Located at Herradura Bay on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, Los Sueños Resort and Marina is a 1,100-acre master-planned destination community. It currently features a private 600-acre rainforest reserve, the 201-room five-star Los Sueños Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort, a 200-slip international marina, exclusive Beach Club for residents, and the 18-hole La Iguana championship golf course.

With over 500 luxury single-family homes, lots, condominiums, and villas already sold, Los Sueños began construction on Altavista Los Sueños in December 2010. Potential owners can choose from two unit types: Unit Type 1 has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms and offers just over 1,750 square feet of living space for $589,000, while Unit Type 2 features three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and over 2,100 square feet, priced at $749,000.

The buildings are low density with only six units per building. The finishes are characteristic of the Los Sueños communities, with imported Italian ceramic tiles, eight-foot Costa Rican hardwood doors and cupboards, 10-foot ceilings, crown moldings throughout, dual-paned windows, and energy efficient air conditioning systems.

Altavista Los Sueños will join the development’s portfolio of luxury resort residences that range from one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums to single-family homes. Other Los Sueños communities include Riviera and Malibu at Altamira, Marbella Condominiums at Altamira, Montebello Residences at Altamira, Colina Condominiums, Del Mar Condominiums, and Bay Residences at Del Mar.

The next eight years will see the completion of the remaining phases of Los Sueños, including the final phase of Marina Village, several hundred additional luxury residences, and the construction of an eco-lodge in the rainforest reserve. lossuenosresort.com

Hidden Gem

Two Oceans Property Consultants broke ground in November 2010 on Emerald Bay in Panama. The $50 million dollar eco-friendly development lies on Panama’s unspoiled Caribbean coast in the town of La Guaira, just 90 minutes from Panama City. The beachfront condominium and resort community will offer villas, apartments, and duplexes for sale. An approximately 100-room hotel and beach club is also planned for the development. La Guaira’s northern curve of coastline is protected from inland development by the huge rainforest of Chagres National Park that encloses it. The national preserve teems with exotic birds and wildlife and shelters a pristine coastline terrain. Occupancy of finished properties is expected in approximately two years, with pricing starting at $377,000. emerald-bay-panama.com.

Thai Style

Conrad Koh Samui Resort and Spa will be the newest luxury villa property on the popular Thai island. Comprising a total of 80 villas, the Conrad Koh Samui Resort and Spa will be located on a secluded hill, overlooking Aow Thai Beach at the Southwest tip of the island. Spread over 25 acres, the luxurious Conrad Koh Samui Resort and Spa will offer panoramic views of the Gulf of Thailand, outlying islands and the surrounding landscape of lush coconut plantations. It’s also a perfect western-facing vantage point where guests will take in the stunning Koh Samui sunsets. Each villa will have a minimum of 656 square feet of space, complete with private plunge pools and generous outdoor deck areas. There will be a variety of all-day and fine-dining restaurants, bars, and lounges. The spa will combine international treatments with a uniquely Thai spa philosophy and design accents. The property is slated to open in May 2011. conradhotels.com.

Make it a tripto remember with Mead Brown.

If you’re planning an escape to Costa Rica this year, be sure to check in with Mark Mead and Michael Brown of the eponymous Mead Brown, a full-service, vacation rental marketing and property management company specializing in the country’s Central Pacific Coast. The company is widely regarded as one of—if not the—best for travel to Costa Rica, a hard-earned distinction for its two founders. After all, Mead and Brown gave up fast-paced careers in the United States to set up shop in Costa Rica, where they drew on their own experience as tourists to create one-of-a-kind vacations for a market that had, in their eyes, gone uncatered to, or at least insufficiently so.

“After rewarding careers in the US, we knew we wanted adventure and to live abroad,” says Brown. “Several visits as tourists to Costa Rica illustrated the need—and business opportunity—for a professionally managed vacation rental company that could deliver to the expectations of North Americans. After a year of research and planning and the investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars into the best systems, we opened for business.”

The result was Mead Brown, which now boasts a diverse collection of privately owned beachfront villas, houses, condos, and fincas in the Jaco, Playa Hermosa, Herradura, and Los Sueños areas. Mead Brown has also become the preferred vacation rental provider for the Los Sueños Resort & Marina, where clients enjoy lavish condominium accommodations and leisure, sporting, and spa privileges.

Mead Brown also offers complete concierge services, meaning clients can craft the ultimate vacation package. Spa services, championship golf, world-class sport fishing, horseback riding, sea kayaking, and flora-and fauna tours are among the wishes and whims the outfit’s dedicated guest services staff can fulfill. There’s also the placement of private chefs, as well as air- and watercraft charters, housekeeping, and transportation.

“Service is what sets us apart from most of the vacation rental companies in Central America,” Brown says. Even when the most hedonistic at heart come calling, Brown, like a seasoned hotelier, has the answer: “We will do virtually anything to meet our guests’ needs, expectations, and wishes,” he says. “This is a promise not easily fulfilled in a developing country, but we give it our very best and we typically deliver.”

So how are these American expats adjusting to life in this business? “It’s been really gratifying and rewarding for us,” Brown says. “When [guests] leave, they tell us that they’ve never been so well taken care of. It seems a bit odd to us . . . it’s not as though we are peeling their grapes.” Maybe so, but we have a feeling that this hospitable pair would be happily willing to do just that.—Lindsay Lambert

Mead Brown’s accommodations range from fully equipped three-bedroom condos from $300 per night to seven-bedroom villas at $7,500 per night; all properties include daily housekeeping. For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.meadbrown.com or call 866-567-1516.