With its gorgeous biodiversity, round the clock safety, and ultra-luxurious properties, the Papagayo Peninsula on Costa Rica’s northwest has grow to be a magnet for celebrities. The record of stars who’ve visited its 15-mile shoreline and 31 pristine seashores reads like a visitor record to an Oscars after-party: Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Girl Gaga, and, most just lately, Anant Ambani (the Indian billionaire whose marriage ceremony featured a efficiency by Rihanna).
It’s straightforward to see why. The peninsula is actually a 1,400-acre gated group that locations a premium on privateness and sustainable luxurious. Though there are a number of massive resorts (together with a 4 Seasons, Andaz, and a soon-to-open Ritz Carlton Reserve), growth is sparse, and 70 p.c of the land is protected. Site visitors is minimal; as a substitute, monkeys, iguanas, and the occasional jaguar have free reign.
Nature lovers can go snorkeling, volcano mountaineering, diving, kayaking, and whale watching. Wellness and health lovers have lots to do, too — there’s golf, yoga, browsing, mountain biking, ziplining, and tennis — and that’s not counting a brand new sports activities park. There’s even a marina that caters to superyachts. So, the place do the elite keep? Listed here are the highest 4 villas in Papagayo that enchantment to celebrities and the ultra-rich.
Villa Avellana
Who Stays There: Tech entrepreneurs, financial institution CEOs, music producers, and entertainers
The Property: A contemporary, teak-and-glass villa on a secluded cove with crimson land crabs, white egrets, and turtle nests. Opened in 2023, this three-acre retreat seems like a hybrid between a tech billionaire’s pad and a boutique resort. There are lots of locations to socialize, together with indoor and outside eating areas, an 82-foot-long lap pool, a bocce court docket, a number of lounge areas, and a non-public nook of the seaside.
Rooms: The ten bedrooms are ethereal and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling home windows and personal terraces that face the ocean or tropical forests. With greater than 33,000 sq. ft of dwelling house, the villa can comfortably host a mid-sized marriage ceremony, a multi-generational household, or a gaggle of 20 pals.
Location: Villa Avellana is on a gated cul-de-sac on Playa Prieta, a distant seaside with no houses apart from the Prieta Seashore Clubhouse, a members-only membership with a full fitness center, restaurant, seaside chairs, and different perks. Villa visitors have entry. Playa Prieta’s mellow waves and shallow waters are excellent for newbie surfers.
Actions: A 42-foot-long Boston Whaler yacht (and a 12-foot dinghy) are included with the villa, so the whole lot within the Gulf of Papagayo is a fast experience, whether or not browsing at Witch’s Rock or recognizing dolphins. The villa additionally has a large stash of water sports activities tools, together with electrical jetboards, paddleboards, snorkeling gear, and fishing poles. Every little thing else – together with ziplining and volcano mountaineering – is an SUV or helicopter away.
Finest perks: The villa has a devoted workers that features a top-notch chef, a resident seaside professional, a concierge, a barista, a mixologist, and a common supervisor named Thomas, who can ebook something upon request, whether or not it’s a last-minute tennis match, a therapeutic massage in a non-public cabana, or going spearfishing for wahoo.
Value: $45,000 an evening, all-inclusive.
Casa Los Olas
Who Stays There: Billionaires like Anant Ambani, the son of India’s richest man, who stayed there in August along with his newlywed spouse, Radhika Service provider
The Property: Presumably the costliest property on the peninsula, Casa Las Olas is a post-modern, three-story temple constructed on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Designed by the Peruvian-Costa Rican architect Jaime Rouillón, the rose-colored villa was accomplished in 2022 and has 18,000- sq. ft of dwelling house spead throughout three discrete ranges. Plus, it’s totally managed by the 4 Seasons Resort, which suggests you possibly can order room service should you don’t really feel like having a non-public chef whip up a snack.
The Rooms: There are six bedrooms, together with two major suites on opposing sides of the villa, every with balconies, outside showers, and soaking tubs overlooking the bay. The primary front room has double-height ceilings and a wall of glass that retracts for seamless indoor-outdoor dwelling. There may be additionally a youngsters’s room with bunk beds, a fitness center, a chef’s kitchen, and separate service quarters—making it straightforward to host as much as 16 visitors.
Location: Located on a bluff excessive above Pietra Bay, Casa Los Olas affords full privateness from the water and street. The 1.5-acre grounds are lined in thick jungle, and the home is about again and never seen from the personal street.
Actions: Company have full use of the facilities and excursions obtainable to 4 Seasons visitors, together with easy accessibility to 2 seashores (Playa Virador and Playa Blanca) and an 18-hole golf course. Company can even select from an extended menu of out of doors and cultural actions, together with dinner cruises, scuba diving, and waterfall hikes.
Finest Perk: Though this villa is just not instantly on the seaside, each room has ocean views. The soaking tubs within the major bedrooms have completely framed views of the crashing waves under. And whenever you’re swimming within the dramatic 100-foot infinity pool, it feels such as you’re floating out to the Pacific.
Value: $45,000 an evening, excessive season; $23,000, off-season. A private attendant, personal chef, and actions are further. The villa can also be on the market for $25 million.
Andaz Costa Rica Resort
Who Stays There: Shonda Rhimes, DJ Walton, Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
The Property: Probably the most reasonably priced villas on this record are on the Andaz Costa Rica. A row of three-bedroom penthouses opened earlier this 12 months, measuring 2,407 sq. ft, with views of Culebra Bay. Every lined roof deck has a plunge pool, day mattress, moist bar, and plush seating. Although the villas are separated from the primary lodge, visitors can entry the resort’s different choices, together with three seashores, 4 swimming pools, 4 eating places, and a spa with a fitness center.
The Rooms: The first bed room has a small terrace and a soaking tub with bay views. A full kitchen and bar invite in-room eating. The dwelling space has a retractable glass wall that slides open, bringing the outside in. With two smaller bedrooms and a sleeper couch, the villa can accommodate as much as eight.
Location: The Andaz is close to the gated entrance to the peninsula, simply previous the marina. The villas have been constructed alongside the very best ridge, above the resort’s different visitor rooms.
Actions: The resort has 153 visitor rooms, which suggests it provides a large assortment of weekly actions, together with water sports activities like kayaking and snorkeling, wellness workout routines like boot camp and sound therapeutic, courses on cooking and weaving, and even a kid-friendly occasion.
Finest Perk: The Andaz just lately opened Casa de Playa, a seaside membership at Playa Nacascolo, a broad strip of white sand that’s arguably one of many peninsula’s nicest. A cabana with Champagne service might be reserved. The membership is a 10-minute boat experience from the resort.
Value: $10,000 an evening, high-season; $4,000, low-season.
The Hive
Who Stays There: Fortune 500 CEOs, hedge funders, and former skilled soccer gamers
The Property: Should you love design, artwork, bikes, and bees, then the Hive was constructed for you. Opened in 2023, each room on this meticulously crafted villa is staged like a designer showroom. The 17,500-square-foot property stitches collectively parts from Central American, European, and Asian structure – and manages to really feel each rarified and comfortable. Guests enter via a golden Moroccan-style door resulting in an art-filled lobby, a vaulted nice room, and a stone terrace with completely framed views of the Pacific.
The Rooms: Every of the six bedrooms has water views and is lavishly furnished with antiques, handwoven rugs, customized wallpaper, and theatrical lighting. The first bed room, which has a vaguely royal Asian theme, has a wood-carved headboard, a vaulted ceiling, and two gold bathtubs. A contemporary bed room with modern furnishings and nook views is on the different finish of the split-level villa. The villa sleeps as much as 16 visitors, with loads of privateness between rooms.
Location: The Hive is situated atop a secluded bluff overlooking Bahia Huevos, a pristine bay with few, if any, seen neighbors. It’s on the finish of a quiet road with a thick jungle and some homes.
Actions: A full-time concierge is on-call to rearrange no matter exercise you possibly can consider, whether or not it’s gathering honey from an area beekeeper (it’s known as the Hive, in spite of everything), throwing clay with an Indigenous potter, fishing for marlin, or monkey-spotting on a non-public farm.
Finest Perks: The infinity pool, which is correct off the terrace, is carved from huge slabs of aquamarine-colored stone that echoes the blues and greens of the Pacific. It might be the peninsula’s most photogenic setting for sundown cocktails.
Value: $24,900 an evening, high-season; $14,900, low-season.