When a new business opens in Nosara town, everyone eventually notices. But when construction on the new Solo Bueno pool bar took shape, it was completely impossible to ignore.
The new pool bar – opening late June – will be a “place to spend the day with family and friends,” says manager Matthew “Matteo” Monroe. Boasting four different pools with a swim up bar and grotto on top. The lower pool is designated for children and has a shallow water step feature to play in. Their new gourmet restaurant (which has the only walk-in refrigerator in Nosara) opens out onto the grounds with two flatscreen TVs in place for sports fans. The kitchen has top of the line appliances and rivals a professional, five-star Manhattan restaurant. They plan to serve international cuisine with rich, bold flavors, healthy dishes and delicious Costa Rican fare for lunch and dinner. The hostel is no longer in operation, but plans for a life-sized human chessboard are.
The pool area is full of outdoor furniture, umbrellas, two new outdoor showers, multiple lounge areas and changing stations. Guests will pay a fee to use the pools at the gate and are welcome to stay until closing. The payment details are still being finalized, but right now a day-pass costs two thousand colones and the tentative hours are 11am till just after sunset. Solo Bueno will be available for special events such as weddings or private parties and plans to throw their own parties from time to time, in which case the fiesta can go on until 10pm. “We don’t want this to be a 12am or 2am kind of place. It’s right in the middle of a neighborhood,” Monroe clarifies.
The cascading multi-tiered pool feature is the brainchild of owner and designer Shane Matthews, a resident of the area who goes between Nosara and New Jersey. Matthews’s passion for architecture as a hobby can clearly be felt on the premises. He turned to Guanacaste Builders and Pelican Pools to construct his vision – it took a year to complete.
In a drought-hit area such as this, anything that requires water raises eyebrows, but Solo Bueno has paid special attention to this facet of their business. The chlorine pools run on a special pump system that recycles all the water back into itself to control water usage. “We want to be as green as we can and use the least amount of water as possible,” Monroe assures. Plans to build a water tank that uses the flushed pool water to irrigate and water plants is in the works.
By opening during a slower time of year, Solo Bueno hopes to work out the kinks all new businesses go through and be a well-oiled machine for high season. Monroe, a native San Franciscan who was a personal chef and event organizer, says that down the line they may want to start a boutique hotel. But for now, they’ve got their hands full with the re-opening.
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