Our 2010 trip to Costa Rica for the Windwing Learn-To-Kite Week had an added delight and dimension  after meeting Nicola Bertoldi, the owner/manager and head instructor of the Blue Dream Hotel and Spa.

Clearly one of the best kiters in the region, Nicola was the first to bring kiting to this windy northwest corner of Costa Rica. He arrived
in La Cruz from San Jose in early 2000 and immediately noticed the unique orientation of this northern most bay. The wind channeling down from the mountains  Nicaragua hits the water of Bahia Salinas, build strength along the way and then perfectly brush sideways along the mile long beach of Playa Copal.  It wasn’t long before the intrepid Italian started the first kiteboarding school in the area and shortly after, the Blue Dream Hotel.

Our chance encounter came about when the high tide od the day drove our group to venture onto the sandbar at the rivers mouth where Nicola had his school. Not wanting to intrude on his location, we asked if it was OK to launch from his spot and was openly and

graciously invited. It wasn’t long before the conversation turned to our kites and more specifically to our Batwings which always draw great interest and curiosity. We were there to take some videos (link to You tube video) and after the session, we offered Nicola a ride on a Batwing 12m. He went out and proceeded to do some of the highest and longest jumps of the day. It was a delight to watch him fly and afterwards when he came in, his first words were “I want one!”

There wasn’t any hard arm twisting to get us to sell him some of our kites upon our departure. The delight was not only in meeting Nicola and watching him having fun with our kites, the fact that he liked our kites enough  to make his school a Windwing Test Center and become a dealer for Windwing kites added an extra dimension to our trip to Costa Rica..

Jhon Chao

Wind Wing owner