Dramatic jungle-covered hills
Imagine hearing the sound of the waves crashing on a pure white beach, from the privacy of your own piece of paradise? Imagine feeling the sea breeze and using the views on as a perfect indication of swell size, tide and wind direction. Imagine not needing binoculars to spot the whales. Imagine a 5-minute drive down the hill and check out the surf beaches up close. Santiago Hills Villa is the real deal.
At the end of the road, at Pavones, I remember vividly, reading a sign that said: "dream it, see it, live it". Talk about a trip to memory lane, it's been twenty years.
Today, the images you are seeing are from a couple of good friend of us. They no doubt got inspired by one of our very first blog posts. It was followed by an article about Studio Sax, and their award winning architecture in Costa Rica, showcasing the "floating house" in Santa Teresa. Well, these friends are now living the dream, they bought a slice of paradise, hired Benjamin Garcia Saxe and with some blood, sweat and tears created a stunning villa in an area known as Santiago Hills.
It’s such a short drive to Playa Hermosa that it’s inevitable that many people will buy or move here. And like the other small towns in the hills above the beach towns, the air is less humid and so it’s more “fresco” for living. The community in this area is young, close and very international. The area’s residents make a living running tourism ventures and real estate companies. The schedules are set by the surf.
Generally, the profiles of people interested in buying in this area break down into two categories: the investor looking for land to develop; and people looking for a second or third home. And for good reason, it is not only one of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica, but one of the most beautiful in the whole world. Imagine perfect beaches with coconut palms, almond trees, and ancient pochotes, backed by dramatic jungle-covered hills. The water is warm all year, and the jungles are filled with an amazing variety of animals: monkeys, parrots and other birds, iguanas, and even the occasional anteater.
In the 1960’s a few foreigners discovered Montezuma, and moved there, before there were cars or electricity. Travel was done on horseback. Life was harder, but worth it. Over the decades, the area was “discovered” and hundreds of people moved there from all over the world, especially Italy, Argentina, Germany, Canada, and the United States.
It became known as a secret hideaway for movie stars, musicians, artists and creative people of all types.
Before travel to Costa Rica was common, it had already become a world famous hotspot for tourists “in the know” about the best places on earth. In the last twenty years, this area became the next great destination, and has since outgrown its sidekick status to places like Tamarindo up North, becoming a major destination of its own, now with far more hotels and restaurants. It’s no wonder that the Puntarenas Province has experienced rapidly escalating real estate prices.