Papagayo Resort

The Papagayo site is a 734-acre Hilltop property in Costa Rica with dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean. The site lies approximately 15 minutes from the Daniel Oduber International Liberia Airport, and less than five minutes from the Panama beach by foot. Directly adjacent to the site are the existing communities of Playa Panama and Playa Hermosa. The site overlooks the bay of Playa Panama with distant views of the Papagayo Peninsula.

The Papagayo Resort will be an ecologically sensitive luxury resort community that offers its guests a wide choice of real estate products, recreational opportunities, amenities and environmental experiences. Set within an environmental framework that protects significant wildlife habitats and water resources, the resort responds to the natural lay of the land and establishes harmony between the built and natural environment.

The Papagayo Resort will offer guests an authentic experience of coastal living in Costa Rica within a true community setting. The architectural design will incorporate passive heating/cooling techniques and proper site planning that take advantage of the coastal breezes. The site planning of the resort will integrate topography into the design of the architecture to take advantage of views to the bay. A clustered approach the resort buildings will allow for a “village feel” to the design of the hotel, while minimizing the resorts footprint of the land, giving way for more land to be dedicated to environmental preserve and outdoor recreational amenities.

Through a series of analysis processes and GIS mapping overlays the team identified undevelopable lands, ecological preserves, and monkey habitats that helped to inform where to develop on the property. Through further revisions, the vision and character of project will be identified and the detailed design of the resort spaces will evolve.