Sunset over the Pacific

We stayed for dinner at the El Caracol Restaurant overlooking the golf course at Papagayo, so we also took in the sunset over the Pacific.  

We are showing photos of the main temple complex of Bangkok, Thailand on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Julie photographing at Papagayo

Julie asked that I stop the car while  we were driving down the Papagayo Peninsula so she could take a photo, which I was happy to do.  I was lazy and stayed in the car, but that does not mean that I cannot take photos, also, as I caught a glimpse of her from my side view mirror.

We are showing photos of the main temple complex of Bangkok, Thailand on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site this week.

Papagayo golf course

The Papagayo Golf Course is spectacular.  It traverses the crest of the Papagayo Peninsula and offers views of both the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Papagayo on the other side.

No, I have never played golf there.  We have eaten lunch at the restaurant overlooking the golf course several times.   Visitors need to call the Four Seasons Resort at least a day in advance to make a reservation, otherwise you cannot even drive onto the peninsula.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing of the main temple complex in Bangkok, Thailand.

Papagayo golf course

I am showing this photo of the golf course at Papagayo, about 30 miles (48 km) north of Tamarindo, to offer a contrast to the photo more typical Costa Rican scene I will show tomorrow.

The Papagayo peninsula, anchored by a Tour Seasons Resort, is like a slice of Hawaii in Costa Rica.   It is an elegant place to visit and to have a luxurious resort experience, but it is not the real Costa Rica.

We have photos of Cape Breton Island on the northern tip of Nova Scotia posted this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is a pristine, beautiful place.

Aerial view of Papagayo golf course

Here is an aerial photo of the same scene that I showed yesterday. In the center left of the photo is the El Caracol Restaurant and the golf course support buildings.

In this photo you can see how the golf course snakes down the spine of the peninsula, with views of the Gulf of Papagayo on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.

This week we are showing photos of some of the quietly beautiful scenes of Yosemite National Park on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

El Caracol Restaurant at the Papagayo Golf Course

This photo is the El Caracol Restaurant at the Papagayo Golf Course. This is located about half way down the Papagayo Peninsula. We have eaten here several times, as it is possible to make a reservation here even if one is not a guest at the Four Seasons Hotel, which is located farther down the peninsula.

The golf course pro shop is also located in this building. I bought a golf shirt with the Four Seasons Costa Rica logo on it. Maybe people will think I have stayed at the hotel or played golf there, neither of which would be true.

I will continue this series to share with you the dinner that Julie and I enjoyed at this restaurant.

This week we are showing photos of some of the quietly beautiful scenes of Yosemite National Park on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Theme Day: Mystery Object

The worldwide Daily Photo Theme for Oct. 1 is "mystery object." Because Costa Rica is the number 1 ecotourism destination in the world, I chose a living creature as my mystery object.

I was able to choose this photo for theme day without interrupting my series on the Papagayo peninsula, as this creature emerged from the bushes as Julie and I were photographing the sunset, standing on a street right next to some expensive homes under construction.

Because the theme is for a mystery object, I will continue the mystery for another day for those of you who do not know what this is. Unless you live somewhere from Brazil to Mexico, you have not seen these animals, except perhaps in the zoo. In Costa Rica, we see them usually at dusk.

This week we are showing photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

To see how other Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the mystery object theme, Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Papagayo sunset

From the crest of the Papagayo peninsula, we have a delightful view of the sunset dropping behind the puffy clouds and backlighting the wispy clouds, with the forest and ocean below. The clouds add to the sunset, in my opinion, compared to a cloudless sky.

This week we are showing photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Sun peaking through the agave

The sun dropped a little lower in the sky as Julie and I drove around to take some photos of the Papagayo peninsula. Here you see the sun peaking through the agave leaves next to one of the lakes on the golf course.

When we see a sun and sky like this, we know that great Costa Rican Pacific sunset is coming up next. It is time to get to a spot where we can see the sun drop into the ocean.

This week we are showing photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Sun shining through on golf course

The late afternoon sun pierces the leaves to cast long shadows on the Papagayo Golf Course. Late afternoon is the best time to take photos of golf courses, as the colors are warmer and deeper.

We have a friend who is a professional golf course photographer. He has photographed more than 500 golf courses around the world.

The late afternoon sun means that sunset photos could be coming up in the near future.

This week we are showing photos of the Music Palace in Barcelona on Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Papagayo manhole cover

The Papagayo peninsula is so upscale that even the manhole covers are fancy, with a butterfly design. In fact, it is so upscale that it has underground utilities and manholes.

Most of Costa Rica does not even have storm sewers and manholes in the streets. In fact, many towns have only a few paved roads. The Papagayo peninsula has streets made of paver bricks, underground utilities, and artistic manhole covers.

Julie and I have a good friend who takes photos of manhole covers on his travels. He has photos of unusual manhole covers from around the world. I think this manhole is worthy of his collection.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we are showing photos of some delightful details of the Music Palace in Barcelona.

Four Seasons Papagayo from the Air

This is an aerial photo of the same beach area that I showed in my photos yesterday and the day before. The main lobby of the Four Seasons Resort is the large, curved building in the center of this photo, in the narrowest spot of the peninsula.

In this photo you can see how the hotel guests have access to beaches on both sides of the peninsula, although both sides are protected from the waves of the open ocean.

You can also see that even though this is the highest density area of buildings on the Papagayo peninsula, there are still lots of trees to provide habitat for wildlife.

This week we have photos of the Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy, on the shores of Lake Como on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Papagayo coastline

I took this photo from the same spot as yesterday's photo, but it shows the scene a little farther up the Papagayo peninsula, right next to the beach used by guests of the Four Seasons Resort.

The coastline in this area is very scenic, although there are not as many beaches for swimming and surfing as around Tamarindo. Also, it is not possible to walk for long distances along the beach, which we like to do from our condos.

You can see how steep the coast is here. This provides excellent habitat for monkeys, birds and other wildlife, as I will show you in a few days..

This week we are showing photos from the Villa Serbelloni, a retreat for scholars owned by the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Beach at the Four Seasons, Papagayo

This photo looks down on one of the two beaches at the Four Seasons Papagayo Resort. This beach faces the ocean, but it is in a cove so it is protected from the waves. The other beach is a short walk to the left of the scene in this photo, and it opens to a bay, so it does not have waves.

In order to reach this hotel, if you are not a registered guest you have to call at least 24 hours in advance and make an appointment. A hostess will meet you, give you a guided tour, and then it will be time to leave. Visitors are not allowed to walk around the lobby or hotel grounds.

This week we have photos of the Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy, on the shores of Lake Como on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Papagayo housing with a view

Golf courses provide wonderful views for high end homes and condos. You can see a row of either condos or Four Seasons hotel units on the ridge in this photo, overlooking the golf course, forest, and the Gulf of Papagayo.

I have mixed feelings about master-planned resorts like this, which I will share, of course, during the rest of the photos in this series.

This week we are showing photos from the Villa Serbelloni, a retreat for scholars owned by the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Papagayo golf course and development

Here is another photo showing the Papagayo Golf Course, with the Gulf of Papagayo by in the distance. The project today is extremely environmentally conscious, perhaps in part because of the history I mentioned yesterday of violations in its early development.

The new government in the late 1990's decided that despite the violations, the development was too far along to stop, so they changed developers and allowed the project to be developed with strict controls.

You can see that much of the peninsula contains dense forest. The golf course is spread out over almost twice the acreage of a typical golf course. The forest here has hundreds of trees of protected species, and every protected tree with a trunk more than two inches (6 cm) in diameter is plotted GPS coordinates GPS and cannot be cut or moved. Natural predators are used for insect control.

The golf course has been certified by the Audobon Society as a Cooperative Sanctuary. There are lots of animals that share the peninsula with the resort, and of course that is part of the attraction for visitors. More about that, later.

This week we are showing photos from the Villa Serbelloni, a retreat for scholars owned by the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Papagayo golf course

This photo shows the Papagayo Golf Course, with a view cascading down the fairway to the Gulf of Papagayo. There are luxury hotels and resorts around the Gulf.

The Costa Rican government selected the Gulf of Papagayo development as a luxury resort area in the early 1990's and awarded a development contract to a company that developed Cancun. After a change in Presidential administrations in the country in 1995, the minister of tourism and 11 other officials were indicted for bribery in connection with the project, and the project was temporarily halted because of violations of environmental and labor laws.

I will continue with this story in the days ahead.

This week we are showing photos from the Villa Serbelloni, a retreat for scholars owned by the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Papagayo peninsula from the airplane

I will be showing you a series of photos of the Papagayo Peninsula during the next week or two, starting with the photos of the entrance that I have shown during the past three days. To get you oriented, here is a photo of Papagayo from the air.

The government fostered the development of this area for upscale tourism, and upscale it is. In the narrow saddle near the end of this peninsula is the Four Seasons Resort. The Arnold Palmer golf course is visible as the lighter patches of green.

The Gulf of Papagayo is to the right. Across the Gulf is a Hilton all inclusive resort. There are other resorts tucked away in the area. The newspaper just announced that Papagayo has been selected for the first resort in Latin America by Bulgari, the jewelry company that also owns 3 hotels, in Tokyo, Bali and Milan, with a fourth in London opening next year. The newspaper said that the Bulgari hotel in Papagayo will cost $100 USD to build and will have room rates of up to $4,000 per night.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. This week we return to Bellagio and Lake Como to show photos from the Villa Serbelloni, a retreat for scholars owned by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Entrance statue

This is a closer view of the statues at the entrance to the Papagayo Peninsula. Each granite figure is bigger than a a car. The progression of four figures is evocative of birth or creation.

And creation is a good theme for the Papagayo Peninsula. The project is anchored by a Four Seasons Resort and an Arnold Palmer designed golf course, but when the entire Papagayo project is finished there will be 7 resorts and 3 championship golf courses. More on that later.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.

Entrance to Papagayo Peninsula

The trees I showed yesterday are part of the entrance to the Papagayo Peninsula. These statues are part of a huge water feature at the entrance. The guard station is at the right.

No one is allowed to drive down this private road to reach the Papagayo Peninsula unless you have a reservation at the hotel or restaurant or live at one of the houses or condos in this master planned development.

Note that the road is made of pavers. It is 7 km of paver stones on the roadway to reach the Four Seasons hotel from this entrance. I cannot imagine how much it cost just to pave the roadway.

This week we are showing photos of the Atacama Desert on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including the highest altitude geyser field on earth, high in the Andes Mountains in Northern Chile.