Here’s Where Celebrities Stay in Costa Rica’s Ultra-Luxe Papagayo Peninsula

With its gorgeous biodiversity, round the clock safety, and ultra-luxurious properties, the Papagayo Peninsula on Costa Rica’s northwest has turn into a magnet for celebrities. The checklist of stars who’ve visited its 15-mile shoreline and 31 pristine seashores reads like a visitor checklist to an Oscars after-party:  Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Woman Gaga, and, most lately, Anant Ambani (the Indian billionaire whose wedding ceremony featured a efficiency by Rihanna).

It’s simple to see why. The peninsula is actually a 1,400-acre gated neighborhood that locations a premium on privateness and sustainable luxurious. Though there are a number of huge resorts (together with a 4 Seasons, Andaz, and a soon-to-open Ritz Carlton Reserve), improvement is sparse, and 70 p.c of the land is protected. Visitors is minimal; as an alternative, monkeys, iguanas, and the occasional jaguar have free reign.

Nature lovers can go snorkeling, volcano mountaineering, diving, kayaking, and whale watching. Wellness and health fans have loads to do, too — there’s golf, yoga, browsing, mountain biking, ziplining, and tennis — and that’s not counting a brand new sports park. There’s even a marina that caters to superyachts. So, the place do the elite keep?  Listed below 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 appears like a hybrid between a tech billionaire’s pad and a boutique resort. There are various locations to socialize, together with indoor and out of doors 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 area, the villa can comfortably host a mid-sized wedding ceremony, a multi-generational household, or a bunch of 20 mates.

Location:  Villa Avellana is on a gated cul-de-sac on Playa Prieta, a distant seaside with no houses aside from the Prieta Beach Clubhouse, a members-only membership with a full gymnasium, restaurant, seaside chairs, and different perks. Villa friends have entry. Playa Prieta’s mellow waves and shallow waters are good for newbie surfers.

Actions: A 42-foot-long Boston Whaler yacht (and a 12-foot dinghy) are included with the villa, so every little thing 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 gear, together with electrical jetboards, paddleboards, snorkeling gear, and fishing poles. Every part else – together with ziplining and volcano mountaineering – is an SUV or helicopter away.

Finest perks: The villa has a devoted employees that features a top-notch chef, a resident seaside skilled, a concierge, a barista, a mixologist, and a common supervisor named Thomas, who can e-book 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 together 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 area spead throughout three discrete ranges. Plus, it’s totally managed by the 4 Seasons Resort, which implies you may order room service in case you don’t really feel like having a non-public chef whip up a snack.

The Rooms:  There are six bedrooms, together with two main suites on opposing sides of the villa, every with balconies, out of doors showers, and soaking tubs overlooking the bay. The principle front room has double-height ceilings and a wall of glass that retracts for seamless indoor-outdoor dwelling. There may be additionally a kids’s room with bunk beds, a gymnasium, a chef’s kitchen, and separate service quarters—making it simple to host as much as 16 friends.

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 non-public street.

Actions:  Friends have full use of the facilities and excursions out there to 4 Seasons friends, together with quick access to 2 seashores (Playa Virador and Playa Blanca) and an 18-hole golf course. Friends also can select from an extended menu of outside and cultural actions, together with dinner cruises, scuba diving, and waterfall hikes.

Finest Perk: Though this villa just isn’t immediately on the seaside, each room has ocean views. The soaking tubs within the main bedrooms have completely framed views of the crashing waves beneath. And if 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, non-public chef, and actions are additional. The villa can 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 inexpensive villas on this checklist 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, friends can entry the resort’s different choices, together with three seashores, 4 swimming pools, 4 eating places, and a spa with a gymnasium.

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 had been constructed alongside the best ridge, above the resort’s different visitor rooms.

Actions: The resort has 153 visitor rooms, which implies it affords a large assortment of weekly actions, together with water sports activities like kayaking and snorkeling, wellness workouts like boot camp and sound therapeutic, courses on cooking and weaving, and even a kid-friendly get together.

Finest Perk: The Andaz 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 may 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: When 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 components from Central American, European, and Asian structure – and manages to really feel each rarified and comfy. Guests enter by 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 friends, with loads of privateness between rooms.

Location: The Hive is positioned 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 may consider, whether or not it’s amassing 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.