|
Tamarindo Office
Phone: 011 (506) 2653-0708 US Phone: 949-891-7385 joost@hiddencoastrealty.com Coyote Office Office: 011 (506) 8331-5711 hans@hiddencoastrealty.com 
|
||||||||||||||
| HOMES |  |
CONDOS | |
LOTS | |
DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY | |
COMMERCIAL | |
VACATION RENTALS | |
LONG TERM RENTALS | ||
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.
The National Bank has put out to tender construction of a new branch in Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Summary of the works, according to the tender specifications:
The project consists of construction of a building for a National Bank branch in Tamarindo, Guanacaste province. It includes all works described in the plans and specifications prepared by the consulting firm CONDIS.
The construction work referred to, will be carried out in lots 4, 5 and 6 of Urbanización Bahía Tamarindo, next to Hertz Rent A Car
Deadline for receipt of bids is February 6th , 2012.
Located on a hill in a forested private area 5 miles from Avellanas, this ocean view home should be called the jungle home.
It has been built with local tropical hard woods creating a charming rustic atmosphere. The home has 2 levels with the upstairs being the most detailed finished, featuring 2 sleeping areas , living and kitchen with wrapped around wooden deck. The ground floor has hook ups for second kitchen and concrete slap for social / living area. Needs to be finished further. Total area 4000 ft2, includes a caretakers 500 ft2 home. Total size of the property 1 hectare/ 2.5 acres.
OWNER NEEDS TO SELL, BRING OFFERS
Hidden Coast Realty has moved their office to a new location in the commercial center where Bar One, ABC, RPM and Mr. Tom are located. We are located on the second floor in the back corner, unit #19. Please stop by the next time you are in town and meet our new sales affiliates Mark Brown and Brenda Burback.
Brenda, born in Canada, has many years of experience in the Real Estate industry and has been in Costa Rica since 1997. Mark Brown has been in Costa Rica since 2008 and knows the area and people like no other, combined with a passion to help newcomers he will certainly be a great man to meet when you are looking for real estate opportunities.
The control of the legislative directory by the opposition bloc on Monday is sure to kill the tax reform plan introduced earlier this year by the government of Laura Chinchilla.
The opposition bloc, a group of 31 legislators from five different political parties, calling themselves "Alianza por Costa Rica" signed an agreement which calls for thwarting the tax reform plans by the ruling party, the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), which does not have sufficient members in the 57 member house for a majority.
The not-so surprising move by the opposition bloc has not been seen in Costa Rica in decades. The opposition say they felt cornered and came together to fight the governments intention to increase taxes to generate badly needed revenue.
The opposition bloc say there are alternative ways to generate revenue without raising taxes, one of which is curb government spending and waste.
The key part of the government's tax reform proposal or "paquetazo" as it is being called, is the introduction of a 14% value-added tax expanded to included goods and services and replace the present 13% sales tax.
In addition, changes were proposed to corporate deductibility and small business tax rules, and the taxation of capital income, which would be harmonized at a rate of 15%. An increase to the tax on vehicles by 10% was also under consideration.
A major fiscal reform plan designed to enhance the government's tax take has been under consideration in Costa Rica for almost 10 years in one form or another, but opposition parties have used all sorts of procedural tricks to block the legislation.
With the latest events in the legislative assembly, it could yet be a considerable time before any changes take effect.
Panama's regional airline announced the start of a direct flight between San José, Costa Rica and Panama City beginning May 16.
The airline, with a 40 year history, is part of TACA Avianca offers discounts of up to 40% within Panama.
Although prices have for the San José - Panama have not been announced and tickets cannot yet be booked online, it is expected that the airline will offer a less expensive alternative to current flights between the two cities offered by TACA, Avianca and Copa.
The regional airline currently only offers flights in Panama. For travel within the region it connects with SANSA Regional in Costa Rica, and TACA Regional in Honduras and soon in Nicaragua and Guatemala.
Aeroplas Regional has been awarded, for the second consecutive year, "Best Airline Central America and the Caribbean".
|
||
The new National Stadium opened Saturday evening with a colorful display of binational pride and camaraderie between Costa Rica and China. Deemed “the jewel of La Sabana,” the 35,000 fans in attendance were treated to a night of rousing fireworks, cultural song and dance and a spirited 2-2 draw between the countries’ national soccer teams. The $100 million National Stadium was a gift from the government of China and was constructed by Chinese laborers during the last two years.
Festivities began around 6 p.m. with government representatives from the two countries addressing the crowd on a stage decorated with giant Costa Rican and Chinese flags waving gently behind them. Amid a mixture of jeers and applause, former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias spoke to the crowd about the significance of the inauguration and the progressive step that the relationship with China, the world’s second largest economy, means for the country. In 2007, Arias severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan to establish ties with China.
“Countries have to grow and mature,” Arias said of his government’s decision to create diplomatic relations with China. “And so, like a mother understands that her son can’t wear the same shoes that he was wearing 10 years ago, we should accept that there is clothing that we shouldn’t continue to wear. Sooner or later all countries have to wear long pants.”
Arias also said, in his allegorical oratory style that marked his four years in office from 2006-2010, that Costa Rica shouldn’t fear the change that this relationship will bring and that “some countries are slaves to their own past.” He also referred to the bilateral relationship as a “young Bonzai tree” and that it creates a “bridge over the Pacific Ocean.”
Arias’s speech was followed by words from Chen Changzhi, the vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and a speech from President Laura Chinchilla, who praised Arias and also trumpeted the benefits of the relationship with China.
“This impressive stadium in La Sabana stands as a permanent reminder of our gratitude to the people of China,” Chinchilla said. “(It also serves) as recognition for our ex-President Arias and, above all, as the reason to assume, as a nation, the responsibility to grow to the height of this modern coliseum.”
Chinchilla’s speech was followed by a performance of traditional Costa Rican dance, a video montage of Costa Rican sports accomplishments, and several traditional Chinese dance and song performances.
A little after 8 p.m., the national soccer teams of each country took the field for the first-ever match in the National Stadium. Costa Rica dominated for most of the first half. Forward Alvaro Saborio scored the first goal in stadium history when he found himself open on the left side of the box and pushed a low shot into the far corner of the net. Saborio’s goal was followed by a frenzied celebration in the stadium and explosive fireworks into the night sky.
Seven minutes later, just before the halftime whistle, Randall Brenes tapped in a rebound to give Costa Rica a 2-0 advantage at the break.
In the first minute of the second half, Gao Lin cut the Tico lead in half when he rose above Costa Rican defenders to head the ball into the side netting. In the final minute of the game, a pass split the Costa Rican defense and found Lin alone on the right side of the box. Lin struck a low shot through the legs of Costa Rican goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado to force the draw.
The organization of the event seemed to go off without a hitch, as parking was controlled, bus routes to the stadium were fluid and police and stadium officials were well-coordinated in and around the stadium. The only concern within the stadium was the absence of a game clock, leaving fans in the dark on the game time. Outside the stadium, a lack of trash receptacles resulted in an excessive pile-up of trash along the streets of La Sabana and around the stadium.
On Sunday, a marathon will be run that finishes in the National Stadium and on Tuesday, Argentina comes to town to play Costa Rica in a friendly between the two Latin American rivals. Argentina tied with the U.S. 1-1 on Saturday night in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina star Lionel Messi played in the match Saturday night, which is a good sign for Costa Rican fans hoping to see the star of the Spanish club Barcelona in action. Inauguration events will continue until April 10.
The developers of Las Catalinas project near Flamingo Costa Rica, invited area real estate professionals out for a progress update yesterday afternoon. The homes now have roofs and work has begun on some of the interiors. The landscaping between the beach and the first phase of homes is now mostly complete, and gave the group from Hidden Coast Realty a good idea of the feel of the project. We loved it!
The homes are elevated slightly above the pedestrian park on the beach, and the foliage is light and tasteful allowing great views of Playa Danta and the Pacific. Construction on the first group (owned by participants in the project), are slated for completion by April 1st.
Charles Brewer spoke briefly stating that he is fired up about the project and emphasizing that he is really working for a great community for families with children.
The owners of Lola's were on hand for the unveiling of Lola's Norte, their second restaurant that hopes to be open by the end of February. The restaurant has a similar feel to Lola's at Playa Avellanas, with tables set in sandy areas with good shade and great views of the beach.
We also understand the outfitter store will be open shortly, allowing visitors to rent sea kayaks, snorkel gear, floats, etc. All of this is open to the public so consider spending a day there in the near future.
If you are interested in purchasing at Las Catalinas, please send an inquiry through the Las Catalinas listing page.
BLOG ARCHIVE
- February 2012
- January 2012
- July 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- February 2011
- November 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- June 2010
SYNDICATION
RECENT POST
- Cala Luna Hotel Reopens
- Banco Nacional de Costa Rica Puts Branch out to Tender for $1.5 million
- Avellanas Hillside Property - Unique Jungle Home - Owner Needs To Sell
- Hidden Coast Realty moves...
- Costa Rica Tax Reform Hits A Dead End
RECENT COMMENTS
Copyright 2010 Hidden Coast Realty. All Rights Reserved