Author Archives: Eddie

Welcome, Kristofer Fallas!

Posted on by
Reply
Kristofer Fallas

Kristofer Fallas

Bookkeeping, Bill Pay & Analytics – Kristofer Fallas Ureña was born in the highlands of the Central Valley, Costa Rica in the misty town of Tarbaca. As a teenager he moved to Norway to train as a mathematician in high school and university, focusing on statistics and calculus. He enjoys applying his quantitative skills in the tourism industry with quality control and marketing two primary areas of interest.

His past experience includes work as an auditor and customer service instructor in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica for luxury resorts such as Aqua Wellness Resort. For the last decade he has additionally worked as an eco-property designer and instructor around Central America and Europe. He makes his home in Playa Grande, where he lives with his loving wife, Kassi, and his furry cat, Gatitz.

Kris’ hobbies include studying mathematics, horticulture/botany, literature, fishing, blue berry picking and kayaking to work.

You can contact Kris in Spanish, English, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.

Under Sail with Antares

Posted on by
Reply
Antares - 1948 Schooner

Antares – 1948 Schooner

I recently had the pleasure of hosting a number of my classmates in the MBA program at the Terry College of Business of the University of Georgia in Tamarindo. We hope to have them back soon.

This was a great excuse to  take advantage of all the great activities that our area of Guanacaste, Costa Rica has to offer and an afternoon on the water with Antares is certainly one of those activities.

Sailing trips have always been a highlight of the area for a number of reasons:

1.  Physical requirements are minimal compared to surfing or canopy tours, which can be more strenuous.

2.  We have some of the best sunsets in the world!

3.  Nothing beats an afternoon on the water with an open bar and plenty of food.

Antares Under Sail

Antares Under Sail

The team from Antares is new to the area, having brought their 1948 steel hull schooner into Tamarindo Bay in 2012. The ship has a long history. Prior its current task of showings visitors the seas around Tamarindo during day sails or overnight surf trips to places like Witch’s Rock, it was used for a time as a treasure hunting boat.

We set out to meet owner, Candy Lagesen, at LeBeachClub in the center of town. She assisted us with boarding a panga to head out to the Antares, moored in Tamarindo Bay.

At the ship, we met the rest of the crew including Captain Hermes Quijada.  He is also a doctor who practices in Santa Cruz, so we felt extra safe.

We got comfy on some of the many bean bags while the crew prepared cleared the moorings and got us headed North towards Cabo Velas. The ships deck is huge so we had plenty of room to spread out. The crew immediately started serving cocktails including local beers and rum punch.

The views from the ship of Tamarindo, Langosta, Isla Capitan, Playa Grande, Playa Ventanas, and Playa Carbon are incredible. The ship often heads to Playa Huevo, on the north side of Cabo Velas but we headed for Playa Carbon, which was sheltered from the powerful winds that day.

Antares Snorkeling Dingy

Antares Snorkeling Dingy

We set anchor and the crew readied the dingy to drop us on the beach with full snorkel gear. The 1st mate ferried us over and we checked out some rock formations and various tropical fish along Playa Carbon.  This beach is basically deserted. The only people there were from the ships.

Heading back to the ship, it was time for a full meal. While we were on shore the crew had been grilling.  The menu was:

UGA MBA Relaxing

UGA MBA Relaxing

  • Chicken kebabs prepared with garlic, olive oil, lemon and parsley marinade.with red onions and green peppers.
  • Vegetable kebabs with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, eggplant, zucchini and carrots.
  • A salad with lettuce, white cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, green pepper, and cherry tomato.
  • Garlic bread and regular bread.
  • Chips and Crackers
  • Guacamole
  • Pico de Gallo
  • Fruit kebabs with watermelon, strawberry and honeydew melon.

We ate at the table under the aft deck canopy. Delicious!

Tamarindo Sunset

Tamarindo Sunset

While we were eating the crew had put us underway and set the sails. The sun was dipping towards the Pacific Ocean and the views were incredible. We got some great sunset photos as we headed back to the moorings in Tamarindo.

What a great way to spend the afternoon.

Trips with Antares are $80/person and include open bar, snacks, food, and snorkel gear. The boat is often fully booked days in advance, so please contact Cameron prior to your arrival with the number of sailors in your group: info@costapm.com

Casa de Playa Hacienda Pinilla: Our Newest Luxury Villa

Posted on by
Casa de Playa Hacienda Pinilla

Casa de Playa Hacienda Pinilla

At Coastal Property Management, we are very happy to welcome our newest property to our family of luxury vacation rentals in Costa Rica.

Casa de Playa Hacienda Pinilla is the premier private property in Hacienda Pinilla, the resort community that starts at Playa Langosta and runs south to Playa Langosta encompassing over 5,000 acres.

This six bedroom home that sleeps 14 is located on Lot #1 of Las Golondrinas community, directly on Playa Robalo.

Floor Plan

Floor Plan

The home has a nice layout to maximize the views of the ocean and pool. The entrance to the home is at ground level and opens onto a foyer with a very nice bar that has a view of the pool. 4 of the bedrooms surround this area with full baths and plenty of privacy.

The second floor facing the ocean and pool is a massive open living area combining the kitchen, dining, living and entertainment areas into a huge open area with a vaulted ceiling. There are also two bedrooms off of this level.

Pool to Ocean

Pool to Ocean

The furnishing throughout is of the highest quality, and the home is designed to maximize views of the ocean.

With sufficient notice this home is available for rent along with Casa Marbella (sleeps 10) and Casa Jardines (sleeps 8) for a total of 32 people.

Rains Gone?

Posted on by

Guanacaste appears to have dried up. Long time locals feel the rains have left already. The winds that typically blow in December have already started, cooling off ocean temperatures.

The road to Langosta is dry and in great shape currently, such good shape that enterprising restaurant owners decided to install their own speed bumps.

Everyone is enjoying outdoor dining in restaurants like Nibana and Copa Cobana.

Although the weather is dry, this is still technically rainy reason and our rainy season discounts are available through December 15th, so take advantage while you can!

Notes from the Owner

Posted on by
Reply

Eddie Davis

Just to check in with the readers of our blog here on BeachCondoTamarindo.com, I’d like to share what we have been up to at CPM and my current projects.

First of all, we had an incredibly productive summer.  As many of you know, our executive level staff has changed and the results have been remarkable.  It was fantastic to get to work with them over the summer in Tamarindo.  We had the best July in our history with some units being rented five times.  We look a great deal at year on year performance changes, and other indicators are very positive. Cameron Compton has done a fantastic job at improving our conversion rate and creating a fantastic experience for our tenants.

My personal focus right now is to improve our systems and customer experience for both our owners and tenants. We always receive very high ratings as a property manager as evidenced by our TripAdvisor/Flipkey ratings, but we feel that we can improve as well. Tineke Rademaker has brought a systematic perspective to the company and been a huge influence in studying the way CPM works and looking for ways that we can standardize and add accountability.  Andrea Viquez has done a fantastic job at improving the responsiveness of the company to owners with issues related to bills, taxes, and other financial issues.

For my part, I am heavily studying innovation right now and looking at new opportunities to improve CPM. I have the honor of working directly with David Sutherland, owner of Launch Institute, through my work as the President of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club at UGA and taking one of his classes on innovation.  I am also doing a lot of work on marketing in terms of branding and communication and what makes staying with CPM in Costa Rica so special.  Additionally, I am working as a grad assistant to the Entrepreneurship head at UGA, Chris Hanks. The insights that these two gentleman have when it comes to how to examine and improve a small business is incredible.

Look for more to come from Coastal Property Management over the coming months.

 

 

Learn More About Andrea Viquez

Posted on by
Reply

Andrea Viquez

 Andrea Viquez was born in San Jose, Costa Rica and grew up in Alajuela. She studied to become an interior designer and moved to Santa Teresa after getting her degree. She moved to the Tamarindo area four years ago seeking better work opportunities. Andrea has worked in many tourism related businesses including transportation and hospitality. In her spare time, Andrea likes to surf, ride her bicycle, go to the beach and smile all the time.

You can contact Andrea in English and Spanish.

Breakfast Spot – Sueno del Mar

Posted on by
Reply

Look for this sign.

For those of you that know me personally, you may be aware that I am completely unable to sleep in and I eat a lot. That means I’m always on the hunt for great breakfast spots.

This week I got reacquainted with an old friend, Sueno del Mar, in Playa Langosta, a B & B that has one of the best breakfasts in the area. They also open at 7AM, which is huge for the early riser.

Find Sueno del Mar on the newly updated Tamarindo Map on the beach in Playa Langosta. It sits on the same row as the areas most expensive and extravagant beachfront homes including Casa Las Tortugas and Villa Marrakech.

Outdoor Dining Facing the Pool and Ocean

When you arrive, you walk to the beach side and sit either on the beach or in various covered but open air spaces facing the Pacific. There is no menu as the cook chooses what she will make that day and then proceeds to contact a lavish three course meal.

My breakfast consisted of all you can drink coffee and fresh Marakuya juice, a Costa Rican favorite.

The first course was scrambled eggs with tomatoes and basil surrounded by sweet plantains, avocado and toast. Schmidty’s hot sauce was available and went perfectly.

The second course was a fruit plate that included kiwi, mango, papaya, pineapple and watermelon, all super fresh.

Delicious!

Lastly, there was a fried desert pastry served with maple and strawberry syrup. Price was a well worth it $10 for everything and they prefer cash.

Sueno del Mar is open for breakfast only 7 days a week. It an easy walk from Coastal Property Management rentals in the Courtyard Villas, Horizontes del Mar, Naxos and La Esquina.