “For most people the world stops after Playa Potrero and starts again, further north, at Playa Ocotal. The Ritz is a distinct brand that can bring immediate recognition, as opposed to there being just another hotel.”
It is understood the developers will build the hotel, while the Ritz will lend its name to the structure, taking a management fee and a percentage of room sales, as has become customary with hotel projects.
Work on an 18-hole golf course, designed by architect Rees Jones, will start at the same time as the hotel. Mr Jones, who has designed more than 100 golf courses, mainly in the US, will lay out the course in the Zapotal Valley, which stretches about four kilometers back from the coast. There will be no residential sites within the valley.
A 200 slip marina, capable of docking so-called mega-yachts of up to 92 meters long (300 feet) will be sited at the southern end of the development, between Zapotal and Celeste beaches.
A boutique hotel, yet to be named, and of somewhere between 50 and 100 rooms, will be built to service the marina.
However, phase one, including more than 100 residential homes, will begin construction within three months, giving developers cash flow while they build the hotel, marina and golf course.
“We will release 140 lots to start with in what will be known as the Beach Village,” said Molly Harris, President of Plantación Properties.
“There will be architectural guidelines upon what people can build but at the same time our clients don’t want to deal with a cookie-cutter mentality,” Ms Harris said.
She confirmed house prices were likely to start around $800,000.
In phase two, luxury home lots --- about 100 of them --- will be released. Architects from both the United States and Costa Rica, will then build a variety of model homes. The houses will sell for between $5 and $10 million each.
There will be an equestrian center and horse trails throughout the property. Developers will also include a mountain-bike trail. Both are likely to spill over into neighboring properties as developers seek to share amenities.
In fact two other developments --- the Rosewood Hotel to the north and the project known as Las Catalinas to the south --- have already pledged to share such infrastructure as roadwork and possibly power.
It is also likely Guacamaya’s neighbors will want to share water infrastructure as well.
“The problem is not the existence of water but the infrastructure to distribute it,” Tourism Minister, Benevavides, said in response to questions. “And I have no doubt these projects are going to help us solve the problem.”
Mr Benavides confirmed the developers had formally asked for government assistance in setting up a desalinization plant.
“This is a brand new concept. We will be able to explain the project to the other institutions in the country and help them get through the red tape,” Mr Benavides said.
Mr Silverstein said the biggest challenges they faced were the same as for every developer along the coast --- a lack of infrastructure, finding a suitably skilled work-force and a backlog in supply of building materials.
“No there is not enough water,” he said. “We are not the only ones tapping that water reserve. We believe we have sufficient water to maintain the residential component, which is why we are building the desalinization plant.
“A desalinization plant is a new idea here, but the fact is that most of the resorts across the Caribbean are all operating on desalinized water.
“It is something we must do. I think what will bring buyers is the level of assurance we can give them. They want to be safe, they want water when they arrive here, and they want a constant supply of electricity.”
There have been a rash of developers announcing luxury hotel projects in the past 10 months.
The El Salvador-based Grupo Poma conglomerate, has already broken ground on a five-star, 180-room, JW Marriott resort on the property known as Hacienda Pinilla, south of Tamarindo.
The US-based, Global Financial Group has also announced plans for a $300 million 320-room Hyatt resort in Brasilito, and late last year two Minnesota developers announced they would build a $120 million, 150-room Regent Hotel on Guanacaste’s Papagayo Peninsula.
Steve Case, the founder of the internet giant America Online, announced plans last month to open an $800 million beach resort just south of Playa Hermosa, featuring two boutique hotels.
Meanwhile, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, confirmed it has signed a management contract with developers HPC Costa Carmel Limitada to manage a new luxury resort to be built upon a 60-hectare (150-acre) property on Playa Guachipelín.
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