Vida Nova

Santa Teresa’s main road runs parallel to the Pacific, and the house sits on the beach side of it, on its own plot with a short garden path down to the sand. Arrival is through a keypad gate into a walled garden thick with green, where monkeys and tropical birds come through the canopy. From inside the walls you’d never guess the town’s cafés and shops are a five-minute walk away.

The layout works more like a small compound than a single house. There are two of nearly everything: two open living rooms with high ceilings and their own dining areas, each opening fully onto the terraces, two kitchens with full-size stoves, wine fridges and prep space, and two saltwater pools with a shallow beach entry that small children can paddle in. Between them is a large rancho under a thatched roof, with a bar, a barbecue kitchen, low seating, board games and a ping-pong table. It’s where breakfast drifts into lunch and the group ends up at night. Tables seat sixteen, ten and eight, so a whole house dinner or a few smaller ones both work. The furniture throughout was designed by the owners and made by hand in India, and it gives the house a warmth that’s hard to get from catalogue pieces.

There are seven bedrooms, each with a king bed and its own terrace. The bathrooms are where the house shows most of its character. Two suites have bathtubs set outside in the garden, two have tubs indoors, and the rest have rain showers open to the sky. Two of the bedrooms share a Jack and Jill bathroom with a double vanity, which suits families or close friends travelling together. The house sleeps sixteen, and it’s been set up to host gatherings of twenty-five or more, so a wedding weekend or a retreat fits here as easily as a family holiday.

Staff keep things running quietly. Daily housekeeping, a gardener, maintenance, a night guard and concierge are all part of the stay, and excursions can be arranged at extra cost with some notice. Practical details have been thought through: air conditioning and ceiling fans in every bedroom, a safe in each, wifi across the property, enclosed parking for several cars, and locked storage for surfboards and bikes. Everything opens by keypad, so there are no keys to lose on the beach. A grocery shop and restaurants are a five-minute walk away, the gym is across the road, and the nearest clinic is ten minutes’ drive in Mal País. Neither pets nor guests with limited mobility are a good fit here.