The remote and beautiful Rincon Beach.
Dabbling in real estate can be an interesting hobby. You never know where it might lead you. Gary Elmore of Austin, Texas decided to dabble in Panama a few years ago and it led him from condos in Panama City to a water front house on Taboga, then to a golf villa at the Decameron Resort on the Pacific beaches and finally to a “little old ranch” of 500 hectares in a fabulous area known as “The Lost Coast” near Boca Chica in Chiriqui.
“I’m not a professional developer”, he is quick to point out. Nevertheless, he and his wife, Doris have begun a development on their ranch which was designated as one of three of the best gated communities in Latin America by the magazine “International Living”. The property is several miles from Boca Chica and the very size of it affords the highest degree of privacy and security to residents, making the isolation a welcome feature, especially since, now that there is a good highway to the area, the City of David is only a 45 minute drive away.
The project is called Rincon Beach Estates after the beach of this name beside which he has set aside 80 hectares for upscale housing. Forty five lots are directly on the beach, most of which are already sold. A number of houses have already been built and occupied mostly by permanent residents forming an international community. Six more houses are due to start construction in early 2010.
The terrain on this part of Chiriqui’s coast is mainly small hills and valleys with sweeping views all around. On one hill, is an eight-room guesthouse, with five bedrooms, six baths, living room, dining room and full kitchen,overlooking stables and an extensive spread of paddocks. On another, in the far distance near the beach, is a clubhouse and five-suite hotel with pool, restaurant, bar and other facilities.
A house in the international Rincon Beach community,
backed by forest and fronting the ocean.
The views are spectacular. As you drive around, dramatic vistas of coastline are revealed together with Isla Secas and even a glimpse of the island of Coiba 100 kilometers out in the Pacific. To the north the Cordillera hovers in the distance and on a good day, Volcan Baru, Chiriqui’s sleeping volcano is proudly visible as well as the waterfall flowing from the table mountain which is a landmark on the approach to the city of David. At night you can see the lights of the town of Boquete on the slope of the volcano.
And all around are trees. The property was partially planted with Teak, African Mahogany and other species before Gary purchased it. He is expanding the reforestation project and has planted extensively with Caribbean Pines on land where they will be beneficial to control soil erosion. Most of the property will be left in its natural forested state.
Other features of the development include an estuary with a boat launching ramp (boat storage is available to residents), a spectacular mangrove swamp and a saltwater lake stocked with fish and shrimp. Elegant tropical landscaping, the speciality of Doris Elmore, along the roads of the residential areas, is in delicious contrast to the wildness of the coastline and the terrain.
In his former life, Gary was an executive with hi-tech electronic and computer firms , a career which led him and his family to spend many years in Southeast Asia and Malaysia and gain a taste for the tropics. Upon his retirement in 1998, they spent the next few years travelling the world to visit old friends and completing the construction of their home on the shores of Lake Travis in Austin. The Elmores first travelled to Panama in May, 2002 and fell in love with the country, the lifestyle and the people of Panama. After sampling Panama City, Taboga, and Decameron lifestyles, they settled on the ranch in Chiriqui with the intent to improve and enhance the existing infrastructure and reforestation for their own, private use, and to preserve the environment for the enjoyment of their children and grandchildren. Friends and acquaintances convinced Gary the area was such a special place, he should develop a portion of the ranch and share the pristine beauty of the area with others who were interested in the lifestyle he envisioned for the ranch and Rincon Beach Estates is the result.
This is an article written by Kenneth Jones and provided to www.panamabusinessandtravel.com a site offering information on Panama in both business and tourism. Readers wishing to find further information regarding the country of Panama should visit www.panamabusinessandtravel.com.
