W Residencies, Reserva Conchal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

In a remote corner of Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province lies an eco-oasis named Reserva Conchal, a sustainable resort town an hour drive from the Liberia International Airport. This sprawling community features luxury homes, resort residences, and hotels that coexist in harmony with the natural surroundings. Powered by renewable energy, with onsite recycling, a water treatment facility, and the first and only desalination plant in the country, this eco-friendly destination is exactly what is needed for a post-COVID escape.

Spread across 2,300 acres along the northern Pacific Coast, Reserva Conchal entices with pristine white sand beaches, rolling hills, and plenty of opportunities for hiking and water sports. The FIFCO (Florida Ice & Farm Company) supported development became a pioneer in sustainable living in Costa Rica, providing visitors and property owners an opportunity to enjoy the bounty of nature, while leaving as minimal of a footprint as possible, in line with the parent company’s motto, “To share with the world a better way of living”.

A stay at Reserva Conchal at the family-friendly, all-inclusive Westin or the brand new W Costa Rica, or a real estate investment, sublet or vacation rental, is sure to reinvigorate your zest for life, while being mindful of your environmental impact.

W Residencies, Reserva Conchal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Living at W Residences, or in one of the residential complexes of the exclusive community of Reserva Conchal, means connecting with nature on a deeper level, with access to golden beaches, surfing, walking, kayaking, paddle-boarding, mountain biking, sunbathing, and more. Everywhere you look, trees endemic to the region, like the Malinche, Jobo and Carao trees, add shade and color to the experience, while Howler monkeys make their presence known from tree branches way up in the canopy.

Each of the residencies – beginning with Bougainvillea, the first to spring to life in 2002 — has luxury homes and villas developed with comfort, creativity, and sustainability in mind. Their designs range from traditional to tropical contemporary, and the communities named after colorful flowers blooming all around, from Cortez Amarillos to Roble Sabana.

W Residencies Living Room, Reserva Conchal

The newest addition of W Residences offers hotel-inspired living, with additional perks. Their aesthetic is a continuation of the W Hotel, built in reverence to the surroundings, inspired by the Guanacaste trees that majestically fill the landscape with their umbrella-shaped branches. Seemingly floating amidst several Bursera Simaruba trees like a treehouse, each of the W residencies blends perfectly with nature, featuring curved ceilings and large, clear windows to take in the views, and bathrooms with perforated membranes inspired by local fauna and flora of the region’s dry forest. Every home has its own pool and each room a terrace to admire the surroundings.

The onsite Beach Club, featuring an open-air restaurant overlooking the turquoise sea, a shimmering pool, fitness center, spa, and a car-free beach, is an ideal spot for families to come together. The communities are just a two minute drive from the Beach Club and the sprawling Audubon-certified Golf Course. Designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones II, the 18-hole championship golf course is for golfers of all levels. In alignment with sustainability goals, the golf course is designed to use ​​90% reclaimed water for irrigation, and has biological corridors for animals to cross safely.

Solar Panels at Reserva Conchal

Sustainability is at the core of Reserva Conchal and measures are in place to foster a lifestyle that benefits the environment. Nearly 1,400 solar panels on the property provide approximately 7% of the hotels’ electricity, and the rest of the buildings and homes are powered by Costa Rica’s thermal renewable energy.

Given that Reserva Conchal is located in one of the driest areas of Costa Rica, utmost care is taken to repurpose and reuse water. Reserva Conchal launched the country’s first desalination plant, a multi-million dollar installation that turns seawater into usable water to irrigate areas around the residences and hotels. In an attempt to make sure no drop is wasted, wastewater generated by residences and hotels is managed onsite at the wastewater treatment plant, and the resulting water is reused to irrigate the golf course and gardens.

To tackle plastic waste, the resort community began a BE H2OK plan to reuse the majority of plastic bottles and promote refilling reusable water bottles. The program has significantly reduced the use of plastic for drinking water. Those living at Reserva Conchal are encouraged to recycle their waste in separate bags, which are then processed onsite where diligent staff classify, separate, and repurpose all waste products. As a result, nearly 85% of waste is recycled or reused. Resort and hotel waste that cannot be recycled is composted onsite and turned into fertile growing soil for the gardens and tree nursery.

Visitors and owners have opportunities to volunteer in beneficial activities, such as beach cleanups, reforestation, food banks, park maintenance, and supporting Indigenous communities. One such volunteer program led to the planting of 15,000 trees in the Reserva Conchal Nursery, which revitalize fragmented habitats, restore biodiversity, and increase the density of the canopy that howler monkeys rely upon for survival.

Caring for Wildlife and Communities

A key tenant of being a sustainable enterprise is the preservation of unspoiled natural spaces and supporting communities. Within Reserva Conchal, an area of almost 98 acres is set aside as a natural reserve and a majority of the remaining land stays untouched so wildlife can thrive. Costa Rica boasts 5% of the world’s biodiversity; as such, care is taken to preserve the animals that call these forests home. Encompassing a range of ecosystems, from tropical dry forest to mangrove swamps, the reserve is home to jaguar, puma, white-faced monkeys, anteaters, white-tailed deer, and around 80 species of birds. The onsite education center offers weekly tours to the region’s youth, allowing them to learn about beekeeping, biodiversity, wildlife protection, recycling, and seed planting to protect their environment for generations.

Hortalzas Najiu Farming Initiative, Reserca Conchal

To empower women in the surrounding communities, Reserva Conchal began an organic farming initiative, Hortalzas Najiu (Najui is a Chorotega word for women and Hortalizas means vegetables), in collaboration with the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA). Led by three women, the farm produces greens and herbs, which are then sold to the restaurants at the Westin and W hotels. During COVID-19 closures, Reserva Conchal donated produce to surrounding families. A hydroponic watering system recycles the water daily and the plants are nourished from the compost produced from hotel waste.

Through outreach initiatives, including an instrumental role in the opening of the first fire station on the coast, improving the local medical clinic, and establishing the Brasilito police station, Reserva Conchal takes an active role in uplifting community members. The Dual Education program, in partnership with the National Learning Institute (INA), offers courses to those interested in becoming cooks and professional waiters/bartenders. Corporate volunteering allows staff members to get paid for spending their time for the good of society, either through vaccination clinics, reforestation campaigns, maintenance of local parks and community centers.

Life is beautiful at Reserva Conchal

Living in Costa Rica means being immersed in wild nature, indulging in all manner of adventures with a light footprint. With a pristine beach as your backyard, and Guanacaste and its incredible biodiversity, natural beauty and culture at your doorstep, you will be closer to tropical bliss in a way that’s good for the planet and your soul.