Treetop villa holds nothing back
This glass-walled Costa Rican marvel opens to sky and water
Forget the lowly wooden treehouse in your childhood backyard; there’s a grown-up version on Costa Rica’s north Pacific coast that thumbs its nose at gravity.
Asun deck jutting out over the tree canopy from the dazzling glass-walled villa frees the pleasure-seeker from earthly shackles.
“You’re suspended in mid-air with trees on both sides and the ocean in front,” says real estate agent Steve Grubba. “It feels like you’re in a tree house surrounded by lush tropical forest and amazing views.”
Internationally acclaimed architect Victor Cañas was given a blank cheque to create a minimalistic retreat where the surrounding environment would play a starring role, according to Grubba, director of sales for privately owned Peninsula Papagayo.
The result, completed in early 2015, was a contemporary structure that pays homage to sea, sky and greenery. Aided by fold-away sliding glass doors, the angled roof system is designed like a sail to catch the ocean breeze and cool the house naturally.
With water in front and the beach below, “you can hear and see the waves” from the cantilevered sun deck and spacious terrace, says Grubba. Including the infinity reflecting and swimming pools, the outdoor living area totals about 5,000 square feet — almost as much as the interior space.
Sightlines from the front terrace to the back bedrooms “line up perfectly,” according to the realtor. All four bedrooms have glass walls but the two suites at the front of the west-facing home frame vistas of sunsets, gulf and ever-changing seasonal forest.
The 1,400-acre Peninsula Papagayo, where the home is located, was recently purchased by a Miami-based in- vestment group and is undergoing a $100-million (U.S.) “re-imagination.” Improvements included biking and hiking trails, renovations to the two resorts, an enhanced marina and increased sustainability efforts, Grubba explains.
Famous for its barefoot luxury, the area is a magnet for the rich and famous, including the late Steve Jobs, who moored his yacht there. The recently un- veiled Four Seasons private residences on Prieta Bay are the first residential development to be introduced in more than a decade.
Purchasers of the treetop villa will have access to all of that, along with amenities of the nearby Four Seasons resort, Grubba says.
The residence, which was built on two levels on its own sloping 2.35-acre piece of para- dise, includes a media room, smart home technology, wet room and outdoor shower.
“It’s one of the most unique homes in Costa Rica,” says Grubba, noting its spare yet sophisticated style.
Tubular supports keep walls to a minimum while carefully chosen modern furnishings — included with purchase — defer to the free-flowing interior spaces.
The villa’s closest neighbours, says Grubba, are monkeys and birds — entirely fitting for a tropical home perched among the treetops.