August 22, 2019
(Note: this was sent to our newsletter list subscribers on August 28, 2017)
Dear Friend of Las Catalinas,
It is too long since I have shared a State of the Union with you! Today's topics include:
- Raving about summer in Las Catalinas
- Growth of our town
- Push for full-time residents
It has been a particularly beautiful summer season at Las Catalinas. The last few years have been unusually dry, but this year our rainy season has been bountiful, the streams are flowing, and the tropical foliage around Las Catalinas is lush.
I have written many times about the glories of the rainy (or wet, or green) season at Las Catalinas, but I feel I must do it again. The summer months of June, July, and August are so GREAT. This is the very best time of the whole year to come for a vacation in Las Catalinas, in my opinion. The natural assumption of most people from more northern locations is that, "If it is hot in [insert northern city here] it must be REALLY hot in Costa Rica". Not true! I have an accurate thermometer at my house now, and during my time at Las Catalinas this summer I've been checking it obsessively. The daily highs are typically around 84. If it is an unusually sunny day, it can get up to the higher 80's. I have never seen 90 or above at this time of year.
There is a strong daily pattern. Early mornings are typically calm and often sunny. The water is smooth. As the day goes on an onshore breeze develops and it gets cloudier. It might rain, it might not. As evening approaches the breeze lessens, as do the clouds. Particularly awesome sunsets where the sunlight is coming in and has some clouds to bounce off of are common. Then the evenings are, well, perfect. Someone I met in Las Catalinas this summer put it like this: "At this time of year the weather in the evening simply disappears." What he means is that you are neither hot nor cold nor thinking about the weather in any way. You are just comfortable. Also the waves are great - it is the best time of year for surfing. The water is clear - it is the best time of year for SCUBA diving. Altogether it is just delightful. Please make SURE to spend some time in Las Catalinas every summer!
Our town is feeling much more substantial than it was just a few months ago. Upon arrival by car to Las Catalinas you now pull up to the beautiful Plaza Central building. Designed by noted architect Robert Orr, this is the most "civic" scale building in town so far. Our welcoming new hospitality office is there. The walking route in to town continues down to Calle La Ronda, where construction fences are nearly all gone and several new plazas and passageways are open. There are now 46 residences complete in our town, with many more on their way to competion . The fifteen flats in Plaza Carlota are nearly finished, and the six in the Camino Flats building are well underway. Ten new houses are under construction in Beach Town South and Punta Penca. Sales have been strong too, as we have sold 11 additional houses and flats this summer so far. Town is growing, and every new addition makes it more beautiful, more lively, and more fun!
Another area where we are making good progress is in adding full-time residents to our town. We now have a good handful of families that are full-time or near full-time residents, with several more on the way. We LOVE full-time residents. They bring life and fun to our town all year long. They are the valued social "glue" that helps the rest of us have a better experience when we are in town. We have two new initiatives that we think will enable us to attract many more full time residents to town. One is to provide houses and flats that are intended to be for long term renters. This effort is well underway, and should make Las Catalinas affordable for a wider group of potential families than it has been in the past. The other is to attract companies from the central valley of Costa Rica to set up offices and relocate some of their employees to Las Catalinas. I think this idea is really exciting, and it appears to be getting some great traction.
The living is good at Las Catalinas, all year long. I hope to see you there soon!
Email rentals@lascatalinascr.com to book your next trip.
Best Regards,
Charles Brewer
Managing Partner, Las Catalinas