MELIA PLAYA CONCHAL GOLF COURSE FIRST IN COSTA RICA TO WIN ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD

Singapore, 24 February 2000

The Robert Trent Jones II -designed "Garra de Leon" (Lion's Paw)

championship golf course at the Meliá Playa Conchal All-Suite Beach & Golf

Resort in the Northwest Pacific coast of Costa Rica is the first course in

the country to receive the Environmental Steward Award.

The 8th Annual Environmental Steward Award presented by The Golf Course

Superintendents Association of America (GSCAA), recognizes golf course

superintendents for overall management excellence in the areas of

technology use, resource conservation, water quality management, integrated

pest management, wildlife/habitat management and educational/outreach. The

"Garra de Leon" course received the merit award in the resort category.

"The dedication of the golf course superintendent to enrich the quality of

golf and its environment has truly been exemplified by all of the

applicants," said Dave Fearis, president of the Golf Course Superintendents

Association of America (GCSAA) and superintendent at the Blue Hills C.C. in

Kansas City, Missouri.

"We're delighted that the GCSAA felt we were deserving of the award since

we are definitely committed to preserving the ecological wonders of this

beautiful country and having a beautiful course at the same time," said Don

Johnson, superintendent of the Meliá Playa Conchal's "Garra de Leon" course.

The Garra de Leon golf course is an 18-hole, par-72 championship course

with spacious fairways and multiple teeing options on each hole. With two

distinctly different nine-hole segments, the Garra de Leon offers a

challenge for players of all levels. Audubon International recently honored

the Garra de Leon Golf Course for environmental planning. This

certification was issued by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System

(ACSS), a division of Audubon International, and is the first of six

categories that must be completed in order for the course to achieve status

as a fully certified Audubon Cooperative.

The Meliá Playa Conchal All Suite Beach & Golf Resort is situated on 1,450

lushly landscaped acres in the Gunacaste Province of Costa Rica. Adhering

to the strict environmental guidelines of Costa Rica the hotel encompasses

39 two-story private villas offering 308 deluxe suites. All suites have a

spacious terrace, elegant living area, air-conditioning and lavish bath.

With meeting facilities of more than 5,000 square feet, casino and disco,

the Garra de Leon golf course, 11 restaurants and Central America's largest

free-form pool and a health club, the Meliá Playa Conchal offers

convenience and luxury for all travelers.

As a global company, Sol Meliá actively incorporates an ecological and

environmental consciousness into all of their hotel infrastructures, to

effectively co-exist and respect nature. Ecological properties worldwide

include those in Bali, Indonesia, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and

Guanacaste, Costa Rica.