Login | May 16, 2025
Na Umi leads a new wave of luxury in Costa Rica's coastal shift
CASANDRA KARPIAK
Associated Press
Published: May 15, 2025
Playas del Coco may have started as a fishing village, but today, it reels in a new kind of visitor.Just 30 minutes from Liberia International Airport - Costa Rica's second busiest, with direct flights from over 25 cities - this once-sleepy town is now at the center of a coastal boom. Luxury resorts, new residential developments and a marina in the works are turning Coco into one of the country's fastest-evolving destinations.
On Costa Rica's northwestern coast, where the dry tropical forest gives way to expansive blue waters, the town embraces its new identity as the country's emerging coastal escape. A quiet transformation is underway. Playas del Coco now blends its soul-stirring sunsets and barefoot beach bars with a rising tide of sophisticated living.
Na Umi, a luxury residential enclave inside the thoughtfully developed Pacifico community, is at the center of this shift. Here, ocean views and oversized patios are only the beginning of the story.
According to the 2025 Virtuoso Luxe Report, affluent travelers are increasingly drawn to transformative experiences that foster deeper connections to the places they visit, such as Costa Rica. This development doesn't exist in a vacuum. Na Umi is part of a larger story about how Playas del Coco redefines luxury - on its own terms. Neighboring Papagayo Peninsula draws marquee hotel names like the Four Seasons and Waldorf Astoria - part of a growing collection of resorts in Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, Pacifico cultivates a community that feels more integrated and grounded. Locally owned cafes, beachside cevicherias and weekly artisan markets sit alongside elevated amenities like the Pacifico Beach Club, where you can move from a sunrise pilates class to an ice-cold Imperial by the shore.
"The Papagayo region has been strategically developed to prioritize environmental sustainability while promoting tourism," says Darren Throop, Developer at Pacifico. "It seamlessly blends five-star luxury resorts with the vibrant local Tico culture across its many beach towns. Known for its relaxed and safe atmosphere, it attracts a diverse range of visitors from around the globe."
The rise of a Pacific town
Developments like Na Umi reflect this shift, offering a lifestyle that's deeply tied to the rhythms of the sea. It's not just the infinity-edge pools or the interiors that frame the Pacific with gallery-like precision - it's what lies just beyond.
A five-minute ride from the suites, members of the Nimbu Boat Club step aboard a private yacht for a day of coastal exploration, snorkel in secluded coves or dine on freshly caught mahi-mahi under the sky's golden hour. For residents here, the ocean is a daily invitation.
Even the name "Na Umi" - meaning to come and observe - reflects a vision where design and nature meet. Modern comforts enhance, rather than overpower, the tropical landscape.
Officials approved a new marina at the far end of Coco Beach, setting the stage for further growth in the area. But for now, Na Umi offers a moment of balance - a retreat where the ocean's beauty and Costa Rica's vibrant culture coexist.
The evolution of Playas del Coco
Along Costa Rica's sun-drenched Guanacaste coast, Playas del Coco quietly evolved from a fishing village into a hub of tourism, culture and carefully planned development. Yet despite the pace of change, its identity remains tethered to the Pacific.
The story began in 1856, when settlers like Agapito Barrera arrived by boat, drawn by the bay's marine bounty. Fishing and pearl diving sustained the early community - life was simple, rhythms slow, the ocean everything.
By the 1930s, Costa Ricans seeking a coastal escape began arriving on horseback, drawn to Coco's cinnamon-colored shores. Tourism trickled in, followed by small markets, beachside sodas and the first charter boats to the Gulf of Papagayo.
Today, Playas del Coco is where tradition meets transformation. Salsa still spills from roadside bars but now shares space with boutique shops, global cuisine and expat-owned cafes. The town has grown more polished without losing its pulse - a rarity along Central America's increasingly developed coastlines.
At the heart of this shift is Pacifico, a master-planned community that matured alongside Coco. Beyond its gates lies a walkable, village-style hub. A modern grocery store, wine bars, co-working space, wellness centers and legal services are all integrated into the surrounding townscape.
Where the ocean isn't just a view - it's a way of life
Rising above this evolving townscape is Na Umi. Tucked into the hills above the Pacifico Beach Club, it offers panoramic views across the bay to the Papagayo Peninsula.
Designed with a quiet elegance that mirrors its surroundings, Na Umi leans into the landscape. Clean-lined architecture, open-air terraces and interiors showcase the Pacific like a living, shifting painting. These homes feel as much outside as they do inside, with sliding walls that dissolve into sea breezes and salt air.
In addition to its design-forward residences, Na Umi features its own collection of exclusive amenities. These include private pools, sun decks and wellness-focused gathering spaces reserved for residents.
Its location within the larger Pacifico development means that residents can wake to ocean light filtering through their bedroom windows and, minutes later, walk to morning coffee or step aboard a boat at the Nimbu Boat Club. Still, for all its polish, Na Umi retains Coco's easy rhythm. From its elevated perch, Na Umi offers the rarest of things: a home that feels both connected and removed, where you can slip into the world or let it fall away entirely.
It also offers peace of mind: Costa Rica's Pacific coast is outside the hurricane belt, spared the storms that routinely sweep through the Caribbean. And with Liberia International Airport just a short drive away, Na Umi is as practical as it is picturesque.
Own the ocean without owning the boat
On any given morning, just after the coastal mist begins to lift from the bay, the boats at Nimbu Boat Club begin to stir. A family paddles toward a quiet cove. A couple boards a sleek vessel bound for a hidden beach. A group of anglers chats with their captain about where the yellowfin is running. No rush, no stress - just ocean, on demand.
This is the quiet brilliance of the Nimbu Boat Club. Unlike traditional developments that merely offer proximity to the water, Nimbu gives residents of Pacifico a concierge-style entry into it. Members reserve a boat - crew included - and step aboard without worrying about ownership, maintenance or logistics.
There's a particular luxury in that kind of freedom - the ability to plan by mood or tide. The fleet is immaculate, the service understated and the focus always on effortless exploration, not excess.
A master-planned community with a soul
It would be easy to mistake Pacifico for a high-end resort enclave - one of those self-contained bubbles designed for escape rather than engagement. But to walk its shaded paths, linger for coffee at the local cafe or bump into neighbors at the market is to understand that this place wasn't built to wall people off from Costa Rica. It was built to welcome them into it.
What makes Pacifico truly rare is what it isn't. It doesn't compete with the rhythm of Playas del Coco; it complements it. The town's heart still beats in beachside cevicherias and Sunday soccer, in the scent of grilling fish and the sounds of marimba echoing from open-air patios. Pacifico simply adds a layer of ease to the experience - a lifestyle both elevated and grounded.
For those who find themselves in the hills of Na Umi, the view is symbolic. Below lies a town rooted in salt and soil, history and hospitality. And just beyond is the vast Pacific, always in motion - just like the town itself. In short, pura vida.
Casandra Karpiak is a Vancouver-based travel journalist specializing in luxury travel, small ship cruising, family adventures, sports tourism and wine destinations. Her work appears in Ultimate Experiences Magazine, the Associated Press Wire, The National Herald, San Francisco Examiner, Washington Times Herald, 24/7 Wall St., MSN, Entrepreneur and more. Her recent assignments have taken her on safari in South Africa, wild swimming in Scotland and exploring Costa Rica's coastal towns with her children.