The enormous, new Five Star Hotel Riu Guanacaste – with 72% more rooms than the largest hotel currently in operation in Costa Rica – is set to open its doors in Guanacaste later this year…

Set amongst the picturesque Playa Matapalo in northwest Guanacaste, the RIU Hotel and Resort owns a 325-hectare (800 acres), $125-million, 701-room, all-inclusive resort and they’ve been very busy getting things ready for its November 2009 grand opening.

This hotel will not only be the first RIU hotel in Costa Rica but the first in all of Central America. The project spans over 800 acres of beach front and ocean view land, employs an estimated 1,500 workers.

Despite the challenging market conditions in the USA, the RIU group (based in Spain) is confident that the hotel chain will prosper in the growing area of Guanacaste. The RIU company is a family business founded in 1953 and started with a small hotel in Mallorca. They have now expanded their empire to include 102 hotels. They are well known in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

With their expansion into the Central American market, and more specifically Costa Rica, the RIU group has shown that Costa Rica is not only an eco destination but also a luxury one as well. With 701 total rooms, this will be by far the largest hotel in all of Costa Rica.

The hotel will offer 5 star luxury with four dining venues, six bars, five conference rooms, shops, and more. There are many outdoor activities on site and nearby the resort. The hotel will be a short 35 minute drive from the Liberia International Airport (LIR).

The project has spent private funds to pave part of the monkey trail which leads to Playa Matapalo and the RIU property. With this new paving, the entire route from the airport will be paved. Matapalo beach is a beautiful, lesser known beach located north of Flamingo and south of Cocos Beach.

This project will employ hundreds of local Costa Ricans upon completion and will provide even more indirect jobs.

The RIU group promotes a ‘green’ philosophy in producing reduced waste, having a recycling program on-site, along with effective energy and water management system. They also will be promoting a clean beach program on Playa Matapalo and surrounding beach areas.

We took some photos of the RIU resort from a neighboring project to get a different perspective on the size of this project and the beauty of the views and local beaches.

Despite the current economic conditions in the world, the RIU group believes in Costa Rica, and more specifically the northwest region of Guanacaste. The RIU is a family owned business that is well funded and does not have to rely on third party funding for the building of their projects around the world.

The fact that a huge company believes in Costa Rica in these times, shows that our area is and will continue to be a great investment for those potential clients that are looking to retire or invest in this area of the country.

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Written by Rebecca L. Clower who was born in Chicago, grew up in Buffalo, NY and graduated from Arizona State University. Rebecca is fluent in Spanish, thanks to her mother who is “Tica.”

Costa Rica Realtor Video Interviews – Becky Clower:

• You can see a video interview with Becky Clower about investing in Costa Rica real estate here.
• You can also see a video interview with Becky Clower about living in Costa Rica here.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.