Notes from the host
Villa Las Clementinas
Villa Las Clementinas: Private, secluded vacation retreat, architectural gem, canyon edge
Impeccable, Romantic, Luxurious and Private Compound - Architectural Masterpiece, Exclusive Enclave in Costa Rica's Coffee Country - Located on the grounds of an old Coffee and Orange Plantation in the Central Valley (Finca la Esperanza)
- Infinity pool with hot tub (complete privacy and seclusion)
- Chef's kitchen with extensive herb garden
- Indoor and outdoor showers
- 20-ft vaulted wood ceilings with teak hardwood and terra cotta tile floors
- Custom designed and locally built furniture
- Luxury bedding and mattresses
- High-speed wireless internet Apple TV and U.S. Dish Network TV
- Wireless stereo system that can play music from your iPod or iPhone
- Well stocked game and book library
- Gated community with international residents
- Close enough for day trips to beach, volcanoes, zip lining, white water rafting, hot air balloon trips, waterfall hikes, etc.
- Must see pictures to believe and the pictures do not do our home justice.
Villa Las Clementinas is truly one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful and well-built homes and has one of the most gorgeous views in all of Central America. Perched high on the edge of one of the region's largest and most beautiful private canyons, through which the Rio Grande River flows, our home is a very magnificent private retreat. Here you can watch the clouds form and rise up into the sky, sometimes wafting through the house. The entire home is built to maximize the views of the canyon and unbelievable vistas can be seen from each room. The views are unmatched and your stay here is certainly something you will never forget!
Newly renovated, this 3 bedroom beautiful luxury villa is just 45 minutes outside of the booming metropolis of Costa Rica's capital city of San Jose, but is a world away from “that” hustle and bustle and just twenty minutes from the San Jose International Airport (airport code is SJO). Rental car recommended but not necessary. You do not need a 4WD to access our property or to drive around locally but in your exploring the country, it is certainly helpful. See note below about special rental car accommodations.
Designed and custom built in 2007 by internationally acclaimed architect Édgar Brenes, founder of the School of Architecture at the University of San Jose, Villa Las Clementinas was designed to complement the natural beauty of the local surroundings and to harmoniously blend into the ethereal outdoor canyon-scape that is our back yard.
This luxury home features amazing 20+ feet high vaulted wooden ceilings throughout and has a magnificently unbelievable front door that is 18 feet tall. Teak hardwood floors and terra cotta tiles are featured throughout the home, all made of locally sourced materials and crafted with impeccable quality. Each of the rooms in the home has canyon views and outdoor patios and decks with glass and screened doors, allowing you to appreciate the beauty of our natural surroundings from both inside and out. The corridor to the bedrooms is constructed of screened in zacate pavers and allows the canyon breezes to flow throughout the home, heating and cooling the home as needed. It is simply magical!
Note: The climate in our region is such that air conditioning is never needed (and nobody in the Central Valley has it). Daily average temperature averages 80 F and nights are 68 F, cooler at night in winter months. There are also multiple ceiling fans throughout the home. The house maintains a very comfortable ambient temperature and in all of our time there, I have never been hot. I can provide references to this if you are concerned that the lack of air conditioning makes the home an uncomfortable temperature.
The house is built around a gorgeously landscaped wood and stone back yard area with an infinity pool that features a hot tub that was constructed from stones from the river that runs below through the canyon.
Outdoor and indoor showers, beautiful furnishings, luxury linens and top of the line American mattresses on the beds are just some of the things that make our vacation home so special.
All of our furniture was custom designed and built by local artisans from sustainable local hardwoods (teak, cinecero and guanacaste woods).
We have a large family and we love to cook and entertain. Our gourmet kitchen is well stocked with pans and utensils and whatever equipment you will need to make and enjoy a fabulous meal at home (granite countertops, European gas range, dishwasher, Kitchen Aid mixer, etc.). There is a very robust herb garden right off of the kitchen where we grow a large variety of herbs for cooking. Green markets, butchers, bakeries and grocery stores are only a fifteen-minute ride away into the town of Grecia. Private chefs available to come and do your cooking for you if you wish. Inquire with the house manager if you are interested. Prices VERY reasonable.
Each bedroom features a private porch overlooking the canyon. You can arrange with a local day spa to make a house call to give you a massage, facial or other spa services. We also have yoga teachers who will gladly come to the house to guide you in a private lesson. The cost for this is inexpensive compared to what it would cost in the United States and is an affordable vacation indulgence like no other.
The home is equipped with high-speed wireless internet, US Cell Phone reception, TV with DVD player and U.S. satellite TV reception, Apple TV, DVD library, stereo system and security system. Don't worry, you aren't completely off of the grid if you do not want to be!
Our home is a very comfortable and serene haven to relax and rejuvenate and enjoy the peace, quiet and beauty of Costa Rica. Bird watching is one of our favorite pastimes here. (Binoculars, book library and an insane variety of birds included.) This is the ideal place to come and unwind.
Whether you are looking to fly into San Jose and spend a few nights recalibrating before you venture out to explore the wonders this country has to offer, or you are just looking for the perfect place to completely relax, this gorgeous home will perfectly suit your needs.
The home is also an ideal place to use as a home base to take day trips to explore all of the wonders that Costa Rica has to offer. Our house is in great proximity to many of Costa Rica's finest and funnest activities … rainforests, volcanoes, cloud forests, zip lining, volcanic hot springs, waterfalls, white water rafting, crocodile feeding tours (☺), multiple farmer's markets.... and many other fabulous things! All of these magnificent activities are well within a day trip's reach from the house.
Our property manager is named Dan Schild, a lovely American gentleman and expat from St. Louis who will meet you at the property upon your arrival to orient you with the home, the security system, how to operate the pool, hot tub and to answer any questions that you may have. He can also give you some tips on day trips, where to go, etc. and put you in touch with our driver, personal chef, masseuses, yoga teachers, etc. Daily house cleaning available for an additional charge. Mid week cleaning is included for rentals of a week of more.
We have a driver who we recommend, Oscar, who can take you on your day trips for a very reasonable rate if you opt not to drive yourself. Dan can put you in touch with him.
If Oscar isn't available, his cousin Olgar is equally wonderful and will be able to drive you.
We have two chef options, one a classically trained chef (Michael) and the other a natural local chef (Sylvia) who is also a holistic masseuse and she also gives amazing in-home facials. Dan can help arrange.
I have made arrangements with a rental car company who will give you a 30% discount off of their rates when you rent the house. They will also drop off and pick up the car at the house for no charge for rentals of one week or longer, and you can negotiate this for shorter rentals. They offer the best rates and insurance rates of all of the car rental companies in Costa Rica and this is a great added "bonus" when renting the home. A taxi to the house from the airport should run around $40 dollars. Possible to negotiate for the rental car company to drive you to house from airport and to airport from house in your rental car. They aim to please and are very easy to work with.
You can have the best of both worlds... come and relax in complete privacy and seclusion and, if you want, go off the grid for a while. Or, stay plugged in and connected with the outside world. Costa Rica has as much or as little to do as you please!
One of our favorite ways to spend the day is relaxing, sunning and reading by the pool at the house, fixing lunch in the gourmet kitchen, and then to wrap up the afternoon with a spa house call. A special treat is to sit on the porch and watch the rain showers fall and then afterwards the clouds that form in the canyon and rise up, through the house sometimes, to the sky.
We also enjoy taking day trips to the beach, volcanoes, zip lining and to some wonderful restaurants that are around, in San Jose and also in neighboring towns and on the beach. I am happy to speak with you to give you an insider’s perspective of things that are fun to do and to suggest things that you may want to include on your itinerary.
When you stay at Villa Las Clementinas, you will be in the exact locale that Travel and Leisure singled out as the 'best climate in the world'. You will rediscover what it means to be totally relaxed and rejuvenated.
Pura Vida!
Note: if you consult with me prior to your trip, I can also help you with recommendations for tours, drivers, day trips, etc. the hotel next to our gated community (Vista del Valle) is under new ownership and is for the time being closed. There are restaurants in neighboring towns of Palmares and Grecia.
Keywords: villa, house, costa rica, mountains, pool, view, luxury