By Mary Holland
The 10-bedroom Villa Guayacán at Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, ups the ante on Costa Rica’s Pura Vida lifestyle.
Meet the mega villa. These days, when seeking an alternative to a hotel, it’s not enough to rent a private home. Enter the new breed of sprawling estates, where the atmosphere is entirely your own, but the experience feels like a personal boutique resort. Think multiple pools, private beaches, and every extravagant amenity, ideal for milestone birthdays, or a splashy getaway with friends. Here, three standout properties that offer it all.
Villa Guayacán, Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica
Nekajui, on Costa Rica’s Peninsula Papagayo, is one of Ritz-Carlton’s ultra-rare Reserve properties, prized for their handpicked locations and deeply personalized approach. Nekajui’s crown jewel mega villa is Villa Guayacán, a staggering 10-bedroom, 37,000-square-foot estate wrapped in jungle and opening onto sweeping Pacific Ocean views.
Highlights include an Olympic-sized pool, five private plunge pools, a screening theater, yoga pavilion, and spa treatment suite, plus not one but two dedicated butlers. The private chef, working between two kitchens, prepares local specialties, like ceviche or a whole red snapper roasted to order. And because this is Costa Rica, the vibe remains blissfully laid-back: Pura Vida is more than a motto here. The only reason to venture beyond your private perch? A nightcap at Cooper’s, the speakeasy-style bar hidden at Nekajui.
Le Grand Jardin Cannes by Ultima Collection, France
Looking to escape the summer crowds of the French Riviera without skipping the Riviera entirely? Le Grand Jardin offers exactly that. This 12-room estate sits on the car-free island of Sainte-Marguerite, just a 10-minute speedboat ride from Port de Cannes.
Recently acquired and reimagined by the villa specialists at Ultima Collection, the property comes amenity-laden, with a heated outdoor pool, and private spa with hammam and sauna. Steeped in history—it was once owned by Louis XIV—the estate also has an old fortress and a sprawling botanical garden dating back to the 13th century, with olive and lemon trees. Meals from the private chef can be enjoyed anywhere, and if you choose to journey to the mainland or La Guérite beach club on Sainte-Marguerite, your on-demand concierge will handle every detail.
With its coastal palette and breezy vibe, Dreamside House perfectly channels Key West.
Dreamside House at Lunara Bay, Key West
Key West has long been defined by its small-scale charm: gingerbread-trimmed guesthouses, pastel cottages, and boutique inns. Which is precisely why Lunara Bay, a new enclave of 26 waterfront estates, is such a departure, introducing a rare kind of accommodation for the island: one that’s expansive, design-forward, and built for groups.
Dreamside House is the standout eight-bedroom retreat, where every detail feels quietly elevated. Spa-inspired baths come stocked with Salt & Stone products, while the chef’s kitchen is outfitted to an exacting standard with Viking appliances and drawers filled with every gadget.
What sets Lunara Bay apart is its high-touch approach: Guests are paired with a dedicated GEM (Guest Experience Manager), a personal concierge available 24/7 to arrange everything from sandbar charters and restaurant reservations to an in-home personal chef. Outdoors, days unfold around the private pool and hot tub, firepit evenings, and a dock just steps away—proof that even in famously intimate Key West, there’s room for a new scale of escape. – Deborah Frank
