What a Manuel Antonio Branded Residence Presale Is Really Pricing

"Over 85% of Phase 1 reserved. Only 2 residences remain." That is the first line on the Maravé LXR Residences sales site, above a starting price of USD $1.15 million for condos and villas and a request to ask for private pricing. Hilton's own announcement says residence sales launch in fall 2026, which means now. So the project's first public sales season starts with most of its first phase already spoken for.

In a Manuel Antonio branded presale, the date carries as much weight as the residence. Hilton projects construction completion in late 2028 and a resort opening in 2029. Anyone who reserves this season is committing to a wait of several years before the brand on the door is in operation. Most of what determines whether that schedule holds is outside the brand's control.

The Product Being Reserved

Maravé Manuel Antonio is the first LXR Hotels & Resorts property planned for Costa Rica. The Tico Times reported in October 2026 that Hilton announced it on August 27. Hilton names the developer as Ocean Cove MA Development One S.A. It describes a seven-story hotel with 57 accommodations, 42 rooms and 15 bungalows, on an estate of about 40 acres with 650 feet of Pacific beachfront, minutes from Manuel Antonio National Park.

Even the residential count changes depending on which page you read:

A gap of twelve villas between the hotel brand's announcement and the developer's sales page is a small thing on its own. Its importance is that it shows the program is still being defined while sales open. A reservation made now is made against a plan that the two parties to it do not yet describe the same way.

The Permit File Behind the Calendar

The late 2028 completion date depends on the site being able to build, and that question has a public history. The Tico Times reported in October 2026 that in January the Municipality of Quepos and SINAC, the national conservation-areas system, said the Ocean Cove project had been under a temporary work stoppage since 2024 following citizen complaints and inspections. At that time, authorities also said the developer had complied with directives from the municipality and the Environment Ministry.

On September 1, according to the same October 2026 report, a criminal environmental complaint was filed with Costa Rica's Environmental Agrarian Prosecutor's Office against representatives of the developer. It alleges impacts to waterways, protected areas and forest cover, along with sediment runoff toward Playa La Vaca. The complaint cites SETENA inspections on July 28 and 29, 2025, a partial work suspension ordered on November 10, 2025, and a SETENA resolution dated February 25, 2026. SETENA is the National Environmental Technical Secretariat.

As the Tico Times report states, the allegations have not been proven in court, and filing a complaint does not by itself establish wrongdoing or confirm that prosecutors have opened a formal case. The developer disputes the accusations. It says later inspections confirmed that mitigation measures were in use, that authorities found no contamination of water bodies during a February inspection, and that it has complied with the measures environmental authorities ordered. The same outlet also noted that the timeline is not fully clear: the complaint describes inspections and earthmoving during 2025, while the municipality and SINAC had described the project as stopped since 2024.

For a buyer, this is not a judgment on the merits. A file with a partial suspension in its recent past and an open complaint in its present is a schedule variable. However the complaint is resolved, the time it takes to resolve sits between a reservation signed this fall and a 2029 opening.

How Costa Rica's Branded Projects Have Kept Their Dates

Branded resort residences are not new to Costa Rica, and their record shows how a brand's opening date behaves in practice. Most of the precedents are in Guanacaste, not the Central Pacific. The dates below come from Hospitality Net, Costa Rica Star News, Marriott's opening release, the Nekajui launch announcement, Travel Weekly on Nekajui, Luxury Travel Advisor, the Six Senses openings page, Travel Weekly on Waldorf Astoria, Hilton's opening release, Hilton's residence update and Hotel Online on St. Regis.

Two patterns stand out. The first is that the announced year is a target that holds in some cases and not in others. W came in close to its last reported date, Waldorf Astoria opened within its stated year, and Nekajui opened the year after its announced one.

The second matters more for a residence buyer. The hotel opening and the residence handover are separate events. When Waldorf Astoria debuted at Punta Cacique in April 2025, Hilton described its residential offering as debuting that same month. Hilton's report of the first three Estate Homes being delivered came in a later 2026 update. At Maravé, Hilton has published a construction completion date and a hotel opening year. A date for keys to a specific villa or condo is a separate number, and the purchase documents are where it lives.

The Access Story Has Its Own Clock

Part of what branded presales in Manuel Antonio are selling is access, and the government has recently attached figures to it. At the opening of a new bridge over the Naranjo River in Londres de Quepos, President Laura Fernández announced a ₡2.1 billion tender for a private-aviation apron at the existing La Managua aerodrome, with space for up to nine aircraft and one helicopter, as the Tico Times reported on September 29, 2026. Public Works and Transport Minister Efraín Zeledón said a passenger terminal contract would follow and that total planned investment at the aerodrome would exceed ₡5 billion. The outlet noted that a new terminal, improved access and an apron for La Managua have appeared in government budget planning for several years. No date has been announced for awarding the airfield contract or starting construction.

The road side is already in effect, though modest. As of July 1, 2026, tolls on Route 27 dropped at every booth. Teletica reported light-vehicle cuts of ₡10 to ₡30. The operator's tariff page lists Escazú at ₡380 and San Rafael at ₡570 for light vehicles, and its main page still showed those rates as current in October 2026.

Read next to the resort timeline, the airfield is the second open date in the same picture. The resort carries a target year of 2029, and the apron carries a published budget with no announced contract award or construction start. A buyer who values private air access is relying on two schedules, not one.

Questions That Come Up at Reservation

What does "reserved" mean at Maravé? The sales site says over 85% of Phase 1 is reserved and that only two residences remain. It does not say what a reservation involves. The deposit amount, whether it is refundable, where it is held and what turns it into a binding purchase are all set out in the reservation and purchase documents.

Is the residence delivery date the same as the 2029 hotel opening? Hilton's public dates cover construction completion in late 2028 and the resort opening in 2029. At Punta Cacique, residence deliveries were reported after the hotel opened. The delivery date for a specific unit, and what happens if it moves, belong in the contract.

Which residence count is correct, 104 or 116? Hilton lists 116 and the sales site lists 104, with the difference in the villa count. The documents for any unit under consideration should identify which plan it belongs to.

Where does the environmental file stand today? As of the Tico Times report on October 3, 2026, the complaint had been filed, the allegations were unproven, and the developer disputed them. SETENA, the municipality of Quepos and the Environmental Agrarian Prosecutor's Office are the bodies whose records show the current status.

This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Presale terms, deposits and permit status should be confirmed with your own attorney and advisors before you sign.

Luxury Living Costa Rica helps international buyers put the developer's documents, the public permit record and the region's delivery history side by side before a reservation is signed. Get Started Now.