Visiting Carrillo by way of the stunning Las Ventanas del Mar is an experience that almost defies description. Rick Gaffney shares the wonders of this unique Costa Rican destination. STORY: Rick Gaffney Photos: Rick Gaffney & Gary Carter

Wile fishing in Guatemala with Fernando Aguilar last year, we had the pleasure of the company of Gary Carter - a superb light-tackle angler who speaks with a distinctive Southern drawl. In the moments between hook-ups, Gary got us intrigued about a development project he had undertaken on a serene hillside overlooking Carrillo, Costa Rica.

Last December we paid Las Ventanas del Mar a visit, and discovered that everything Gary had told us about the place was true - and then some.

Perched on the edge of a knoll that offers a sweeping panoramic view of three adjacent bays is a spectacular 9000-square-foot infinity pool, backed by beautifully-appointed townhouses with shaded porches, European cabinetry, joinery and doors, high ceilings, skylights, lush landscaping, a tranquil lake, and expansive views of those scallop-shaped bays - and the broad Pacific ocean beyond.

Carrillo is already a popular destination for travelling gamefishermen. A small peninsula perfectly shadows an anchorage from the brunt of the Pacific's fury. Comfortable accommodation shoreside (Hotel Guanamar), an extraordinary palm-backed curvilinear beach, delightful beachfront restaurants, and warm, friendly people have all made Carrillo an ideal place to pursue billfish when their migratory ambling brings them close to the area, and when high winds make the waters to the north far less attractive.

So Gary already knew about Carrillo - but after experiencing the incredible views and noting the unique qualities of the development, he quickly contracted to buy one of the new townhouses on the hill, becoming the first owner in what was then called the Regency Resort. Then the economic aftermath of September 11 created the opportunity to purchase the entire development in February 2002.

MOVING MOUNTAINS
The original developer began construction in 1998, with the first two years of work being consumed by removing the top of a mountain to create the site on which he planned to build his Regency Resort.

Every effort was made to maximise the panoramic ocean and mountain views throughout the project. During the following year, a freshwater lake was stocked with tilapia, underground utilities including satellite TV were laid, and the first building consisting of a pair of townhouses were all completed.

In August of 2001, when Gary first visited the project, an infinity swimming pool that many people said would be impossible to build - along with two additional buildings - were still under construction.

The pool at Las Ventanas del Mar - which translates "the windows to the sea" - appears as a serene semicircle of blue water that creates a half moon of watery horizon about 850ft above the three bays in the 270° view-plane arrayed below it. Swim to the edge of the pool at sunset and you feel like you are perched at the edge of the world, as the forest below you darkens and the oranges, pinks, purples and bruised blues of sunset recolour the bays and ocean.

TO THE TEST
We learned about Las Ventanas while fishing, and planned to travel to Carrillo to test the waters there at the beginning of the best billfish season. Mid-December to April is the prime season, although Gary says there is a healthy run of marlin, sailfish and large yellowfin tuna in the 100–225lb class from July to mid-September.

As Murphy's Law would have it, Gary had a last-minute medical scare that forced him to return to his hometown in Atlanta, Georgia just as we were scheduled to arrive. Not a problem, thanks to his delightful wife Sherrell - who proved not only to be a superb hostess, but also an enthusiastic angler.

Sherrell and her houseguest Anne Bonner met me at the tiny thatched rancho hut with the log seats that serves as the simple beachfront air terminal for the grass strip airport that serves Carrillo and neighbouring Samara. I'd had a pleasant small-plane flight down the mountain from San Jose, and then up the country's verdant coast.

Although I flew into the country at Juan Santamaria Airport near the capital at San Jose, then took the Sansa Airlines 12 seat puddle-jumper, there is an alternative. Liberia International Airport is just an hour-and-40-minute drive away from Las Ventanas, and it is serviced by Delta, American and Continental airlines.

TOURING CIRCUS
After a tour of the near area and a great education on all the attractions of the region, we turned onto a dirt road near the middle of Playa Carrillo (Carrillo Beach) and climbed the mountain, sneaking glimpses of an evermore enchanting view through the thick green foliage.

Soon after the road reached a plateau, Sherrell turned her Toyota SUV in through a gate and greeted the watchman, and a big tan dog, in Spanish. Both responded warmly.

The first thing you notice as you wind along a palm-lined entry drive is a large lake surrounded by lush tropical landscaping, then four pink colonial townhouse buildings are apparent - and behind them, an expansive blue window to the sea.

The view from the porch of Gary and Sherrell's home at Las Ventanas is breathtaking. To your left is a peninsula of land neatly dotted with dark-green mushroom-shaped mango trees, while in the crook of protected waters in the foreground, several quality gamefishing machines sat idly on their moorings.

Then as your gaze moves to the right, you quickly realise the breadth and size of Playa Carrillo - before you see that phenomenal infinity pool.

Further to your right is Playa Samara, and the view goes on from there across a third bay, disappearing into the green-forested hills and the sky. The view truly is an extraordinary window on the sea. It was not hard to understand why Gary and Sherrell had chosen this spot after years of searching Central America.

After dumping my bags, a quick tour of the buildings led me to the conclusion that someone had spared no expense to build and finish these units. Inside, rich hardwoods and woodwork complemented fine cabinetry, ironwork, appliances, plumbing and flooring, which were accented by superbly-crafted furniture and handcrafts from the host country.

That evening, after a glass of wine and a sweeping Pacific sunset to die for, we drove back down the hill and enjoyed the first of several delightful restaurants in the area.

El Ancla is literally on the beach at Samara, and offers a menu of various seafood and local delicacies. All this splendour and good food too? Sherrell assured me that not only was there an array of excellent restaurants, but she had also discovered various fresh-produce markets selling everything from local asparagus and strawberries to a bounteous variety of tropical fruits and vegetables - not to mention excellent coffee, meat, poultry and dairy products.

DOWN TO BUSINESS
The next day dawned a bit windy and gloomy, and Sherrell handled some details with the contractors finishing two of the townhouses before we wound our way down the mountain again and drove onto the beach at Carrillo.

We were met shoreside by Memo Lopez in the skiff used for boarding Gary's 35ft Cabo Express Silver-Rod-O. Once onboard, we met his long-time skipper Yoan Alcala and surveyed the anchorage and its impressive lineup of sportsfishing machines, including a 40ft Gamefisherman called Spirit of Pilar, owned by globe-girdling angler Enrico Capozzi. Also sitting placidly on their moorings were Gamefisherman II - the 31ft Gamefisherman on which Capt Richard Chellemi set the Costa Rican record of 65 sailfish in one day - and a 38ft Graves called NBC. We were certainly in good company.

You can tell a lot about an angler by how well set up his boat is. Even though I already knew Gary was a great angler from watching him in action in Guatemala, seeing how he'd set up his battle-tested, well-travelled Cabo certified that he and his crew knew what they were on about. Everything was in its place, rigged well and maintained well.

As is typical for gamefishing in most of Central America, we left near-shore waters and ran about 15 miles out before we found water that was beginning to show a hint of blue. The wind had been whipping up at Las Ventanas before we left there, but at sea there was little wind and no white caps, with a gentle 4–6ft groundswell rolling under the boat's hull.

We trolled a full pattern of teasers, with a couple of circle-hook-rigged ballyhoo skipping on the second wave in the short corner positions, ready to be dropped back to anything raised in the teaser spread.

This very efficient system, with the skipper handling the two short teasers on the third wave and the mate handling the longer teasers positioned on the fifth wave via long Australian teaser rods and high-speed reels, worked well. Standing at the ready in the rocket launcher in the middle of the cockpit were a backup ballyhoo rig on a 20lb outfit and a mackerel rigged on a 50lb stand-up outfit, in case we raised a marlin.

All rigs had wind-on leaders, with about five feet of mono between the Dacron and the circle hook.

We raised a total of seven sails in less than six hours on our first day of fishing of Carrillo, and Cheryl very adroitly released three sailfish - all over 100lb, with one of them well over 130lb. Yoan's superb boat-handling skills were evident on each fish, and he and Memo worked well together with a minimum of communication - Yoan in the tower all the time, and Memo on the deck.

WHITE ON WHITE
We returned to the anchorage just in time to be engulfed by another spectacular sunset, then passed a surreal beach wedding scene under the palms on Playa Carrillo - with the bride, all in white, astride a white horse - as the horizon turned a muted-technicolour behind them.

Dinner that night was at a delightful Italian restaurant called El Sueno Tropicale. This little oasis featured a thatched, open-air rancho building surrounded by jungle, and a delightful array of Italian delicacies (I had the pappardelle con funghi and yellowfin tuna, and it was superb) that could only have come at the hand of a real Italian (which they did).

The charms of Costa Rica have led many immigrants to make new homes there, contributing to the melting-pot nature of the country.

The next morning broke with ominous black clouds to the south and deep layers of clouds to the north. The morning serenity at Las Ventanas was only broken by the far-off, deep-throated call of howler monkeys and the staccato chatter of parrots squabbling over their breakfast options as we sipped Costa Rican coffee on the Carters' veranda.

I had to leave this scenic tropical paradise this morning, and the crew and I were planning to fish Silver-Rod-O the 60 miles south to its part-time berth at Los Sueños Marina, where it would reside until Gary and Sherrell returned after New Years.

After I left, the Carters' would be finalising a new site plan. The completed development will consist of eight townhouses like the one I stayed in ($395,000–$525,000), four new lakefront villas ($325,000–$425,000), an eight-unit condominium building (from the low $400,000s up), and twelve single-family lots (pricing to be determined), for a total of 32 units on the 18-acre property.

In addition to the existing amenities, a tennis court will be added. The eight townhouses will be completed by mid-February 2004, and construction is scheduled to begin on the lake villas in March. Plans are being drawn for the condo building with anticipation of breaking ground by year end.

GIMME A LIFT
Some of the advantages of living or visiting Las Ventanas del Mar result from the elevation. It is generally two to three degrees cooler than at the beach, and almost no bugs plague the area.

Moreover, Costa Rica allows fee-simple ownership of real estate, assuring foreign owners' and investors' property rights are guaranteed. Property taxes are only 0.25 per cent versus 1.00–1.5 per cent in most areas of the US.

At 7:45am that last morning, we were standing on the beach at Carrillo in a light drizzle - which Sherrell assured me was exceedingly rare for December. She waved goodbye as Memo picked up me and my gear, and Yoan headed Silver-Rod-O southwest into a four-foot sea with a confused chop, dodging rain squalls and shrimp trawlers for about 15 miles.

We fished briefly, but Yoan didn't like what he was seeing - so we ran further southwest into blue water.

At 10:30am we raised our first sail - a very aggressive fish that ran through the pattern like an action figure in a videogame, chasing teasers all the way into the transom, stealing one ballyhoo without taking the hook, and finally taking a ballyhoo Memo tossed to him, jumping immediately and often. Memo fought the fish to release like he had done it many times before.

Twenty minutes later another aggressive sail was in the pattern, and it ate the pitch bait that Memo delivered, immediately, and also went airborne. With that one dispatched, there was another almost immediately on the starboard teaser. The third fish of the morning jumped straight to the transom and shook free of the hook as soon as the leader was in hand. That was three fish released in less than an hour - Costa Rica was producing as promised!

We raised another fish five minutes later but couldn't get it to eat. We then had a 30-minute breather before a new fish rose under the port teaser, then took the port skip bait aggressively and also went airborne quickly and was released almost as fast.

Around noon we had travelled close enough to Cabo Blanco that we crossed paths with a 55ft Viking out of Los Sueños that was matching our production, virtually fish for fish.
By this time we were also seeing free jumpers all over the place, and working our way along a longline set picking up regular interest from fish that presumably had been attracted by the queue of baited hooks.

By mid-afternoon we had had over a dozen shots and released well over half of them. The crew needed to get the boat cleaned up and put away for a month, and I needed to transition to the Los Sueños part of my visit, so we pulled in the baits and teasers and ran the last 18 miles in Herradura Bay.

I disembarked from Silver-Rod-O in the bustle of Los Suenos Marina with fond memories of my all-too-brief visit to the serenity of Las Ventanas del Mar, and the laid-back atmosphere of Carrillo.

Visitors Information for Las Ventanas del Mar and Carrillo area

LAS VENTANAS
RATE: $250–$500 per night, three-night minimum. Limited availability due to most owners not renting their units.
Tel: +1 (506) 656 0683 or email: info@lasventanasdelmar.net

GUANAMAR BEACH HOTEL AND SPORTFISHING RESORT
RATE: $160 per night for two- to four-person suites. On the water near the Carrillo mooring area.
Tel: +1 (506) 656 0054 or visit www.hotelguanamar.com

CHARTER FISHING
RATES: $900–$1000 per day
BOATS:
Capullo - 36ft Topaz: Steve Curtis, tel +1 (506) 653 0048.
Gamefisher II - 31ft Gamefisherman: Richard Chellemi, tel +1 (506) 654 4150.
Kingfisher - 31ft Gamefisherman: Rick Rulow, tel +1 (506) 656 0091.
NBC - 38ft Graves: VIP Sportfishing, tel +1 (506) 656 0172.
Wet Ass 11 - 31ft Bertram: Sonny Koesis, tel +1 (506) 656 0512.

SHERRELL CARTER'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOOD AND FUN
CARRILLO:
El Sueno Tropical, tel +1 (506) 656 0454: Italian.
El Yate, tel +1 (506) 656 0179: variety of seafood and American specials.
El Mirador, tel +1 (506) 656 0307: overlooking bay, local seafood.
Guanamar Hotel Restaurant, tel +1 (506) 656 0054: local seafood and specials.
Rancho Tico, tel +1 (506) 656 0432: seafood and local specials.
IN NEARBY SAMARA:
El Ancla, tel +1 (506) 656 0716: Located on the beach, seafood and local fare.
Las Brasas, tel +1 (506) 656 0456: Spanish food featuring a lot of fresh seafood.
El Manglar, tel +1 (506) 656 0096: Italian food, great pizza.

ACTIVITIES
Wingnuts!, tel +1 (506) 656 0086: two-hour canopy tour.
Popo's Tours, tel +1 (506) 656 0086: River and sea kayaking.
Carrillo Adventures, tel +1 (506) 656 0543: snorkelling, wildlife tours, four-wheeler tours in the mountains, hiking in the mountains and horse riding.
The Flying Crocodile, tel +1 (506) 383 0471: ultra-light flights.
Bodoque Padi, tel +1 (506) 656 0038: scuba diving including night dives and wreck dives. Also dive courses and snorkelling.

SURFING
Playa Carrillo and nearby Playa Camaronal are reputed to be among Costa Rica's best spots.

MISCELLANEOUS
Guaital Pottery Village, with indigenous pottery that can be purchased at the local school or in individual homes. One of my favourites! There are also several river-rafting and river-float trips nearby, and numerous national parks with rainforests and volcanoes are within a few hours' drive