development – MEMANTA

Another four months have passed since we gave an update on our wonderful beachfront property and the start of the development efforts. We’re still kind of far from opening, but we’re slowly getting there….
You might wonder: “What’s taking so long?” until you understand the difficulties that come with our remote location and the advantages that come with a thoughtful approach. How many times have we changed and improved our designs until we found the perfect one? How many times have we discussed the same matter over and over again until we found an adequate solution? How many times did we have to accept failures, and take a new direction? How many times have we been waiting for information being passed on and materials being delivered? How many times did tools break down? How many times did we have to take an hour-long journey in order to buy one last missing piece?

Living in Venecia and being in a hurry are just two things that don’t match up. And that’s a good thing, isn’t it? Because sooner or later, people will come here in order to slow down, take a deep breath, reflect and revive. Continue reading “Getting in shape” →

Our beautiful piece of land is situated on one of the northernmost beaches on the Nicaraguan Pacific Coast called “Playa Venecia“. This beach stretches from the Padre Ramos estuary, a protected zone with lots of mangroves and critically endangered Hawksbill turtles, aaaaaalllllllll the way to the fishing village of Mechapa.
Despite some local houses, small fincas and a few expat homes, it is still considered a virgin beach with lots of native vegetation. This kilometer-long and conveniently wide stretch of sand is an important nesting ground for Olive Ridley sea turtles and maybe also for other types of sea turtles… the thing is: we don’t really know the details yet.

Venecia is one of the last spots on the Nicaraguan Pacific Coast which you would call “untouched”. It is at least untouched from tourism, but there have always been people from the local fishing communities living here. As one of the first businesses bringing tourism to this zone, we want to demonstrate that development per se isn’t bad for the environment, and that it can fit into highly sensitive coastal ecosystems if it is done right. Hopefully, we can act as a role model for any future building projects taking place on this very special peninsula, being an example for best practices when it comes to the coexistence of tourism development, community welfare and conservation efforts.

Continue reading “May I introduce… the future MEMANTA site!” →