Sunday, May 02, 2010
Dear Reader,
Last week, I told you that Costa Rica's Caribbean coast has a bright future. The coastline is the stuff of postcards. The sand is white...the water is turquoise.
I also told you about Grand View Estates. Grand View Estates is the gold standard project in this area. The 1,300-foot elevation allows for fresh ocean breezes. The site is diverse, with virgin rainforest, five rivers, two waterfalls, and gently rolling hills. The wildlife is abundant, with hundreds of bird and animal species.
Best of all,you can buy a 1.5 acre lot here with only $14,000 down, and monthly payments of $299. This offer is only valid through May.
I forgot to tell you that as part our Chill Weekend Program the developer will put you up at the project free of charge. There is limited space, so this offer is purely on a first-come, first-served basis.
I strongly urge you to schedule your visit today. In the past nine days, close on 500 of your fellow readers have expressed a strong interest in this opportunity. I don't blame them. In fact, I don't know when I'll be able to tell you about an opportunity like this again.
Ronan McMahon
P.S. I've reprinted Margaret's full invitation for your free stay below.
Discover Costa Rica's Untamed Coast
Dear Reader,
Costa Rica's Caribbean coast got a welcome boost from the New York Times a week ago, with an article centered on the laid-back surfer towns of Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo.
Two years back, Pathfinder started telling you that this coast was up-and-coming. We called it the Forgotten Coast. We'd heard about a billion-dollar gentrification scheme...more cruise ship arrivals...and a new marina development. It all pointed to one thing: more tourists, and more tourists who'll want to own a piece of this coast for themselves.
Most mainstream travelers head straight for Costa Rica's Pacific coast. In the last five years, if you consulted your guidebook, you probably thought there was nothing on the Caribbean side...no infrastructure, bad roads...and it took too long to get there.
Those stereotypes are the property-buyer's best friend.
Why?
Because the stereotypes are slow to die. They hold property prices down until word gets out to the mainstream that things are different.
This is the case with the Costa Rican Caribbean. The truth is that it's around two hours from the capital (San José) on a paved highway. The first boutique hotel opened late last year, and serious investors are buying coastal land here.
Limón is at the center of the current boom.
For much of the last century, Limón was a company town. The controversial United Fruit Company managed the port, built the railroads and bridges, looked after the colonial buildings, and ran the local businesses.
Back then, bananas were a better business than tourism. When the company pulled out of town in the 1960s, Limón became Costa Rica's forgotten province.
When the Costa Rica tourism machine began bringing in droves of foreign visitors in the 1980s, it was the northern Pacific coast that most benefited.
That's set to change. A new marina project is planned just north of Limón. The $40 million development includes a 500-slip marina, two breakwaters, a shopping center, 800 homes, a yacht repair area, and a luxury hotel.
The marina will change this sleepy Caribbean outpost. How much? Consider Los Suenos on the Pacific side of the country. This was Costa Rica's only private marina. When it was developed, the area boomed. That will happen on the Caribbean side. Expect to see cafes, restaurants, bars, and boutiques springing up. Expect to see prices rise, reflecting the pricing of the marina residences.
Cruise ship arrivals in the port of Moin should hit 500 a year in the next two years, double the current number.
Better yet, the Costa Rican government has decided to develop Limón in much the same way the Mexican government developed Cancun in the '70s, with a billion-dollar gentrification project.
A billion is a lot to spend on a scheme like this. But Limón needs a lot of work.
In October 2009, the Costa Rican President allocated $80 million to kick-start the restoration of cultural buildings in Limón and improve the city infrastructure and tourism amenities. The rest of the money ($900 million) will come from private investment.
With more amenities here, the tourist stampede should be staggering.
Tour companies Wildland Adventures and Disney Adventures now offer trips to the Caribbean coast, covering national parks like Tortuguero and Braulio Carrillo. The Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic yacht race, one of the world's top yacht races, was run between Le Havre, France, and Limón last year. It was the first time the yacht race had aimed for Costa Rica.
The first luxury boutique hotel, Le Caméléon, opened last year, too. The hotel caters to the growing numbers of sophisticated travelers in the area.
No doubt about it, the "Caribbean side" is on the move...and if you get in on the right side of this massive cash injection, you could make a lot of money.
The Caribbean coast doesn't currently have much choice when it comes to developments, although that planned marina resort development is on the cards. One exception is Grand View Estates.
A project location that's perfectly placed...
Grand View Estates is located just 1.5 hours east of San José. And it's only 30 minutes from the beautiful white sand beaches and the sparkling waters of the Caribbean. Since the airport is only two hours from Miami, you can arrive on site in just over half a day from Florida.
Unlike the Pacific Coast, the Costa Rican Caribbean enjoys year-round rainfall without a dry season. So instead of the parched, dusty environment found in some areas, you'll find lush green tropical forests, tumbling rivers, and abundant tropical wildlife.
The nearby city of Limón is home to 75,000 people, 40% of whom speak English. It's equipped with up-to-date supermarkets, excellent small specialty stores, and a modern hospital.
Just south of Limón, the coastal towns of Cahuita and Puerto Viejo have become popular European tourist destinations, and enjoy a number of excellent European restaurants. Puerto Viejo also boasts world-class surfing, while nearby Punta Uva ranks as one of the top 10 beaches in the world, according to Outside magazine.
Rainforest, five rivers, two waterfalls...and abundant wildlife
Nestled deep in the Talamanca Mountains, Grand View Estates enjoys magnificent views of the Caribbean and the surrounding mountains and valleys. You'll spend endless days wandering the pristine 640 acres. The 1,300 foot elevation allows for fresh ocean breezes as well. The site is diverse, with virgin rainforest, five rivers, two waterfalls, and gently rolling hills.
The wildlife is abundant, with hundreds of bird and animal species. If you'd rather explore on horseback, Grand View Estates offers stables on the property.
Nearby, more adventures of the tropics await you. You can enjoy a quiet nature hike, a volcano tour, or perhaps a visit to an indigenous village. Or maybe kayaking and white-water rafting are more your style. And with the Caribbean nearby, don't forget sport fishing, dolphin-watching, or snorkeling and scuba diving. No matter what kind of healthy, outdoor lifestyle you'd like to lead in Costa Rica, Grand View Estates delivers it to your doorstep.
Grand View Estates has optimized the project's design, with large properties that offer privacy, while taking advantage of spectacular views of the Caribbean, valleys, and mountains. Lots range from one to five acres, assuring plenty of room to stretch out.
When you're ready to complete the dream by constructing your new home, Grand View Estates will help with all of the details. They'll even assist you with selecting a builder, work with you on the design, and provide construction oversight if you need it.
Explore this Costa Rican dream for free.
The developer has lots from $40,000. That price reflects the "early bird" nature of the market on the Caribbean side of the country--you can expect to pay four times that amount for similar properties on the Pacific side.
Grand View Estates is one of a kind...there's really nothing to compare it to. So frankly, it's hard to know if this style of country living is really what you're after, without giving it a try.
Which is exactly what the developers of Grand View Estates have agreed to do: let you experience the community and the area, before you buy. You can spend a relaxing and invigorating three days at as a guest of Grand View Estates absolutely free.
You'll be met at San Jose airport, and taken to the development, where you'll spend two nights in the developer's own house, and get a chance to explore the Caribbean coast. Most importantly, you'll be able to wander the 640 acres of tropical paradise known as Grand View Estates...try it on for size...and see if it's the lifestyle you're looking for.
If the prospect of owning a piece of the Costa Rican Caribbean sounds enticing, but you're just not sure...than this is an offer you don't want to miss out on.
But please don't hesitate. Space is strictly limited, and the available slots are going quickly.
Margaret Summerfield
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