Country Article / Postcards

Confessions of a Crummy Golfer

Date: 02/22/2006

Dear International Living Reader,

In the spirit of "Fight Week," I've asked our roving Latin America Property Scout, Dan Prescher, to compare and contrast two new golf resorts in the making--one in Panama, one in Nicaragua.

Gran Pacifica promises to be a custom-made beach town on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, along one of the widest, gentlest, and longest stretches of beach on this coast: 2,200 acres and three-and-a-half miles of sand. This is an ambitious project and, if it comes to fruition, will be spectacular.

Tucán Golf and Country Club is Panama City's only golf development, and every property for sale here has a golf course view (and comes with free golf club membership). This promises to be one of the most technologically advanced courses in the region when it's completed.

But which one is a better deal?

Dan, as ever, has come up with the goods (despite his golfing, ahem, ability). See below.

Lief Simon
Real Estate Editor, International Living

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Confessions of a Crummy Golfer

Saturday, Feb. 25, 2006

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Dear International Living Reader,

I recently had a chance to do an up-close-and-personal of two extraordinary planned Latin American resorts: Gran Pacifica Beach and Golf Resort in Nicaragua, and Tucán Country Club and Resort in Panama.

Both mixed-use developments will feature home sites, villas, condos, hotel complexes, and golf courses (but as we remind you often--buy what you see...and both these ambitious projects are still very much under construction).

Reviewing the master plans in each case, several major distinctions stand out.

First, the obvious. One is in Nicaragua, and one is in Panama.

Nicaragua has a Rip Van Winkle feel to it, as though it fell into a deep sleep sometime in the middle of the last century, and is now waking up to CNN and ringing cell phones. The contrast between tradition and modernity lends the country a sense of adventure.

Panama, on the other hand, has been a financial and cultural crossroads for 100 years. Even its campesinos (subsistent farmers) seem oddly sophisticated, and Panama City is a playground for the rich and powerful, as the sea of highrise condos and business towers openly declare. If you can't get it in Panama City or the Free Trade Zone on the other end of the canal at Colon, it probably doesn't exist.

If you have strong feelings about either country, your choice should be simple. (My problem is that I like both Panama and Nicaragua equally, albeit for different reasons.)

Both Tucán and Gran Pacifica have quality golf courses planned as a component of their overall plans.

I'll admit up-front that I'm no golfer. In fact, I'm such an embarrassment that my brother won't let me tag along anymore when he plays. (If you've ever lost six balls before the fourth hole, he probably won't let you play with him, either.)

But I talked to enough real golfers at both developments to say with confidence that a round on either course will be a pleasure for someone who knows which end of a club to hold on to.

Gran Pacifica's course is designed by Tommy Haugen, to take advantage of the oceanfront location. Look for Gran Pacifica to host major tour events when the course is complete. Several of the fairways will overlook magnificent Pacific beaches and headlands...and those beaches are accessible to everyone who lives at Gran Pacifica.

Tucán's golf course is a redesign by Jeffrey Myers that will bring a 1940s-era Army Corps of Engineers' course up to PGA standards. The course will wind among lagoons and jungled hillsides, just west of Panama City. At several points you have impressive views of Panama City and the ships queuing up to enter the Panama Canal. This will be an appealing championship event course, especially with the services of Panama City so close by. No beach, however.

Tucán is comprised of 180 acres nestled in the hills across the canal from Panama City. In 15 minutes you can go from chirping birds and cool breezes to elegant restaurants and bustling mega-malls. Perfect if you're a fan of nights on the town and an easy drive back for drinks on the patio. The golf course is slated for completion this year.

Gran Pacifica is 40 miles from Nicaragua's capital city, Managua, but the intent here is that residents won't want or need to go to town--it's consciously planned as a "Mayberry by the Beach," with everything you need to enjoy a lush vacation or retirement experience. And it's huge. In fact, it's such a big, ambitious project that the developers are rolling it out in five phases over the next 10 years, including a proposed marina.

There are many other differences between Gran Pacifica and Tucán, but let's boil it down: How much would it cost, bottom line, to live the duffer's dream at either place?

At Gran Pacifica, you could get into a ground-floor, one-bedroom condo, a little over 500 square feet, for $124,000. Prices go up with size and floor. Golf membership is additional and is currently selling for $10,000 for a single. It's scheduled to increase to $30,000 when the course is near completion.

At Tucán, home prices start at $198,000 for a two-bedroom, 1,350-square-foot condo, and this includes membership to the golf course and country club.

If you're looking for a golf-based development, or a good offshore real estate value, both these developments could oblige.

For more information about the Tucán Country Club, write to the IL Local Office in Panama: Panama@InternationalLiving.com.

For more information about Gran Pacifica, write to the IL Local Office in Nicaragua: Nicaragua@InternationalLiving.com.

Dan Prescher
Roving Latin America Property Scout, International Living

P.S. To review: Gran Pacifica and Tucán--one is in Nicaragua, the other is in Panama. One is out in the country, the other just feels like it. One stretches along several miles of Pacific beach, with all the views that affords. The other is nestled in the wooded hills overlooking the "Eighth Wonder of the World," the Panama Canal. One will be part of a huge planned community that includes a golf course, the other will be a golf course with a community built into it.

Editor's note: So ends the last day of "Fight Week". Every day this week, we compared and contrasted our favorite destinations. We gave you the real scoop...the good, the bad, and the ugly.

But don't worry--it's not over yet. You still have time to get The Live Well (Even on a Pensioner's Budget) Kit...in-depth profiles of the 14 destinations--including Panama real estate and Nicaragua real estate--most worthy of your attention right now...special reports on how to move your family overseas, and how to buy property overseas...and much more. Plus, you'll hear from our top experts--including Lief Simon and Dan Prescher--via live recordings (but only until midnight, tonight). Six short months from now, you could be living your dream life overseas...but where? Click here to find out.

Important Note: In the interest of full disclosure, we want you to know that International Living receives commissions from sales at Gran Pacifica and Tucán Country Club.