After returning from a long weekend in Costa Rica, my friends wanted to know what I’d done while I was there. “Did you hike in the rainforest or climb a volcano?” asked one person. “How good are you at surfing?” inquired another. “Did you get to hold a sloth?” demanded multiple co-workers. It felt a little shameful to admit that, well, I’d spent the majority of my time lying in a hammock. That’s when I would quickly pull out my phone and exclaim, “But wait! Look at my Airbnb!”
Located about 20 minutes outside of Tamarindo, a rowdy beach town chock full of backpackers and surfers, Casa Blue does exactly what an Airbnb should do: Temporarily trick you into thinking you lead an entirely different life. In this case, it was one in which I owned a sprawling, clifftop villa that was filled with seven of my closest friends. Admittedly, I was skeptical when I found out it wasn’t next to the beach; even more so during the last five minutes of our journey, which was spent winding slowly up a treacherously steep, stomach-churning dirt road that looked like no good would come at the end of it. (It’s worth noting that the listing doesn’t warn you about this in advance.) But upon entering the palm tree-shrouded driveway, all jitters were assuaged.
The five-bedroom Airbnb in Costa Rica has prime views over Tamarindo Bay and the surrounding tropical forests. Floor-to-ceiling windows are thrown open each morning by Elgrin, the on-site groundskeeper; hammocks swing invitingly outside; a massive daybed near the pool begs to be lounged on; and the upstairs master bedroom opens onto its own private balcony. The property’s resident iguanas, meanwhile, can be found basking beside the pool and sometimes, slightly more alarmingly, scuttling in and out of the house without permission.
With stone floors and whitewashed walls, it’s half-surf lodge, half-Thai retreat—in a way that totally works (think surf boards you can borrow propped up outside and small stone Buddhas dotting the grounds). Each of the main house's three bedroom has its own wood-and-tile bathroom with a walk-in-shower, and all have private entrances that open back out into the outdoor communal area, which is home to a hot tub that automatically starts bubbling at sundown.
But it was those in the two wooden, pagoda-style bungalows who were the greatest sources of envy that weekend. A short trot from the main house, the additional rooms are raised up among the palm trees like treehouses, with outdoor showers and breezes I didn’t know were possible so close to the equator. One bungalow has better views than the other, as it faces the ocean, but both give you a glimpse into the wilderness. One afternoon, we all crowded onto a balcony, still wet from the pool, and watched a howler monkey swing between the trees.
It wasn’t a surprise, then, that the appeal of heading into town for anything more than a grocery run rapidly diminished. I spent most of my time posted up on the daybed, eating slices of fresh papaya and reading Nora Ephron, or drinking a homemade piña colada in the pool from the comfort of my pineapple-shaped pool float. At the end of each day, we’d reconvene and throw dinner on the grill (steak, chicken wings, jumbo-sized pieces of shrimp) before vowing to never tell anyone outside of our group about Casa Blue, in fear of it booking up for all of eternity. Or worse, it being ruined by Instagram forever. Needless to say, I failed at that; some things are too good not to be shared.
Book now: Casa Blue, from $750 per night, airbnb.com
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