Southern Exposure

Las Catalinas is a new town, and it’s also a new type of town. It’s one in which about 1,000 acres of its 1,200-acre footprint will be left untouched and unspoiled. If this sounds like an innovative approach, it is. And the credit goes to Atlantan Charles Brewer, the founder of this groundbreaking Costa Rica beach community. Developed in the concept of New Urbanism (think Seaside, Florida), Brewer is no stranger to creating communities. After his stint as founder and CEO of MindSpring, he was instrumental in the building of Glenwood Park, a neighborhood located along I-20, just east of downtown Atlanta.

Las Catalinas is located on the Pacific Ocean along the Bahía Potrero, and can be reached in about the same time it takes to drive to Sea Island. A daily non-stop flight from Atlanta to Liberia is less than four hours, with Las Catalinas being a 45-minute drive away from the airport. Homesites offer breathtaking views and there’s no shortage of activities. Visitors and homeowners in the town can while away afternoons with ceviche and margaritas at Lola’s del Norte, go kayaking or paddle boarding in the mornings, or spend a day hiking and mountain biking.

Last winter, Charles and Ginny Brewer hosted a small gathering of friends from Atlanta to toast the completion of Phase 1 of Las Catalinas. If the development’s success thus far is any indication of the town’s future, there’s no doubt of more celebrations ahead.