Special Section:
Central America

Sitting Pretty in Central America

For a laid-back getaway rich in outdoor pursuits, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, and Honduras offer cool resorts and hot real estate prospects.

If thoughts of Central America conjure up visions of exhilarating outdoor adventures such as zip-line canopy tours above rain forests teeming with exotic flora and fauna, or diving excursions to shimmering waters with colorful undersea creatures, you wouldn’t be off the mark.

But there is much more to the slender isthmus flanked by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Seven distinct countries occupy the stretch of land connecting North and South America. Dotted with majestic volcanoes, untamed rain forests, and endless beaches, the area delivers more than exciting ecotourism activities and magical undersea adventures. Cosmopolitan capital cities offer diverse culinary experiences, and sites like the ruins of the Mayan empire and Spanish colonies bring colorful cultural history to life. Cool resorts and hot residential properties throughout the region provide the perfect springboard for fun and fascinating pursuits.

Real estate is booming in countries like Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, and Honduras, and resorts are luring visitors in search of a change of pace or a home away from home in sunny climes.

Panama

The Panama Canal may have first put this country on the international map, but the excellent weather and natural attractions such as cloud forests, raging rivers, diverse ecosystems, and unspoiled beaches are the big draw, making Panama an ideal vacation or retirement spot. A healthy economy, high standard of living, affordable prices, and attractive government incentives add to the appeal for international home buyers.

From the Caribbean coast to the Pacific, Panama offers not only a wide range of resorts but stellar real estate properties as well. Whether you’re in the market for a Caribbean island getaway, a condo along Panama City’s striking skyline, a charming gingerbread house or beachfront home on the Bocas del Toro archipelago, or one of Chiriqui’s isolated mountain retreats, you’re likely to find a slice of heaven in Panama.

The top-notch, all-inclusive Royal Decameron Beach Resort, for instance, has hotel rooms as well as villa rental accommodations. Onsite facilities include a spa, a casino, an 18-hole golf course, eight swimming pools, and 10 restaurants.

In Colón, the Meliá Panama Canal houses elegant accommodations on a hilltop perch overlooking Gatun Lake. Set in a secluded tropical landscape, the resort features a multilayered outdoor pool with cascading water fashioned after the canal’s river locks. Recreational activities include a casino, lighted tennis courts, and transportation to a nearby beach.

Tucked inside the rain forest overlooking the Caribbean on Isla Bastimentos (one of the 68 islands of Bocas del Toro), Tranquilo Bay is an eco-adventure lodge and the perfect vantage point from which to explore one of Panama’s largest ecosystems. For landlubbers, there’s beachcombing, birding, and exploring, while lovers of the sea can swim among the many reefs and lagoons around the resort.

Costa Rica

Nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica leads Central America in certified sustainable tourism operations. It’s the ultimate eco-travel paradise, with a seemingly endless array of creatures to be seen. Monkeys, tapirs, big cats, and a plethora of birds, rare frogs, and reptiles will delight wildlife watchers.

Pleasant weather year-round promotes yet more outdoor fun ranging from golf, fishing, and snorkeling to exhilarating canopy tours through the cloud forest and hikes along slumbering volcanic craters.

Lodging options include cozy mountain retreats, boutique hotels, and luxurious five-star beach and city hotels. Located at the base of the Arenal Volcano, Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort is known not only for its posh accommodations but also for beneficial hot springs, an award-winning spa, and a wide selection of excursions and ecological activities around the volcano.

One of Costa Rica’s most luxurious resorts is Los Sueños Resort and Marina. Located on Herradura Bay on the country’s central Pacific coast, it’s an all-encompassing resort and residential community anchored by the Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort. Luxurious villas, luxe condominiums, and home sites share the setting with an 18-hole golf course, beach club, marina, and village.

Another hot new residential collection is in progress along the central Pacific coast, courtesy of Costa Rica Land Developers. Living options include gated communities offering jungle or ocean vistas and easy access to the area’s natural attractions, golf courses, and marinas.

El Silencio Lodge & Spa in Bajos del Toro promotes a head-in-the-clouds feeling. Sixteen luxury suites have private decks with river or cloud forest views. Nearby activities include whitewater river rafting, hiking, bird watching, and canopy zip-lining.

Spread out over some 2,000 acres in Costa Rica’s southern Pacific zone, Punta Dominical is currently one of the country’s hottest real estate developments. The unique sight of rain-forest-covered mountains meeting the sea provides a stunning natural backdrop for beachfront villas or mountainside casitas with sweeping views.

Belize

Friendly and laid back, Belize is the only Central American country where English is the official language. With its famous dive spot at Blue Hole and the opportunity to skip from cay to cay, not to mention the chilled-out Creole culture, Belize has great appeal for easy-going types.

One of the most popular resorts in Belize, Victoria House in Ambergris Caye offers 42 suites, plantation rooms, villas, casitas, and bungalows set amid lush tropical gardens with wide views of white-sand beaches.

Spacious cabanas with decks promise a view from the top at Blancaneaux Lodge — Francis Ford Coppola’s first Belizean mountain retreat is now a beautiful nature lodge. Located in Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, in Belize’s Cayo District, it’s set on a steep pine-forested hillside overlooking the Privassion River and a series of gentle falls. A riverside spa offers an assortment of soothing treatments in a tranquil setting.  

For active travelers in search of a chic adventure resort, Machaca Hill Lodge, tucked into 11 acres of tropical terrain in the private Laughing Falcon Reserve, offers numerous natural attractions and astounding views of the ocean. Tours to the nearby ruins of Lubaantun (the largest Mayan site in Belize), hikes into remote caves, and swimming in rain forest waterfalls add to the adventure.

The ultimate escape can be found at Cayo Epanto, a private island off the coast of San Pedro. Six luxurious five-star villas, each with a private swimming pool, dock, and private butler, lend a Fantasy Island feel to any vacation. For those aching for total isolation, the entire island is available for rent. Activities include fly-fishing, bird watching, scuba diving, and snorkeling.

For a more permanent stay, kick back at Las Terrazas’ villas and condos on Ambergris Caye, where Mother Nature and beautiful beaches provide the perfect peaceful backdrop.

Honduras

The second-largest nation in Central America, Honduras offers a mix of soft Caribbean beaches and breathtaking mountains, with more than 100 biological reserves and wildlife refuges.

Surrounded by one of the world’s largest barrier reefs, popular Roatán — one of the Bay Islands — gives snorkelers and divers a chance to get up close and personal with sea turtles, eagle rays, and whale sharks.

For archaeology buffs, the ruins at Copán — a Unesco World Heritage Site often referred to as the Paris of the Mayan world — afford a peek into Honduras’ storied Mayan past, while Garifuna villages allow visitors to explore the culture of a unique indigenous group and its traditional architecture, clothing, food, and ceremonies.

The Lodge at Pico Bonito is another luxury eco-resort on the Caribbean coast. Tucked into the dense Pico Bonito rain forest are 22 secluded cabins, a pool, and jungle trails leading to lush tropical wonders. Raised wooden walkways join the main lodge and the restaurant. Nearby, the cascading clear waters of the Rio Corinto flow under a river deck.

La Casa Rosada Bed & Breakfast, in the Copán ruins, lends credence to the adage that good things really do come in small packages. With only five rooms, this jewel offers the added allure of Spanish colonial décor and old-world charm.

Located in the heart of West Bay Beach in Roatán, the condo-hotel project Infinity Bay Spa & Beach Resort opened in 2007 but is still a work in progress. The first phase features one-, two-, and three-bedroom units that are a full home away from home. Phase two, due to be completed in April 2009, will add a restaurant and full-service spa. The centerpiece of the resort is a freshwater pool with three waterfalls and a swim-up bar overlooking the beach.

Another current hot area on Roatán’s southwest coast, Keyhole Bay, is said to be drawing glitterati from all over the world. Properties include estate home sites and luxury condominiums in breathtaking hillside and seaside settings. An onsite clubhouse offers a view of the beach along with a variety of restaurants, bars, and a spa.

Since land on this peninsula is limited in perpetuity by its geography, only a restricted number of estate-size lots will ever be available, making these an exceptionally attractive investment.

Whether you’re looking for mist-shrouded jungles, a tranquil stretch of beach, or an archaeological adventure, Central America’s near-perfect year-round weather, astonishing natural wonders, cultural diversity, and laid-back way of life promise the perfect break, short or long term.

Combine all that with easy access between the countries, and the warm hospitality to be found in hot properties and cool resorts along the way, and you’ll more clearly understand the Spanish saying, “Mi casa es su casa” (My home is your home).