In this edition of our Cielo Paraiso Newsletter we have decided to let the photos speak for themselves. Clearly there has been considerable progress with infrastructure, road-work and, of course, on the Golf Course. Seeing our dream come to fruition has been immensely satisfying. The changes that are starting to grace the Cielo Paraiso site are proving to truly reflect the unique vision, style and integrity that have guided us from the beginning. We have augmented the development team and welcome several new key associates. Interest in Cielo Paraiso continues to be strong both domestically and internationally. Already we have future residents from the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, Spain and Germany.

The town of Boquete has also seen some recent changes. There are a couple of new businesses, restaurants and bars and a few buildings in town have been or are being renovated. A welcome addition to the restaurant scene is Delicias del Peru, serving delicious Peruvian cuisine. Banking and legal services no longer require a trip to David as both Morgan & Morgan and HSBC have opened offices in the new Don Vidal building. Despite the changes, Boquete still maintains the small-town charm and appeal that we fell in love with and compelled us to make this our new home.

As we reach various milestones in the development of Cielo Paraiso we will continue to share our progress with you and invite you to visit our web-site for updates. Of course, the best way to truly appreciate the beauty of Cielo Paraiso and Boquete is a personal visit and we encourage you to explore the area.

Best regards,

Raideep and Colleen Lal
Developers of Cielo Paraiso

About the developers

Raideep and Colleen Lal

Having decided that they wanted out of the “rat-race” of North American life in early 2000, Raideep and Colleen Lal started looking for a new place to call home.  Meticulous in their research, they were surprised to see that Panama consistently scored high on their “needs & wants” criterion.  Despite Panama’s high ranking Raideep and Colleen were skeptical of Panama and explored other options throughout the Caribbean and South Pacific before they visited Panama. 

After 1 ½ years of travel and research Raideep and Colleen decided that an exploration visit to Panama City was warranted.  Panama City was surprising to the Raideep and Colleen; far more modern and sophisticated than they expected.  They found the range of goods and services to be excellent; as one would find in any international capital.  They were charmed by Casco Viejo and impressed with the variety of restaurants and entertainment options.  However, big-city life was not what they were looking for that they continued exploring other options in Panama.  The next stop on the schedule was Boquete in the Chiriqui highlands.  Although Boquete was not originally a real candidate as a potential new home for the Lals they fell in love with the natural beauty of the countryside, the warmth and generosity of the people and the ideal climate.  Raideep and Colleen moved to Boquete within weeks and happily call Boquete home. 

Subsequent to their move to Boquete, Raideep and Colleen have initiated Cielo Paraiso.  Raideep ultimately manages all operations and construction and can often be found on-site checking on progress and consulting with the field crews and foremen.  Colleen keeps busy with sales and marketing duties and also manages a coffee farm that will eventually be the coffee source for Cielo Paraiso.

Colleen is a proud active member of ReAL Boquete; a volunteer organization that promotes recycling with several schools and within the community.  Raideep and Colleen are also sponsors to the Escuela Palmira Centro, and support various other local charities such as Casa Esperanza, Hogar Trisker, and local children’s sports leagues.  

Golf Course Update

Construction on the Cielo Paraiso 18-Hole Golf Course began just over one year ago and is well underway. Visit the Photo Gallery.

"Construction of the golf course at Cielo Paraiso is progressing nicely and we anticipate completion during 2006. Having designed over 200 courses around the world and in virtually every climate, I can truly say that the Cielo Paraiso site is one of the most spectacular that I have had the privilege of working on. Our design and construction team is committed to the creation of one of the finest, most enjoyable and visually stunning courses in all of Central America. The 18-hole championship-quality golf course will, without question, be the centerpiece of the beautiful new Cielo Paraiso residential community in Boquete, Panama."

J. Michael Poellot

Golf Course Architect

We also welcome Mr. John Sutton, Member GCSA, to our team in the position of Golf Course Superintendent. John has been involved in the golf course industry in the United States and in Latin America for the past 32 years.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to build and maintain the most elite golf course facility in this part of the world.”

Road work and infrastructure work is progressing well. All roads in Phase 1 are easily drivable. Of particular note is the installation of 2 of Cielo Paraiso’s potable water reservoirs.

These reservoirs were customs designed and built for Cielo Paraiso in Miami and will allow Cielo Paraiso to be completely independent for potable water.

Potable water is harvested from underwater springs, stored in the steel and glass fused reservoirs and distributed to residents underground.

Cielo Paraiso
Errant Ways to Paradise

We welcome Heidi and Werner Kach-Perego to Cielo Paraiso as future residents and owners of Homesite #23!  Heidi and Werner are both native Swiss and have traveled extensively throughout their lives for business and personal enjoyment.  They have lived all over the globe but have decided to make Cielo Paraiso their permanent home.  Heidi is a former teacher, airline stewardess, and commercial interior designer.  Werner is a retired Swiss banking executive.  We thank Heidi and Werner for their kind words and take note on providing more regular updates!

From Heidi and Werner:

“For the two of us, a dream of many years has finally come true.  We arrived in heaven and in paradise although we are still alive and kicking!  We always wanted to permanently live in a peaceful country which offers a warm climate, a secure environment and on a championship golf course.  But, most importantly, we wanted the opportunity to embrace a new culture and master another language.

Good friends of ours introduced us to Costa Rica.  We liked what we saw and thought that we would immigrate into Costa Rica.  On an extended trip to Central America, out of pure curiosity, we visited Panama, a country we hardly knew and had never visited before.  We fell in love with Panama at first sight, most particularly with its people and its laid-back and more traditional life-style, but also with its beautiful landscapes and modern infrastructure.  We should mention that our fact-finding mission to Panama took place during the peak of last year’s unusually wet and stormy rainy season.  We wanted to learn from our own experience how it feels to live here during the least attractive season.

The first thing that struck us during our trip was that the main roads in Panama are far superior to the ones in Costa Rica, almost Swiss standard!  Also, we were able to buy a cell phone within a few minutes (try that in Costa Rica)!  In all the hotels we stayed, we had no trouble of connecting to the world over the internet. We both feel healthy, but it was reassuring to see hospitals and medical facilities on our journey across Panama.  Having gone through immigration processes a few times during our professional lives, we found immigration to Panama to be rather straight forward and the tax laws favour foreign retirees.

When we arrived in the province of Chiriqui we bypassed David and decided to go for an unguided tour of Boquete.  It was a rainy October Saturday afternoon and about halfway through the tour we felt like turning around and calling it “the worst trip to an ugly place”!  We were ready to buy a high-rise condominium in Panama-City.  A vacation home on the country-side had second priority.

Luckily we were invited for tea by a friendly and very experienced couple that showed us what Panamanian hospitality is all about and even volunteered to give us the Grand Tour of Boquete the next day.  What a difference a (sunny) day makes!  After that, we felt that Boquete would be worth considering if only there were an 18-hole golf course.  We are ambitious golfers who want to improve our respective short-games.  The only golf development in the region we found that would meet our needs was “Cielo Paraiso”.  However, Heidi’s recollection was that it was just another real estate project that never seemed to develop further than hole number 12.  Our Boquete contacts didn’t know much about the project either!  But, as golfers, we adopted an attitude of “never up - never in!”.

What we found out about “Cielo Paraiso” not only proved us wrong, but attracted us and made us change our priorities immediately!

After a warm reception by the developers Colleen Lal and her husband Raideep, Joerg Senne started acting as a competent coach and went out of his way to assist us in the selection of the right lot for us.  He introduced us to a fine young local architect and a professional construction supervisor.  The high degree of professionalism of all people involved so far has been a critically important element in our decision-making.  What we as Europeans like about Colleen and Raideep’s project is the fact that it is being built following principles of social and environmental responsibility as well as sustainability, using state of the art technologies to protect air, water and soil.

The beautiful landscape, surrounded by pastures, creeks and forests, gently slopes towards the Pacific Ocean that can be seen from far on a clear day.  The very pleasant micro-climate in the area of Cielo Paraiso will award us additional benefits in a not too distant future.  We are more than ready to leave the piles of snow behind us, pack up and move to Boquete as fast as we can!  We can hardly wait for house construction to start, so we can eventually enjoy our little paradise on earth!”

Heidi and Werner Kach - Perego
Lucerne, Switzerland

Cielo Paraiso has engaged the services of Seattle-based Wilmer Communications, one of the leading travel-hospitality marketing firms in North America to assist with brand positioning and marketing efforts. Wilmer Communications’ team of seasoned marketing experts have experience in bringing visitors and travelers to exotic and unique destinations, including the Caribbean, Asia, Europe, Central America, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and the mainland U.S., and of course Panama.

Wilmer Communications is currently working on the brand positioning, identity, and brand integration for Cielo Paraiso. This includes their product positioning, brand strategies, integrated communications, and tactical plans, as well as sales brochures for the real estate home sites, golf, and hotel. The branding is done in phases, the first of which is the brand platform and positioning. The result of this will be a comprehensive platform that will be used throughout the various sales and development phases of Cielo Paraiso. This includes the brand position, creative messages, and creative personality. In conjunction with the brand platform, Wilmer Communications will produce sales brochures, including sales and media folders, project brochures for real estate, golf, and hotel, as well as direct-response materials, electronic newsletter templates, and Web and Interactive graphic interface. These projects will be complete by mid-April. The next phase is the graphics manual, which will cover comprehensive design and its appropriate and consistent usage and applications, as well as the utilization of the brand elements including logos, color palette, font styles and other design elements. The phase will also be complete by mid-April.

The final phase will be the brand integration and marketing communications plan. This will include the comprehensive, integrated deployment of tactical processes, including media messaging, advertising execution, media plan tactics, Web site, eBrochure, Interactive marketing/sales execution, promotional partnerships, and direct sales and marketing. This complex phase is an on ongoing process, but will be launched this summer. Since 1993, Wilmer Communications has developed a wide range of experience in brand building; strategic positioning; advertising, collateral; direct marketing; media planning; web design; and online marketing. Clients include Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Luxury Collection, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels, and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, as well as a host of independent developments and real estate projects. For more information, call 425-775-9100, or visit www.wilmerco.com.