With environmental concerns on the rise, green travel is gaining popularity around the world. Punta Dominical, the largest landowner in the Dominical region of Costa Rica, now has four vacation home developments in the works each using a ten-point sustainable building plan dedicated to preserving the area’s lush natural environment.

Dominical, on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, is known for its beautiful coastline, verdant rainforest and proximity to national parks. In fact, the developer has committed to maintaining 80 percent of its holdings in Dominical as unspoiled rainforest. Each of the four new projects aim to tread lightly on the earth by using solar energy alternatives, employing a water collection and reuse system, recycling, building with sustainable materials and designing within the existing topography to control erosion and reduce runoff.

What’s for Sale

The developments range from mountainside luxury condos and villas to custom homes with ocean views. In Kiana Resorts, an oceanfront community, 1,500-square foot furnished beachfront villas start at $399,000. The Canto del Mar development offers furnished two- and three-bedroom villas, also 1,500-square feet, nestled along a terraced hillside from the mid-$300,000. Las Olas has 16 custom homes sites, starting at $295,000, with four available floor plans. In the Marisol development there are 54 one- and two-bedroom condos in seven buildings. Space ranges from 980 to more than 1,300 square feet and prices start in the low $200,000.

What You Get

Kiana Resorts
Each unit has two bedrooms but can be divided into two one-bedroom suites with a lock-off door. The furnished villas fuse Southeast Asian and Latin American design elements, and feature an open floor plan that promotes indoor-outdoor living with generous decks and terraces as well as a full kitchen. Community amenities include a spa, four pools, a fitness center, private chefs, an on-site gourmet restaurant with ocean views, concierge services, interpreters and tour guides, childcare and daily housekeeping.

Canto del Mar
These private residences boast white-water ocean views and look out on the surrounding jungle and hillsides. The homes include a fully equipped kitchen with granite countertops, a private laundry area, air conditioning, an optional private plunge pool and a community pool.

Las Olas
Four Spanish Colonial-themed floor plans offer variety and customization for these private homes. The sites feature views of the ocean and the Osa Peninsula. All homes are within walking distance to the beach and numerous trails and nature preserves for hiking and relaxing.

Marisol
Thai and Balinese design-elements influence these resort condos, each boasting open ocean views from the tip of a 2,300-foot ridge overlooking the Pacific. The resort features three pools, a fitness center and community social and lounge areas. A stream leading to Pozo Azul, a natural waterfall and swimming area in the rainforest, runs behind the resort. Both the town of Dominical and area beaches are nearby, and local activities are easily accessible.

Like many international developments reliant on vacation home buyers from the U.S., Punta Dominical is now running a “Fly & Buy” program that offers an incentive for second home shoppers. The developer will cover any travel expenses for buyers who visit the development and purchase a property. Virtual tours of the available properties are available on the Punta Dominical website.

The Helium Report Take

Costa Rica has an undeniable appeal to American second home seekers. While the country has been discovered by tourists, it still maintains its rugged reputation as a destination that hasn’t been overrun by the masses. Many destination clubs have been making inroads to Costa Rica over the past few years, including Crescendo, Quintess, LRW and Exclusive Resorts, which opened its own private enclave there last year. Real estate prices in Costa Rica, while on the rise in recent years, are still not on par with home prices in luxury second home communities in the U.S., and are a relative bargain compared to many stateside oceanfront developments.

While Costa Rica has become a more accessible destination as airlines have added direct flights to San Jose from several U.S. cities, Dominical can still be difficult to reach, requiring a connecting flight into one of two nearby airports and a car ride of an hour or more. The good news is that local infrastructure is improving and a new highway will provide better access to local airports in the coming months, cutting the drive time in half.