Construction began recently for Bahia Escondida, soon to be a residential, resort, and marina destination on Costa Rica’s Golfe Dolce Bay in Golfito. The first phase of the $350 million project includes 75 condos and what will be the most complete state-of-the-art marina on the country’s Pacific coast.

Construction began recently for Bahia Escondida, soon to be a residential, resort, and marina destination on Costa Rica’s Golfe Dolce Bay in Golfito. The first phase of the $350 million project includes 75 condos and what will be the most complete state-of-the-art marina on the country’s Pacific coast. The initial phase of the 86-slip marina should be ready December 2007, with one- to three-bedroom condos priced from $300,000 to $800,000 the following year. When complete, Bahia Escondida will feature 217 marina slips and about 400 hotel and condominium units.

Speaking of marina slips, they’ll range in size from 50 to 150 feet and include golf cart concierge service and a high-speed fuel dock. The area’s natural harbor and well-known spectacular offshore billfishing has long attracted mega-yacht cruisers and avid sports fishermen. As the home to Chiquita Banana, Golfito enjoyed a magnificent heyday during much of the 20th Century, and Bahia Escondida is expected to create hundreds of jobs and provide a big boost to the area’s tourism.