Complemented by airy (and air-conditioned) interiors, oceanside Cielomar flaunts an extravagant ‘bow and arrow’ design – with the semi-circular house mimicking a bow, and its entry bridge forming the arrow. As well as providing perfect privacy, that curving shape enables many adjacent areas – a salon containing a dining table and a bar; the kitchen; a covered outdoor lounge; the sun deck and its 27-metre, black-stone pool – to face straight out to sea.

So, too, do all six ensuite bedrooms, each of them bright and timber-accented. Only the master suite, however, boasts a completely private Zen garden and outdoor shower – an exotic retreat in which to bathe and relax. Other indoor spaces offering breaks from the equatorial sun are a beanbag-lined cinema room and your very own gym. The villa's staff includes a butler, cook, waiter, concierge, property manager, and housekeeping. The cook and property manager are a live-in couple.

CieloMar guests have access to the nearby Four Seasons resort's spectacular Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, tennis courts, restaurants, and spa. As well as complimentary access to The Prieta Beach Club - which is located about five minutes away on provided golf carts. The Prieta Beach Club includes three pools, three restaurants, a spa, an activity centre, and dozens of beach chairs.

Otherwise, Peninsula Papagayo’s activities centre on the ocean: swimming off numerous sandy shores, snorkelling, sport-fishing and, from July to November, humpback whale-watching. Canopy zip-lines are located within a 45-minute drive, and the monkey-filled Guanacaste National Park is about twice that.