Sunday, September 11, 2011
Colinas de Miramar offers quiet country living, close to the city and beach
Dear Reader,
It's a seashore resort popular with Costa Ricans. Islands speckle the deep blue waters of its bay. It's the gateway to the gorgeous Nicoya peninsula. It's close to cloud forests, lush highlands, and pretty beaches. It was a port for shipping coffee overseas in the 1940s. Today, 18 different cruise ships call here.
It's easy to get to, and it's highly affordable.
It's Puntarenas, on Costa Rica's Pacific coast.This area offers quiet country living, close to the city, and close to the beach. Yet you probably haven't heard of it. It's overlooked and undervalued.
But if you're thinking of retiring or buying a second home in Costa Rica, this area should be on your shortlist. Here's why...
It's Easy to Get To
For starters, it's accessible. A new highway opened last year, connecting the port city of Caldera (south of Puntarenas) with San Jose, Costa Rica's capital. The new road cuts the drive time from San Jose in half. It now takes around an hour.
It takes an hour and a half to get to San Jose's international airport. But you can also fly into Liberia, Costa Rica's second international airport. The drive time from Liberia is roughly two hours.
It's a quick, easy and comfortable drive to Puntarenas from San Jose. So you can take advantage of San Jose's city amenities. These include top-class hospitals like Clinica Biblica and CIMA...cinemas, restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs...supermarkets and shopping malls. But you're not in a remote outpost here. You have a world of amenities on your doorstep...
Fun & Adventure Awaits You
The setting is beautiful. Mountains and hills tumble down to the wide, sparkling-blue Gulf of Nicoya. Sandy beaches, dotted with palm trees, run for miles along the coast.
Head into the Tilaran Mountains behind the coast and the scene switches from beach living to country living. Farms and small villages are scattered across this pastoral landscape, including the village of Miramar.
It's a little hidden gem. A small white church with twin red-roofed towers sits on the central plaza. It's a scrubbed-clean, tidy village. Exotic flowers in shades of pink, scarlet and cream spill over walls and fences. Miramar was a gold town. Some of the older, grander houses are historically important. Others are simple homes in brightly painted wood. There's also a sprinkling of newer, larger homes in landscaped grounds.
The little town of Miramar is a lovely place to spend time
Miramar boasts a doctor, dentist, supermarket, bank, butcher, and hardware store. Little bakeries, cafes and restaurants offer light snacks and hearty meals at low prices. You can shop at the little family-owned stores. Thursday through Sunday, the local farmers market offers fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses and herbs. It's a lovely peaceful place to spend time...
If you carry on driving through Miramar, up into the mountains, you reach a mirador (lookout point). You can look down the valley, across the farms and forest-covered hills, out to the Gulf of Nicoya. It's an awesome view. A restaurant at the mirador serves chilled beers and freshly-prepared food.
You have beautiful beaches 10-15 minutes away, including Playa Blanca with its white sand beach. You have surfing, horse riding, sport fishing, white water rafting, zip lining, canopy tours, and nature hikes...all on your doorstep.
Take a short ferry ride across the gulf, and you're in Nicoya. Nicoya's beaches are popular with surfers and celebrities alike. You could spot Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, or Gisele Bundchen strolling on the sand...
A Boom Town
The port city of Puntarenas feels a little gritty round the edges. It won't win awards right now for charm or cuteness. But this city is moving ahead. Many of the older, smaller homes in Puntarenas are changing hands, or getting a facelift. New condo blocks are going up.
Development is spreading outside the town, too. A Hilton Doubletree hotel opened on the outskirts a couple of years back. An upscale private residential community close to the hotel has plans for a golf course. Land prices have shot up in this area in the last 2-3 years.
An Opportunity You Should Check Out
Colinas de Miramar is set in 647 acres of gentle hills, with streams and centuries-old trees. Situated at the base of the Tilaran Mountains, many of the lots in the community have panoramic ocean views, over the Gulf of Nicoya. The developer is a Miramar local. His well-connected family has lived here for generations.
Colinas is a master-planned community. Plans call for a community center, commercial center, swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, and a gym. Road construction is already underway in the first phase. And they're building the first model home.
Stunning sunset views in Colinas de Miramar
Colinas de Miramar is around 5 minutes from Miramar, and 20 minutes from Puntarenas.
Home lots in this community are large, averaging 1.25 acres. Mountain-view lots start from $50,000. Ocean-view lots, with views of the wide bay, start from $99,000. You pay 1/3 of the price down, and then have two years interest-free financing on the remainder.
Owners can either hire their own builder, or choose a home/lot package. (Home/lot packages start from $220,000.) But there is no requirement or timeframe to build; you can sit on your lot for as long as you like.
Why Not Visit and See For Yourself?
There's an easy way to see this area and Colinas de Miramar for yourself.
Just contact the developer here. Then, choose a lot, and reserve it with a fully refundable $2000 deposit. Now, you have 60 days to come and check out Colinas de Miramar -for free.
Just get yourself to the airport at San Jose, and the Colinas team will meet you there. You'll stay in a boutique hotel in Escazu, the nicest neighborhood in San Jose.
Over three days, you'll explore Puntarenas, Miramar, the views, the beaches...and get a first-hand look at Colinas de Miramar. The Colinas team will pick up the tab for your accommodation, airport transfers and transport.
This isn't a high-pressure sales trip. If you don't like what you see, you can ask for your deposit back. That's it. No strings, no obligation. You'll have enjoyed three days in Costa Rica, partly at someone else's expense. Not bad at all...
Remember, this is an early-in opportunity. Prices won't stay this low here for too long. If you want to get the best lot...at the best price...now is the time to act. Contact John here today.
Margaret Summerfield
P.S. What have you got to lose? This no-strings trip is the quick and easy way to see if Colinas de Miramar is right for you. Contact John here to start planning your trip.
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