5 communities rooted in connectivity, wellbeing, integration, sustainability, and an immersive user experience will co-exist with nature and completely transform Playa Panamá.
Bahía Papagayo is being developed by the Enjoy Group and Grupo Laguna boasting a combined +105 years of experience in the real estate and hospitality sector.
For decades Guanacaste’s sleepy little town of Panamá, located just inland from the beach that also bears its name, has existed relatively unchanged. It’s a tight knit community where everyone knows everyone else, and many are related.
Playa Panamá is located in what is known as the Polo Turistico (Gulf of Papagayo Tourism Development) – a collection of large land concessions totaling 1,658 hectares (4,097 acres) that is run by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (Costa Rica Tourism Institute), a.k.a. the “ICT”. 
Brands like The Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica on Peninsula Papagayo, Occidental Papagayo (by the Barceló Hotel Group), One & Only Resorts, El Mangroove Autograph Collection (by Marriott), Secrets Papagayo (by Hyatt), Planet Hollywood Costa Rica, Andaz Costa Rican Resort at Peninsula Papagayo (by Hyatt), Exclusive Resorts, and newcomers NEKAJUI, Ritz Carlton Reserve Peninsula Papagayo, Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique (by Hilton), and Bahías by Antoine Predock (opening in 2025), are all located in the Polo Turistico tourism development zone.
Nearly all of the aforementioned developments are “stand alone” and somewhat or totally isolated from one another as they circle the Bahía Culebra coastline. Marina Papagayo makes the area a favorite stopover for boaters and yachtsman from around the globe.
Enter Enjoy Group and Grupo Laguna with a master plan that includes the existing El Mangroove Autograph Collection luxury hotel and residences (Phase 1) and adds 5 new parcels overlooking Playa Panamá and Bahía Culebra.
- Parcel 2: Greenview Luxury Residential
- Parcel 3: Artisan District
- Parcel 3B: Spa, Yoga Deck, Club, Park, Art, and Nature Trail amenities
- Parcel 4: Town Center
- Parcel 5: Residential and Retail
Phase 1 is complete with the El Mangroove Autograph Collection hotel and residences. El Mangroove promotes what it calls “biophilic design” that draws people to features of the natural environment such as plants, animals, and natural materials. The hotel and residences are situated near a protected estuary. The architectural vernacular is contemporary and tries to blend in with the surrounding nature. Nothing is more than 3 stories in height and respects the dry forest tree line. 
On August 23rd, Bahía Papagayo will go public with a VIP Broker Preview which I will be attending to find out more of the sequencing of development of the 5 new parcels. I was at their impressive Sales Gallery in early July and met with sales representatives who walked me through the project using some very expensive architectural models and told me the Town Center (Parcel 4) will be breaking ground initially.
When completed, Parcel 4’s Town Center designed by Gensler’s San Jose office, will include a chapel, Full Moon Plaza, Full Moon Plaza condominiums (48 1BR and 2BR condos), retail village, a Beach Village, SeaSide condominiums (24 1BR and 2BR condos), gastronomic park, a condo hotel, hill-top restaurant, pool club, entertainment amphitheater, museum, school, sports facilities, clinic, farmers market, coworking space, and biological corridors. It’s an ambitious, state-of-the-art undertaking.
If you want to be in the center of it all, the SeaSide and Full Moon Plaza condominiums are where it’s at. You’ll be in the social hub of Bahía Papagayo with all of the amenities described above within walking distance. SeaSide and Full Moon Plaza condos are offered in 4 floor plan layouts.
- SeaSide 1BR condos are priced from $475,000 to $575,000; 2BR condos from $650,000 to $725,000.
- 2nd Floor Full Moon Plaza 1BR condos are priced from $375,000 to $495,000; 2BR condos from $450,000 to $525,000.
- 3rd Floor Full Moon Plaza 1BR condos are priced from $425,000 to $495,000; 2BR condos from $550,000 to $625,000.
Parcel 2 will feature a total of 90 luxury Greenview Villas designed by Garnier Arquitectos that will share a private clubhouse with a restaurant, pool, and gym. 2BR and 3BR villas are available and are offered in 4 different contemporary, 1 or 2 story, architectural designs. They’ll be built in 3 phases. All have private swimming pools and gardens and feature floor plans that blend the indoors with the outdoors via large moving glass walls, balconies, patios, garden space, wood, concrete, ceramic tile, and other regional materials that are unique to Guanacaste.
Residents in this pet-friendly community can be at the beach via 5 beach access points within 5 minutes. And state-of-the-art security means your private community will stay private. You can bike, walk or take a complimentary shuttle to restaurants, shopping, sports facilities, arts & entertainment, and more at the Town Center.
Additional active living amenities like a bird watching platform, outdoor trails, outdoor fire pits, and yoga decks round out the list for people who love being of sound mind and body.
- Greenview 2BR villas are priced from $925,000 to $1,300,000.
- Greenview 3BR villas are priced between $1,400,000 and $1,500,000.
A low-density Artisan District is planned for Parcel 3 that will include landart, low-density retail, artisan workshops, a convenience store, a mid-rise residential compound, lagoon, tropical contemporary arch, a glamping lodge, tree house, spa and wellness center, and a canopy restaurant. Parcel 3B will be similar to Parcel 3 but with more low-density residential units.
The size and scope of Bahía Papagayo is something that will make a lot of waves here in the area. The developers envision a project that co-exists with nature in a sustainable manner and gives back to the local community in the form of providing more and better economic and employment opportunities for local residents.
“It redefines tourism by working together with and regenerating local communities, nature and wildlife.” – Enjoy Group & Grupo Laguna
If the Bahía Papagayo Project sounds ambitious, it certainly is. My guess it that it will be a 10-year project if current demand and the US and Costa Rican economies continue to be generally strong. One thing is definitely for sure: no one has ever seen a project of this scope and breadth here in northwest Guanacaste. A master-planned community that strives to blend in – not dominate – the abundant nature provided by both land and sea that it will reside in.
“Spearheading this unprecedented development concept, we are breaking the mold to create spaces and unique experiences based on sustainable innovation and harmonious existence.” – Enjoy Group & Grupo Laguna
Like we say here in Costa Rica, “Poco a poco” (“Little by little”). But the first step is to make your reservation so you can see firsthand what Bahía Papagayo is all about.
¡Pura vida!