Living La Vida Villa

A luxurious escape at Villa Manzu in Costa Rica

Written by Ottocina Ryan

Do you ever wonder if you’d wake up “like this” if you slept in the same bed Beyoncé had slept in? So, I hadn’t either, until I arrived at Villa Manzu and the general manager whispered to me “You’re in the room Beyoncé stayed in.” I’m not even a fangirl but I couldn’t help but be curious. After a week of “research” I concluded that the answer is yes, you do wake up, at least feeling, flawless. Because staying at Villa Manzu is that incredible.

So what do you do at a place where the caliber of privacy, luxury, and fun is fit for Beyoncé? Where the options range from adventurous to pampering, and the charismatic managers and butlers will make anything happen.

Option A: You sit by the pool all day. This may sound boring but you’ll know what I’m talking about once you get there. You won’t want to leave the villa; it’s over-the-top amazing yet puts you at ease.

Option B: You wake up to the sunrise, feeling like Beyoncé (or one of the other celebrities that has rented out the eight bedroom, 30,000 square foot villa—the Kardashians, basically every Victoria’s Secret model, Zach Efron, Katy Perry, the list goes on). You click a button and the curtains recede to reveal expansive views of Peninsula Papagayo and the villa grounds. You climb out of bed and get lost in your suite on the way to the bathroom because your room is that big. Remember: two walk-in closets to the right, bathroom with freestanding tub, patio, and shower the size of a regular entire bathroom to the left. The decor is elaborate yet comfortable and pays tribute to the location. Everywhere you look there’s something beautiful, art from indigenous cultures from around the world and ceilings of custom hand-placed stone patterns inspired by wind accentuate the interiors.

You slip into your fluffy robe and head downstairs to the open kitchen where Chef Sabrina is pulling passion fruit muffins out of the oven. She greets you with a cheerful “good morning” and tells you about today’s special, Spanish eggs Benedict. You fill your plate with freshly sliced mango, papaya, and pineapple from the bountiful spread on the counter and head outside, past the table that’s set for breakfast, in favor of the chaise in the infinity pool. You savor your fruit while eyeing the vibrant green parrots in the trees. The villa sits on a cliff on Peninsula Papagayo, so views of Costa Rica’s beauty and wildlife are abundant. Plus the area doesn’t get much rain compared to the inland rainforests, so the weather allows for activities all day.

You head out for a four-mile stair hike with the husband and wife management team. Jen and Chris, who are originally from the United States, are worldly and charismatic. As you climb thousands of stairs and jog across beaches, they offer inspiring stories of when they first moved to Costa Rica over 20 years ago and their exotic travels. Along the hike, you see howler monkeys and pass Prieta Beach Club which is available to Villa Manzu guests. The villa staff sets up water and cold towel stations at two points on the hike. Now this is attention to detail. An hour and a half and seemingly a million stairs later, you waddle through the villa’s ornate wood doors and straight to the outdoor breakfast table. Without hesitation Sabrina brings you your eggs Benedict. Service is impeccable, almost to a fault. When you ask for a coffee refill she won’t even let you use the same cup. What kind of place do you think this is?

Post breakfast, you get a massage from masseuse Joanna. Unlimited facials, wraps, and massages are included in the nightly rate. The open-air spa has ridiculously high ceilings and a cascading waterfall creating a curtain of water where a wall would be. After the best massage of your life, you open your eyes to the green and white striped drapes fluttering in the breeze in front of the palm trees and conclude it’s also the best treatment room you’ve ever seen.

More relaxed than ever, you stretch out on a lounge chair by the infinity pool. You want a fresh coconut, so you ask Jose, one of the butlers, who feels like family from the day you arrive. When you need anything you just ask Jose. He’ll be there, there’s zero staff turnover.

As the sun reaches its highest point, you head to the garage to be driven to the harbor for an outing on Villa Manzu’s new 42’ motor yacht, Nimbu. The garage has an Expedition, a Range Rover, a red Jeep and ten times as many surfboards as it does cars. Fitting, as it’s the ideal spot for a surf trip.

Nimbu is available to guests anytime. Like everything else, the managers will cue it up at the drop of a hat. Once aboard, you pump up the music and zoom off into the Pacific Ocean towards a beach where you’ll have lunch. On the way you spot a few turtles and pass Witch’s Rock, one of the most notable surf spots in Santa Rosa National Park, which has seven breaks. Chris notes that he takes guests there often.

When the boat anchors, you swim to the beach and lounge in hammocks with Rosé while lunch is being grilled. You sit down to fajitas with lobster, chicken, and the mahi mahi that you (or, let’s be real, the tournament level fisherman boat captain) caught on the ride here.

Back at the villa, Chef Mariano is preparing dinner in the kitchen and shows you a couple of herbs that will be incorporated. You take a dip in the pool, your loyal and considerate butler Louis reminds you it’s time to start drinking, and brings a round of Pisco Sours. You order another coconut water too. They’re so good you’re averaging five a day. There’s a tradition where you throw the empty coconut off the balcony to hit the gong in the garden below, and your goal is to hit it before leaving, so you need as much practice as you can get.

Now for the most memorable part of the trip. Luckily it’s a new moon, which is ideal for seeing bioluminescence in the water. You leave your phone behind at the villa, on the patio no less (can’t do that at a hotel), and Jen drives you to the Nature Center for a bioluminescence tour. As the sherbet glow fades from the sky you push off from the beach in outrigger canoes. As you paddle out, the water starts to sparkle more and more with each stroke. The ocean around the canoe mimics the star-speckled night sky. You drag your paddle, creating comets and milky ways in the water. Once you are on the opposite end of the cove as the crocodile you jump in. (Wait, what? Did you forget this was Costa Rica?) It’s okay, it minds its own business, and regardless you’d see it coming as the bioluminescence lights up with movement. Now this is the coolest experience. Every movement makes the water all around you light up as if you’re swimming in an ocean of fireflies.

At 8:30 you return to the villa, slip on a bathrobe over your swimsuit (noticing that the staff has neatly arranged your room and done your laundry) and head to dinner on the patio. You can already tell it’s going to be different than last night’s eight-course tasting menu; there’s a surprise on the patio—a blank canvas surrounded by paint brushes, paint, and a guitar. You take a seat and artist Carlos Hiller introduces himself and his guitarist. As the musician plays Carlos transforms the canvas into an underwater scene, energetically painting to the rhythm. Chef Mariano fills the table with barbecued chicken, fish, ribs, salad, and elotes, with wine pairings by Louis, who is not just your new best friend, but a wine expert. Mesmerized by the performance and how delicious the food is you don’t say a word, other than whispering to “please pass the chicken,” until the marine painting is complete. You sit around the table for the next hour, chatting and finishing off the bottles of wine. To put the abundance of fine wine served at Villa Manzu into perspective, there is a glass-walled wine cellar off of the living room, yet you are so well taken care of that you don’t even touch it.

You fall asleep, in Beyonce’s bed, convinced you’ve found the best place on earth. The only consolation for leaving will be the helicopter flight tour on the way to the airport, and knowing that all of the same staff will be here when you return for your next vacation. *

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