Villa CXC

Playa Guiones is one of the few stretches of Costa Rican coast where the jungle has been left alone. A protected nature preserve runs behind the beach, and this house backs straight onto it, with a gate at the end of the garden opening onto footpaths that lead down to the sand. Old-growth trees frame the property on all sides. Howler monkeys move through them most days, and flocks of wild parakeets pass overhead. Even so, the yoga studios, restaurants and shops of Guiones are only a block away.

The main level opens up completely. Sliding doors on both sides of the great room pull back so the living area, dining table and kitchen run straight out onto the veranda and pool, which is lit from below at night. A separate yoga and meditation studio sits alongside, also glass on two sides, and there’s an outdoor shower for coming back from the beach. Music runs through built-in speakers in both spaces.

Bedrooms take up the two floors above. The second floor has four, three with king beds and one with two doubles, each with its own bathroom and doors out to a terrace facing the pool and the preserve. A lounge with a TV sits between them. The primary suite has the whole third floor to itself, with a king bed, a walk-in closet, a dressing area and a bathroom with a freestanding tub and a double shower. Terraces wrap two sides of the room. The rest of that floor is given over to the rooftop, where a full bar, a lounge and a hot tub look out over the treetops to the ocean.

The practical side is well covered. Housekeeping comes in daily except Sundays, drinking water is filtered throughout the house, Wi-Fi reaches every room at 500Mbps, and a backup generator kicks in within seconds of a power cut, which matters more here than people expect. A property manager is on hand during the day and on call overnight for emergencies, and the concierge team can arrange surf lessons, tours, transfers, car hire, a private chef or massages before or during the stay. Two automatic ATVs, each seating two, can be rented by the week, and they’re the easiest way to get around Nosara’s dirt roads. For larger groups, a separate one-bedroom cottage on the same property can be added on request at an extra cost.