Spread across 3,000 untouched acres and ten miles of pristine coastline, the sustainable destination is primed for adventurers who appreciate raw beauty, local experiences, responsible tourism and modern tropical design. The community is being developed by the most prominent businessmen in Central America, led by Don Carlos Pellas and Hernandez. Home sites are available from $350K and Sunset Villas start from $2.95 million. An array of exclusive amenities are in the works including convenience shops, restaurants, a cafe, fitness and wellness facilities, hiking and biking trails, three beach clubs and a nature preserve.
Costa Elena lies adjacent to the Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest environmentally protected area in northern Guanacaste. The ACG represents the largest Tropical Dry Forest regeneration project in the tropics. Costa Elena’s investment in a very remote area of the country is introducing a viable economic mechanism that alleviates poverty in the area, thus reducing the threats of illegal logging, hunting and man-made wildfires, helping the ACG protect and preserve the rare habitat of the Tropical Dry Forest.
Hernandez recently spoke about his intimate involvement with Costa Elena.
* What initially brought your focus on Costa Elena?
Don Carlos Pellas, Chairman of the Board at Pellas Development Group, first discovered the area where Costa Elena now lies in Northern Guanacaste due to its close location to Nicaragua and fishing nearby with his father when he was a child. Pellas is the visionary Nicaraguan behind Flor de Cana rum, the country’s biggest rum company famed for its award-winning, fifth generation premium rum, as well as Nicaragua’s first five-star resort community and hotel, Guacalito de la Isla and Mukul, and other exciting developments. At the time, the area had virtually no development and now at Costa Elena, we have committed to sharing its raw beauty and pristine coastline with others while keeping the footprint extremely low. Our team at Pellas Development has a passion for creating modern, sustainable resort communities in breathtaking locations across Central America, and this location for Costa Elena represents our latest vision come to life. Secreted away within the corner of Central America, Costa Elena represents the ultimate raw pura vida, I like to think of it as the last best place in Costa Rica. Additionally, Costa Rica provides great value to buyers. It is very well connected, especially from the U.S., making it an accessible destination for buyers and travelers. Costa Rica has a stable democracy and foreigners have the same ownership rights as locals. As a foreigner, you can purchase property on a tourist visa without the need for residency or citizenship.
* Describe your revitalization philosophy for this resort community.
We have created a model for supporting conservation at Costa Elena that is based on low density, high value and fewer but higher-paying guests. In this way, luxury is a means of positive economic impact with little environmental impact. Costa Elena keeps more than 60% of its 3,000 acres as open spaces and reserve areas. We are introducing a viable economic mechanism in a historically remote and under invested area of the country that not only alleviates poverty in the area, but actively invests in and supports the local community. We have created job opportunities for local residents, reduced the threats of illegal logging, hunting and man-made wildfires and helped the Area de Conservación Guanacaste protect and preserve the rare habitat of the Tropical Dry Forest to allow local species to thrive. We’ve done this all while introducing a new destination for sustainable eco-tourism primed for adventurers who appreciate natural beauty, local experiences, responsible tourism and modern tropical design.
* Describe your personal connection to the project.
I have spent the last 15 years of my life dedicated to safeguarding the integrity and vision of this place, with the aim of turning it into the world’s finest luxury destination based on conservation. I first arrived here when my children were young. It was on this land that I watched them grow and become adults, all the while paving the way to transform this site into something special. Looking at their childhood photos, from a time when nothing existed yet, I only feel an immense responsibility for every development decision made in the project. My goal is to ensure that each decision leaves the place as beautiful as, if not more beautiful than, when my family first arrived at Costa Elena.
