Cala Luna Hotel Reopens with Great Spirit

Hotel Cala Luna, a true classic of Tamarindo, reopened its doors weeks ago with a renewed proposal of services for its guests.Its owners, the Pilurzu family, sold the hotel some years ago, way before the U.S. economic and housing crisis affected the national economy and, especially, Guanacaste’s, when plenty of hotels and tourism, real estate and construction businesses closed their doors.According to the surfer Federico Pilurzu, who is the new General Manager of Cala Luna, the person who bought the hotel could not meet the payment arrangement and after many years of legal wrangling and infinite number of concerns, his family was able to recover their hotel.

Pilurzu kindly provided us with information on this complicated stage and on how Cala Luna managed to survive thanks to the determination of his family and the love they have for this hotel, which is an essential reference in town.Federico answered these questions exclusively to Tamarindo News:

Under what conditions is the hotel reopening?

 In short, the hotel was sold some years ago, just before the global crisis. The buyer was unable to continue paying, and after two years of trials, arbitrations and an inexplicable dose of stress, we finally recovered Cala Luna.

Why is the Pilurzu family resuming the management of the Hotel? Why did you keep the same name?

My family built Cala Luna in 96 and, since then, the hotel has had a very good position as a boutique hotel around the world. If we were going to rename it, we would have lost 15 years of marketing. That is why we kept the same name. The appearance of the project has greatly improved. We began remodeling it in January 2011.

The property was not in good shape; it was a very long and hard work. My family and a great team have been working days and many nights so that the hotel could be ready for this season. We are now in the final stage finalizing a few details. We are very pleased with the final product.

Which new features and facilities will the hotel offer with the reopening?

Besides the new look, the details and decoration, I am very pleased with the restaurant we are opening in La Caletta, formerly the Sushi Lounge.The whole concept is quite revolutionary: all the products are local and organic. It consists on exotic, exquisite, and mind-blowing combinations of dishes. It is new concept different from other restaurants´.

How many rooms does the hotel have? What facilities are going to be offered to the guests?

We have 20 rooms and 15 villas available. Each villa has its own pool, garden, parking space, security, and all the hotel facilities.

There are two restaurants. The hotel is 50m away from the beach. There is free internet throughout the property, free Vonage at the reception for international calls, and concierge and tour services for any activity.

In Cala Luna’s website, the hotel promotes various segments packages and makes emphasis on the wedding market. What does the Hotel has to offer for this niche market?

Due to its location, the hotel is perfect for weddings…from the privacy on the beach, the restaurants on the edge of the pool, the private villas, the quietness to the fact that the we can only accommodate 100 pax.

We offer different wedding packages, but each wedding is "custom made" in accordance to the customer’s preferences.

The crisis has caused a significant drop in the entry of American visitors to the country and the number of days they are staying here; will Cala Luna focus on attracting the domestic market?

The domestic market is very important to us. We always have different packages and offers throughout the year. For example, we have packages with Nature Air to reduce transport time and promote a more relaxing stay.

How is Cala Luna different? 

Besides our packages and promotions, Cala Luna is different for being a boutique hotel, where attention to detail and customer service are essential.

Our goal is guests to enjoy the best vacation of their lives, and them to return whenever they need to relax or have fun.