For many people, the thought of relocating to the beach in Santa Teresa is exciting and exhilarating - but perhaps also a bit overwhelming when they think about having to worry about road access, access to services and home security. That is why gated communities within Santa Teresa can be a popular option for both Costa Ricans moving from the city and for expats looking for a beach home with no hassle or headaches.
Best Gated Communities in Santa Teresa
- Maramar
- Acquarello
- The Ark
- D'Village
- D'Park
- Hacienda Ohkra
- Brisas del Cabo
The appeal of a gated community is manifold. Within these communities the basic shared infrastructure (roads, water, electricity, internet cables) is provided and maintained by the community administrator - which means less headache for the residents. The communities offer security, many of them with gates and 24-hour security guards - this is attractive to many people who don´t want to have to worry about leaving their houses unattended when going on a trip. And many communities also offer property management services, just in case you want to rent the house while you are not there.
These benefits have led to an increased interest in gated communities in the Santa Teresa area over the last few years. We now have a number of great options to choose from, some of which I am detailing below.
Maramar
The oldest gated condominium in Santa Teresa is Maramar. A short walk to the beach in northern Santa Teresa, Maramar offers great infrastructure, easy access and a shared pool and lounge area. Many of the houses within Maramar have spectacular ocean views. Maramar offers you a fantastic location (two minutes to the surf break at La Lora), close to the beach and with all the benefits of a gated community.
The properties that are currently available for purchase within Maramar are luxury ocean-view homes, including this brand-new 5-bedroom house with epic ocean views, and lots - both with and without ocean view. For rent you will find two-bedroom townhouses, 3 bedroom apartments and large stand-alone houses with incredible views.
Aquarello
Acquarello is a beautiful new condominium offering in Santa Teresa, located 2 kilometers from the Playa Carmen crossroads. This project is currently in construction, and is fully sold out. In total there will be 25 residences, with the units being priced from $499,000 pre-construction. Each house will be 180m2 of block and concrete construction, plus two parking spaces. The houses will have 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry, terrace and office space. There is currently a fully completed show house, which demonstrates the high-quality construction and finishes. Residents at the condominium will have access to the community semi-Olympic swimming pool and a yoga shala. 24-hour gated security will be provided. Once construction is completed, we expect to have some re-sales to offer to our clients.
The ARK
The ARK is a completely different type of gated community - in fact they call themselves an "open-gated community," indicating their desire to be inclusive, remaining open to the local community and visitors, whilst also providing security and safety for the residents. It is an exciting and unique project in our area. The property is a total of 80 hectares, with two access points - one entrance that takes you down to the beach in Santa Teresa and a back-entrance that takes you out on the road towards Cobano. The founders have committed to reforesting 70% of the land, which for the last 40 years has been used as cattle land. The vision for the project includes a large organic farm (6 hectares, work has already begun on this), a 200-student Montessori school, a community center with a cafe and space for arts and entertainment, a sports center with tennis, paddle courts, a gym, beach volleyball, a 25-meter lap pool, sauna and cold plunge, a retreat center and more.
The ARK is not a condominium, but a gated residential community where each lot has its own individual title with lot sizes ranging from 5,000m2 (1.25 acres) to 10,000m2 (2.5 acres). The lots are subject to the restrictions that apply to agricultural properties - max. 10% residential construction, with the main house being no bigger than 300m2 over 2 floors, and a further 15% for agricultural instalments. There will be a total of 93 lots in the project, with 6 dedicated to community amenities.
We are excited to see how this unique and interesting project develops!
D´Village
D´Village is a wonderful condominium community, with accessible prices and located in Mal Pais, just a short walk from the surfing at Playa Carmen. I hear only good things from residents who live in this family-friendly community. The original development is fully sold, but there are resales available. The units are mid-range, currently priced approximately from $315,000 for a loft $420,000 for a 2-bedroom townhouses and $690,000 for a large 4-bedroom house.
The community offers a paved road, 24-hour security and a communal pool and lounge area. This condominium is popular due to its close proximity to the beach, its pleasant and secure layout and nice quality construction. The price point is accessible, and the units are a great option for short-term renting.
D´Park
The neighboring condominium community is called D´Park, and was established by the same developer. D´Park offers larger stand-alone houses with a higher construction quality and a higher price point (and yet still at a good value compared with the market as a whole). Again, the houses are walking distance to the surfing beach of Playa Carmen - close to the action, but hidden away and private. Currently we have two houses available in this condominium: One 3-bedroom house with its own pool for $780,000 and another three-bedroom beautiful house for $805,000.
Hacienda Okhra
Hacienda Okhra is one of the oldest gated communities in the area. It is located a five-minute drive from the crossroads of Playa Carmen. It is a fantastic location if you would like to be set back from the hustle and bustle, but only a short drive to all the amenities that town offers. Hacienda Okhra offers a 24-hour security guard at the gate, good roads, ASADA water and fiber-optic internet. There is also an organic farm, which is operated by the original developer. The farm provides delicious organic greens and vegetables to many of the shops and restaurants of town.
Hacienda Okhra has both non-ocean view and ocean view lots for sale. There are some gorgeous houses for sale within the community, including this beautiful three-bedroom ocean view home for sale at $1.95m and this three bedroom ocean view home with two-bedroom guest house for sale at $1,350,000.
Brisas del Cabo
Brisas del Cabo is a beautiful and tranquil gated community, located in the hills above town in the San Isidro/Delicias area. The community is a ten-minute drive down the Casa Chamaleon road to Mal Pais. The name of the community is very fitting, as the properties here enjoy the gorgeous breezes that come up from the ocean all day long. A lovely community of people has established itself at Brisas – there are currently eleven homes that are either fully completed, or close to it.
We currently have the following lots available at Brisas del Cabo - this large beautiful ocean view lot for sale at $380,000 and this ocean and jungle view lot for sale at $199,000.
If you are interested in finding out more about the gated communities in our area, please do reach out to us. We would be very happy to share all the information with you.
Responses