Mel Gibson buys Cattle Ranch near Samara, Costa Rica
August 2007
By La Brit
The Hollywood film actor and director, Mel Gibson, recently bought a cattle ranch in Nicoya Costa Rica, near Samara. He reportedly paid $25.8 million for the 163 hectare property, located in an area of outstanding natural forest and beautiful beaches. Mr Gibson is considered to be a shrewd player in the real life "Monopoly Game" of property investment. He sold his mansion in Connecticut for a reported $40 million, and recently sold his beachfront Malibu home with 155 feet of beachfront for $30 million in a falling US property market, after purchasing it in the fall of 2005 for $24 million. He was reported as saying that he sold his Malibu home because he was tired of the commotion caused by his neighbor Britney Spears.
Mel, age 51, and his wife Robyn are moving to a new house set in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains in California. This location is reportedly closer to the $3.7 million Catholic church that he helped to build. Mel has strong family values, and in spite of his reputation as a drinker and party animal, he prefers to live a more simple life than his negative press image implies.
The Gibson family have been regular visitors to Costa Rica for several years, and Mel mentioned recently that he might consider leaving the United States and making a permanent home in Costa Rico. Mel was born in new York, and raised in Australia, where he has owned farm and grazing land. He has been unpopular in Hollywood since his brilliant and moving film, The Passion of the Christ, which did not fit well with the majority of the Hollywood film industry. He has received negative press reports of his drinking, and his hounding by Hollywood media may well be a contribution to his desire to relocate.
On July 9th Costa Rica President Oscar Arias invited Mr Gibson to a courtesy visit in the presidential mansion, located in the luxurious residential district of Rorhomoser. They discussed the exciting possibility of Costa Rica as a location for scenes in future film productions, and Mel said to the the President that he had a warm feeling of being "almost Tico" since he had purchased a property here.
The general feeling of the meeting was positive, and it was felt that Mr Gibson would be an asset in helping to promote Costa Rica by his significant investment in real estate, and his interest in sectors such as public health and education.
Mel's ranch is in a little developed agricultural zoned area, where most of his neighbors are cattle ranchers. His presence as a property owner will undoubtably draw attention to Costa Rica, and the Nicoya Peninsula as an exceptionally good investment, either in large acreage or in new home lots. The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is considered to be one of the most shrewd investment opportunities, with locations such as Tambor Bay as yet relatively undeveloped.
A Biological Corridor has been created across the Southern Nicoya Peninsula from Puntarenas to preserve the natural beauty, flora and fauna of this region. It is not unusual to spot the Humpback Whales at play in the bay, either from the beautiful curve of the unspoiled beach or from one of the Panga boats for hire from the local fishing community.
We would like to welcome the Gibson family to our rural community, and compliment Mel for having the vision and the knowledge to choose this part of Costa Rica to add to his real estate investment portfolio.
Pura Vida!
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