Marina Papagayo

Marina Papagayo started operations earlier than announced

(InfoWebPress – www.journalcr.com) — Even though the Marina Papagayo, located on Culebra Bay in the Gulf of Papagayo, recently announced that it would begin operations on January 2009, the first phase of the project was actually inaugurated this Monday, Dec. 15, thanks to the fact that it received the respective authorization by the Marinas and Tourist Docks Inter-institutional Commission (CIMAT). In this way, Marina Papagayo complied with what had been established in its contract with the Papagayo Tourism Development project — that is, begin operating in late 2008. The marina includes 108 acres that will initially hold 180 wet slips and 200 dry slips. Size of the vessels that would be arriving to this harbor can range from 40 to 285 feet (12 to 87 meters). Boats that harbor here will enjoy a series of amenities, including immigration services, fuel dock, high-speed Internet, electricity, phone service, minor repair services for vessels, and wastewater disposal. Initial investment in the project is $15 million, said Roberto Kopper, director of Marina Papagayo.

Papagayo is the second marina constructed in Costa Rica under the law in effect since 1998. Los Sueños, in Herradura Beach on the Central Pacific, has been open since 2001. Construction of the 350-slip marina began in 2007. The docking facility is part of Peninsula Papagayo, a 2,300-acre resort development, which includes 15 miles of coastline, 14 miles of bluffs, and 31 separate beaches. Brandy Marine International has named to manage Marina Papagayo, taking care of the facility’s 24/7 concierge service for all transient, seasonal, and annual customers. Access to the marina will be public, via National Route 253, which begins at the intersection to the Gulf of Papagayo at Guardia. The road will be revamped to provide better access to the area’s new tourism amenity. It is estimated that construction of the marina is generating some 470 direct jobs, and that during full operation the facility will provide employment to some 360 people. The second phase of the project, scheduled for completion around 2010, will add some 200 more slips.

Source : The Journal