Villa Manzu { Guanacaste, Costa Rica } VillaManzu.com
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osta Rica, a country of magnificent waterfalls, tropical forests and rich biodiversity, has long been a magnet for the wellheeled who appreciate the friendliness of its people as much as its incomparable beauty. The country’s Pacific coast, with its yearlong warm climate and less rainfall than the Caribbean, is a tourist magnet boasting a fabulous array of private villas. The Gulf of Papagayo in the north-western Guanacaste province has seen the development of the country’s most exclusive resorts, including the prerequisite Four Seasons, but the jewel in its crown is the Papagayo Peninsula where only 30% of the landmass can be built up, so as to preserve the natural beauty of the environment.
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At the very edge of this peninsula is Costa Rica Pacific Coast’s most exceptional villa, Manzu. Surrounded from all sides by stunningly landscaped tropical gardens and wild tracks, and overlooking the ocean, this is a 5 acre paparazzi-free zone private estate, originally built for personal use. Completed in 2012, the villa was conceived by the owner as his dream home and executed by renowned Costa Rican architect Abraham Valenzuela. The owner’s vision, interpreted with a degree of creative license by Valenzuela and Houston interior designer Lynn Yellen, was to build a retreat that is at once cohesive and surprising in the way it flows, eliciting an emotional response from the moment one walks in.
Valenzuela’s philosophy to engage the senses is translated here in a multitude of inspirational and life affirming symbols, from the intricately carved doorways to the hieroglyphics chiselled into wood and rock at the entrance of the property and in the spa area. The very unique layout ensures that the eye is always captivated by a point of beauty or a work of art, with elegant hallways leading into new spaces, each framing a dramatic view of the spectacular landscape. Custom-designed ceilings with handplaced stone patterns inspired by Van Gogh’s “Starry Nights” and swirling floor patterns representing the tree of life will astonish and delight lovers of art and design. The fusion of indigenous cultures, including African, Indian, Balinese, Thai, Mayan and local Chorotegan influences, creates a deeply spiritual atmosphere, enhancing the feeling of ultimate peace and relaxation. The vast suites, each with a character of its own, are positioned on the edges of the building, so that guests can retreat to unfettered solitude.
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