A luxury hotel and residential project planned for Manuel Antonio is facing a criminal environmental complaint alleging damage to waterways, protected areas and forest cover, along with sediment runoff reaching Playa La Vaca and the Pacific Ocean. The complaint was filed Sept. 1 with Costa Rica’s Environmental Agrarian Prosecutor’s Office against representatives of Ocean Cove MA Development One S.A., the developer behind the project now being marketed as Maravé Manuel Antonio, LXR Hotels & Resorts.
Hilton announced the LXR partnership in August and says the resort is expected to open in 2029. The complaint was filed by attorney Walter Brenes. It alleges possible violations involving work near protected waterways, changes to land with forest cover, construction inside water protection zones and earthmoving that allowed soil and sediment to move downhill toward the coast. The filing also asks prosecutors to investigate whether environmental crimes occurred.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and the filing of a criminal complaint does not by itself establish wrongdoing or confirm that prosecutors have opened a formal criminal case. According to the complaint, inspections by the National Environmental Technical Secretariat, known as SETENA, on July 28 and 29, 2025, documented a lack of soil-retention systems, earth moving into low areas of the property and hydraulic fluid leaking from heavy equipment. The complaint also cites a July 31 SETENA report referring to runoff-control problems and hydrocarbon spills at the site.
Brenes also points to a September 2025 inspection by Costa Rica’s Water Directorate that he says found work that differed from the environmentally approved design. The complaint identifies a sediment pond, a culvert and structures intended to trap sand or sediment within a waterway.
SETENA later ordered a partial suspension of work on Nov. 10, 2025, according to documents cited in the complaint. A separate SETENA resolution dated Feb. 25, 2026, described a creek filled with earth before reaching Playa La Vaca and sediment on the beach following earthmoving work, the complaint says.
Ocean Cove MA Development One disputes the accusations. Luciana Pineda, environmental department director at the Zurcher Odio & Raven law firm, told El Observador on behalf of the developer that the allegations were based on “unfounded assumptions.” As of Sept. 24, the company said it had not been formally notified of the new criminal complaint.
The developer said the hydraulic-fluid leak was an isolated incident and that later inspections confirmed mitigation measures were being used to prevent sediment runoff. It also said authorities had not found contamination of water bodies during a February inspection.
The company acknowledged that the Water Directorate later determined that a creek existed in the central part of the property, but said that determination came after the project’s environmental approval. The developer maintains that it has complied with measures ordered by environmental authorities and rejects claims that structures such as culverts were installed without official knowledge.
Questions about the site predate the latest complaint. In January, the Municipality of Quepos and the National System of Conservation Areas, or SINAC, said the Ocean Cove tourism and residential project had been under a temporary work stoppage since 2024 following earlier citizen complaints and inspections. At that time, authorities also said the developer had complied with directives issued by the municipality and the Environment Ministry.
That timeline is not fully clear. The new complaint cites inspections, earthmoving and a partial SETENA suspension during 2025, while the municipality and SINAC previously described the project as having been stopped since 2024. Hilton announced Maravé Manuel Antonio on Aug. 27 as the first LXR Hotels & Resorts property planned for Costa Rica.
The project is planned for a nearly 40-acre, or 16-hectare, property near Manuel Antonio National Park and is expected to include 57 hotel rooms and bungalows along with 116 luxury residences. Hilton says construction is scheduled for completion in late 2028, followed by an expected opening in 2029.
The criminal complaint asks environmental prosecutors to investigate the alleged impacts, determine whether anyone bears criminal responsibility and, if damage is confirmed, require measures to restore affected areas.
