El Prado So Far: The Development Milestones Shaping Las Catalinas’ Second Phase

A few years ago, what is now El Prado was still a place in the making. There was a beautiful master plan, a carefully designed vision for what Las Catalinas’ second phase could become, and construction already underway, but for most people, El Prado was still just that: a place under construction.

Today’s blog entry is about what has happened in between, and how a place that once existed mostly in plans, drawings, and construction sites has gradually begun to hold real life. Even while El Prado is still in the process of becoming, that transformation can already be seen in the smallest, most ordinary moments, each of them made possible by much larger changes happening around them: an owner crossing the street with his dog on the way to a walk by the beach, a family heading out to paint ceramics together, two children playing soccer in Central Park, or a group of friends coming down from their apartments to play tennis before heading into the trails during the sunset hours.

Over the past three years, El Prado has gradually crossed that threshold, as houses, residences, businesses, public spaces, and, most importantly, the people who inhabit them have begun to fill in what once existed mostly on plans.

Today, we are excited to say that El Prado, the second phase of Las Catalinas, has officially reached 106 completed residential units and 22 commercial spaces, crossing a milestone well worth celebrating. So, we wanted to take a walk through some of the accomplishments that have brought El Prado to where it is today, and look back at just how much has taken shape along the way.

Completed Homes | The First Neighborhoods Take Shape

As of today, we are excited to say that El Prado has officially completed 10 homes on single-family lots. The first of these homes began construction in 2023 and 2024, with several completed and delivered throughout 2024. The first home finished in El Prado was 33 Paseo del Parque, followed by 34 Paseo del Parque, 32 Ruta del Llano, and 36 Paseo del Parque.

Because 33, 34, and 36 stand along the same stretch of Paseo del Parque, their completion felt like the beginning of a new stage of community life in El Prado. That feeling became even stronger in July 2025, when Central Park was officially completed and its landscaping, including the pedestrian path running directly in front of these three homes, began to give this part of Las Catalinas its first real sense of a neighborhood.

Surrounded by shrubs, trees, and flowers, the name Paseo del Parque, which translates to “Park Promenade”, suddenly felt especially fitting. The path connecting the fronts of these homes began carrying residents and guests through different areas of Central Park and became part of the everyday route toward the tennis courts and the children’s playground located at the back of the park.

This was an important moment for El Prado for another reason. Aside from the Terraced Flats, these homes formed the first residential edge immediately beside Central Park, facing the soccer field and, in a way, giving the park a face and a set of eyes looking into it. With their main entrances opening toward the park and field, and their balconies extending toward the green space while looking out to the ocean beyond, this first row of homes helped El Prado begin to feel less like a collection of construction sites and more like a neighborhood taking shape.

After them came 74, a four-story home behind the Terraced Flats that began to define the far-left edge of El Prado if your standing looking out into the ocean, followed by Casa Coati at 11 Calle del Prado. Positioned along another side of Central Park, Casa Coati created a new point of reference for the neighborhood, this time facing the tennis courts. Today, the home serves as a Tennis Pro Shop operated by Las Catalinas Doorway and Pura Vida, while its bright yellow doors and windows give this corner of El Prado an unmistakably colorful presence.

Next came 55 Ruta del Llano, a three-story home with remarkable ocean views from the primary bedroom, which occupies the entire third floor, as well as from the second level, where the kitchen and living spaces open onto a terrace overlooking the sea.

Diagonally across from it sits 61 Ruta del Llano, a home that immediately stands out for its color. Light coral walls, a bright pink door, and contrasting green San Pedro cacti along the front façade welcome anyone walking along Ruta del Llano.

Construction began a few months after 55, but because the home is just over half its size, it was completed earlier.

The two-story coral home includes a terrace that feels almost like a private box seat for sunset, with the sun descending directly in front of its residents and the sky changing color beyond the hillside. A plunge pool makes the space especially inviting after a walk through Town or a hike on the trails, while the soft coral façade and vivid front door create a beautiful contrast against the deep green of the San Pedro cacti framing the house.

The most recent additions have been 94 and 87, the last two homes completed in El Prado over the past couple of months.

94 Calle del Prado is a three-story residence that combines a timeless architectural character with a strong connection to its hillside setting. Clean stucco façades, traditional clay tile roofing, warm wood details, and generous windows and balconies bring natural light into the interiors while opening the home toward the surrounding landscape.

While 94 stands along Calle del Prado, 87 sits considerably higher on Calle de la Ladera, where its position gives the home mesmerizing views and a particularly intimate relationship with the landscape. Textured stone, stucco, and warm wood details give the residence a quiet sense of warmth, while every main common space and principal bedroom takes advantage of the placement of the lot and the panorama beyond it.

Opening the curtains here can feel almost like watching the curtains rise in a movie theater, revealing Playa Danta below and a view someone might happily buy a ticket just to sit and watch. As the sun begins to come down and the colors of the sky shift throughout the sunset hours, the landscape becomes part of the experience of the home itself. The residence was delivered this past month, while final infrastructure work at the entrance is currently underway, including the installation of pavers and completion of the immediate streetscape. 

Preconstruction Projects | Building the Heart of El Prado

Alongside the 10 completed homes on single-family lots, El Prado’s evolution has also been shaped by five preconstruction projects that have played an important role in bringing residential life, public space, businesses, and new ways of moving through the district.

The first to begin was Terraced Flats, which started construction in 2022 and was completed in November 2023. Its three main buildings introduced both the first two commercial spaces and the first 22 residential units in El Prado.

Terraced Flats also brought the first residential occupancy to this side of Town. Some of its homes welcomed full-time residents, while others gave new owners the opportunity to offer their residences as short-term and vacation rentals, bringing a new flow of people and everyday movement between El Prado and Beach Town.

After Terraced Flats came La Rambla, a project designed by Concasa and Las Catalinas that broke ground in January 2024 and completed construction during the first months of 2026.

Inspired by Las Ramblas in Barcelona, La Rambla helped complete the framing of Main Street and establish a stronger pedestrian and commercial heart for El Prado. Its five mixed-use buildings, housing 60 flats and 20 commercial spaces, create a natural connection between the district’s pedestrian core, Central Park, and the main entry into Town.

Behind these five buildings sits Las Ramblas del Llano, the largest plaza built in Town to date. At its center, a fountain creates not only a visual focal point but also another kind of beauty, filling the plaza with the gentle sound of moving water and giving the space a center around which daily life can unfold.

La Rambla spans more than 6,300 square meters, and the commercial spaces it introduced have brought a dynamic mix of services that reflects the way the buildings themselves were conceived. More than simply creating a mixed-use development, the project was designed around the idea that the places where people live, work, and enjoy their time do not need to exist separately from one another. Positioned at the front of El Prado, La Rambla connects Plaza La Rambla with Central Park and Main Street, bringing these different parts of everyday life within walking distance of one another.

The businesses here have not only helped establish El Prado’s commercial core, but have also introduced another kind of daily occupant into Town. With 20 commercial spaces, La Rambla brings employees who move throughout the day between work, the beach, the green landscape, restaurants, cafés, and the rest of Las Catalinas. In that sense, the people who work here become part of the district’s everyday population, helping create a way of working and living that can feel more connected to movement, nature, and a more balanced use of the day.

Another of El Prado’s preconstruction projects was Los Altos Flats, delivered between November and December 2025. The project includes 12 residential units distributed between two buildings that appear almost like twins from the exterior, connected by an internal staircase that welcomes residents and gradually leads them to the different levels through a winding route framed by planters and greenery, making even the walk home feel shaded, pleasant, and connected to the landscape.

Designed by Castillo Arquitectos, Los Altos retains many of the architectural qualities, colors, and construction details associated with Beach Town while introducing an important distinction made possible by its location in El Prado. Because vehicles are permitted within this district, Los Altos was designed with automobile access in mind, allowing its lowest level to function as covered parking and providing each residence with its own parking space.

One of the features that tends to make the strongest impression on those who live here, however, is the view that appears during some of the most ordinary moments of the day. Stepping out of the apartment or spending a little time in the plunge pool during sunset hour can mean looking out over the ocean beneath dramatic skies, an experience made possible by Los Altos’ position toward the upper part of El Prado and the way each level steps naturally with the terrain.

As a result, every residence has a staggered front terrace with its own plunge pool, creating gathering spaces with expansive ocean views that are made even warmer by the beauty of the wood finishes throughout the project. At street level, where residents first encounter Los Altos, lush gardens create a soft visual transition between the architecture and the surrounding forest landscape, while a central fountain serves as a gift to the public realm, continuing a classic element of Las Catalinas’ vernacular architecture.

From there, if you make your way back toward 87 Calle de la Ladera and continue down the street, you will eventually find yourself at the upper edge of another of El Prado’s most distinctive preconstruction projects. It is still actively under construction, yet two of its residential units have already been completed.

That project is Lantana, which sits between Calle de la Ladera above and Calle del Prado below, following the rising terrain that connects the two streets. Rather than treating the slope as something to overcome, Arosemena & Way Arquitectos used it as one of the project’s defining design conditions, creating a series of buildings that sit in staggered positions along the hillside.

One of Lantana’s most important visual and pedestrian elements is its central staircase, which acts as a connecting axis for residents of both the project and this part of El Prado. From here, it is possible to walk from one street to the other while the landscape opens around you, with views appearing between buildings and plants and colorful flowers accompanying the climb.

Lantana is now well underway, with a total of 29 residences and two already completed. One of them is a two-story, four-bedroom home designed to accommodate up to 10 people, with an outdoor shower, generous common areas, and a pool overlooking the ocean. You can watch the walkthrough here.

Another defining characteristic of Lantana is its level of finish. It is our highest-finish residential project to date, bringing some of the most distinctive materials, details, and interior treatments yet introduced within Las Catalinas.

Lantana, like Montaña, another preconstruction project currently underway in El Prado, will also include a funicular. Beyond making movement across the hillside more comfortable, the funiculars will offer two very different experiences of moving up and down through El Prado, turning what could simply be circulation into another way of experiencing the landscape.

Montaña, much like Lantana, cascades with the topography, adapting to each change in elevation in order to make the most of both the terrain and the views. One of its most distinctive features is immediate access to a trail running behind the project, making it especially appealing for people who enjoy an active relationship with the outdoors and who may want to move from work to sport, or from everyday life into nature, almost literally by stepping outside their doorstep.

Montaña includes 38 residential units and began construction toward the end of last year. Work continues to advance steadily, with an estimated completion date in 2028, while Lantana is expected to be completed during the first half of 2027.

All of the movement involved in building this part of El Prado, from the development of its infrastructure and Main Street with its municipal parking, to Central Park, the preconstruction projects, and the individual residences, has at times inevitably felt chaotic. Construction requires the constant arrival and departure of machinery, workers, materials, and teams, and building an entirely new section of Town means living through that process before seeing its final result.

Yet this is also the same process that once took place in what we now know as Beach Town, the first phase of Las Catalinas. It too was built gradually, over many years, one building and one street at a time, before reaching the level of completion, beauty, and everyday life that it holds today. Beach Town once existed in that same in-between moment of becoming, and El Prado is now living through a version of that story of its own.

At this point, when the homes on single-family lots are counted together with all of the completed flats throughout El Prado, 106 residential units have been completed over the past three years. It represents an enormous step forward for this new area, filling in little by little, almost like an empty board whose pieces are gradually finding their place, while the vision imagined for this part of Town becomes increasingly tangible.

Beach Town also serves as an a useful reminder of what has already been accomplished here: everything that feels established today once had a beginning. Creating a new place is not instantaneous, but the past three years have shown how quickly buildings can begin to become homes, public spaces can begin to hold memories, and an emerging district can welcome the new lives of the people who have chosen to make Las Catalinas their home.

Under Construction | New Ways to Build in El Prado

Beyond the 106 completed residential units and 22 commercial spaces, El Prado continues to expand through the homes currently under active construction, several of which are expected to be delivered during this year. These include 31 Ruta del Llano, 43 Calle Upe, 85 Calle de la Ladera, 86 Calle del Prado, 79 Calle del Prado, 105 Avenida de Los Altos, and homes 139, 140, and 141 along Camino de los Montes.

These nine homes are exciting not only because they will bring new architecture, new families, and another layer of life to Town, but also because two of them, 79 and 141, are being developed through a new construction approach in Las Catalinas: the Do It Yourself model.

Under this option, owners can choose to manage the construction process directly with their selected contractor rather than working through the full project-management structure offered by the Las Catalinas Design and Construction team. The model introduces greater flexibility for lot owners whose needs, experience, availability, or preferred level of involvement may differ from one another.

For some owners, having the DCL team oversee elements such as construction administration, finish selections, material coordination, scheduling, and the many decisions that arise throughout the process provides valuable guidance and continuity from beginning to end. Others may prefer to take on a more active role themselves, rely on an external project-management team, or directly coordinate certain parts of the construction process according to their own priorities and budget.

Rather than replacing one model with another, the introduction of the Do It Yourself option expands the ways in which owners can approach building in El Prado, allowing the process to adapt more closely to the level of support, participation, and management that makes the most sense for each project.

Well-Living Residences | A New Way to Live in Town

Finally, it would be difficult to talk about all the ways El Prado has taken shape and welcomed new life without mentioning the Well-Living Residences. Made up of 60 residential units, these homes can be purchased, but they also form part of a program designed to offer both locals and international residents another way to experience life in Town through short- and long-term rentals.

These apartments come equipped with appliances and move-in ready, making them especially well suited for people who may want to understand what living in Las Catalinas actually feels like before making a larger move, as well as for those who may not be ready to purchase a home but still want the opportunity to become part of Town for a month, a season, or longer. In doing so, the Well-Living Residences have brought a new flow of people into El Prado and, just as importantly, into its plazas, businesses, sidewalks, and shared spaces.

So far, that has included 14 new families, with a particularly noticeable presence of younger residents, young families, and small children. In many ways, the Well-Living Residences have become a testament to the Well-Living principles around which Las Catalinas was designed: access to nature, walkability, community, movement, and connection. These ideas go beyond catchy phrases or beautiful words on paper; once they become part of the way you live every day, they begin to shape your routines, your relationships, and even the way you experience your surroundings from the inside out.

The plaza behind La Rambla’s five buildings, officially known as Las Ramblas del Llano, has become one of the clearest examples of this new everyday life. It is currently the largest plaza in Town, surrounded by almond trees, shrubs, bougainvillea, and many other plant species, and has quickly become a favorite place for children to ride bicycles or skate, for neighbors to walk their dogs, or for anyone to simply wander through without needing a particular reason to be there.

The businesses in this part of El Prado, including Ambitec, Pintacafé, BCT, BlueHome, and The Store, have added another layer of movement and helped connect the two phases of Las Catalinas in a way that feels increasingly natural. But beyond simply linking El Prado and Beach Town, they have also helped create new ways of living between them.

A day can move between the trails and work, exercise and a quick dip in the ocean, sunsets, coffee, and good food without each of those things feeling like an entirely separate excursion. You might walk through the art gallery in Beach Town, paint ceramics over a pastry at Pintacafé, take care of something at BCT, meet friends for dinner at Tamaki or Pascual, and stop for ice cream at Coquelicot before heading home.

It is in this everyday back and forth that El Prado has perhaps changed the most. Life here is becoming something that is harder to describe neatly in a brochure because it is increasingly made up of ordinary routines, friendships, familiar faces, and the small comforts that come from living in a place where many of the things you care about are close at hand.

There is more movement, but also more opportunity to slow down. More reasons to be outside,more chances to see people you know, to feel supported, to spend time with family and friends, and to remain close to a landscape that offers beauty, perspective, and sometimes simply a little quiet.

 More Than a vision: a Town to call Home 

After talking about houses, flats, plazas, construction, commercial spaces, and everything that has been built over the past few years, perhaps this is the most important thing to remember: Las Catalinas is, first and foremost, a Town.

Buildings and infrastructure give a town its physical form, but they are not what ultimately make it alive. That comes from the people who inhabit it, the families and friends who fill its spaces with memories, the children riding bicycles through the plazas, the dogs being taken out for their evening walks, and the nature that surrounds and embraces it all.

El Prado is still becoming, and there is more ahead. But somewhere along the way, between the construction sites, the new homes, the trees growing into their landscapes, and the people beginning to recognize one another on the street, it has become more than just a number of houses completed and milestones reached. Our proudest accomplishment is seeing a vision become a place that so many people now can call home.