If you spherical the ultimate bend within the street and see Villa Avellana, a 10-bedroom residence situated on Costa Rica‘s Peninsula Papagayo, it is as if the home is rising out of Guanacaste’s north Pacific panorama itself. Designed by Sarco Architects, the property sits in a gated neighborhood inside a gated group and boasts greater than 33,000 sq. toes of indoor-outdoor dwelling area and three acres of black-sand beachfront. It additionally comes with a 42-foot yacht and 20-person employees.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana
As one may anticipate, the all-inclusive, full-buyout property, which formally opened to visitors in August 2023, comes with a premium, season-dependent price ticket. Nightly charges with a five-night keep requirement are $22,000 from Might 1 to November 18 and $32,000 from November 19 to April 30, except the “festive season.” The latter spans from November 20 to November 27, then December 20 to January 4, and prices $40,000 an evening with a minimal keep of seven nights.
It is typical for a number of generations of a household to remain collectively at Villa Avellana, basic supervisor Thomas Freitag tells Entrepreneur. Teams of mates have additionally taken up residence; the villa has even hosted a marriage too.
Naturally, folks spending greater than $100,000 on a vacation may need some excessive expectations, together with the will for a spread of facilities and actions appropriate for all ages, pursuits and talents.
Villa Avellana delivers on that, after which some: world-class meals crafted by a non-public chef; spa companies and yoga courses within the treehouse retreat; swimming and spear fishing within the heat, calm Prieta Bay; golf, nature excursions, ziplining and mountain biking throughout the peninsula; and repair tasks by way of partnerships with native nonprofits — simply to call a number of.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The treehouse retreat.
The villa’s proximity to the Four Seasons Resort, Andaz Resort and the Clubhouse at Prieta Beach can also be a draw, as visitors can make the most of day passes permitting entry to extra eating places, facilities and companies.
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My husband and I had the chance to expertise Villa Avellana as a part of a small press group in November. We had been presupposed to be there for 3 nights, however a seasonally uncharacteristic tropical storm and subsequent airport closure doubled the size of our keep (spoiler alert: it wasn’t a nasty place to be caught).
Though the heavy rains prevented us from having fun with a few of the weather-dependent actions on the agenda, like a surf lesson and boat journey, we nonetheless had a beautiful time, which is a testomony to Villa Avellana’s intensive facilities and unbelievable employees.
Picture Credit score: Amanda Breen. View from Villa Avellana’s seashore.
Any enterprise that strives to exceed customer expectations can study loads from Villa Avellana’s strategy.
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Learn on for an inside have a look at the property and the way its crew goes the additional mile to make visitors really feel at house and like something is feasible.
Enterprise lesson No. 1: Do not skimp on the main points — try to shock and delight
Upon arrival at Villa Avellana, visitors are greeted by identify, provided a hand towel and met with the delicate however serene scent of doTERRA essential oils wafting down the halls and from the bedrooms.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Ocean view king room with en suite toilet and personal balcony.
My husband and I stayed in one of many ocean view king rooms. Like all the rooms on the villa, ours featured an en suite toilet and personal balcony. The home, which sleeps as much as 18 adults and 5 youngsters, has three ocean view king rooms, two ocean view double queen rooms, 4 backyard view king rooms and one ocean view bunk room for the youngsters. Villa Avellana supplies visitors with every day housekeeping and a laundry service.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Ocean view king room with en suite toilet and personal balcony.
Within the evenings, after a day of exercise or lounging poolside with a spicy mezcal margarita, visitors come again to a relaxation-promoting amenity. A few of ours included an incense package full with sage, palo santo, selenite stone and a bird-carved lighter; therapeutic golden mud from Rincón de la Vieja Volcano for a face masks; and a collection of tea infusions.
Studying visitors’ names earlier than they step foot on the property and leaving facilities of their rooms each night may look like minor particulars, however they add as much as a serious impression: a sequence of surprise-and-delight moments that may imply the distinction between an excellent expertise and an unforgettable one.
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All companies would do nicely to do not forget that the little issues matter loads. Shock-and-delight components do not need to value loads of time or cash, however even minimal investments in them typically come again in spades.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Ocean view king room with en suite toilet and personal balcony.
Enterprise lesson No. 2: Be extraordinarily ready — however versatile
At Villa Avellana, meals cater to everybody’s dietary restrictions and preferences, due to the detailed questionnaire that visitors fill out earlier than arrival.
Costa Rican espresso was ready in a standard pour-over espresso maker known as a Vandola, and fresh-squeezed juices, pastries, toast and fruit had been out there within the kitchen every morning. Breakfast chef Michelle Brenes additionally provided every day specials like chilaquiles or French toast. Head chef David Moya’s lunch and dinner creations featured international classics with ingenious twists and contemporary native elements.
“Every little thing is in your time” was a standard chorus throughout our keep on the villa. Meals had been ideated and penciled into the schedule, however the employees was completely satisfied to ship breakfast to the rooms of non-early risers and seek the advice of our group to substantiate when a lunch or dinner seating made sense inside the remainder of the day’s plans.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Dinner served exterior.
The flexibility to plan fastidiously however pivot with intention was additionally on full show when the storm curtailed a number of of our scheduled actions.
With browsing and boating off the agenda, lead concierge Sergio Jaén helped set up a few spontaneous actions within the dwelling space, which nonetheless felt deliberate and significant. We loved a presentation by The Chocolate Master, Henrik Bodholdt, who mentioned cacao farming and helped us make our personal chocolate bars. We additionally heard from the director of Creciendo Juntos, Elsa Bonilla, who shared extra concerning the nonprofit group that helps elementary and excessive colleges within the communities surrounding Peninsula Papagayo.
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Companies, take word: Unexpected circumstances are a chance to showcase your preparation abilities — and show that nothing will cease you from giving shoppers a five-star expertise.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The dwelling space, that includes the inside eating area and kitchen.
Enterprise lesson No. 3: Rent nice folks with a expertise for constructing rapport
Villa Avellana’s bar, pool and outside eating and dwelling areas create one other oasis on the property. Regardless of the storm, delicate temperatures within the 70s allowed us to benefit from the coated outside area for a lot of our go to — and in good firm.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The bar, pool and outside eating and dwelling areas.
My husband and I loved chatting with meals and beverage supervisor Jose Murllio about Miami Vice cocktails and Costa Rica’s soccer crew. Bartender Tatiana Juarez generously invited my husband behind the bar to show him the way to make her daiquiri with aged rum and a guaro bitter. From Aneth Alvarez, I discovered about Costa Rican espresso and the method of getting ready it within the Vandola — she was even sort sufficient to offer us some beans to take house.
Freitag is a superb host with a talent for building rapport and establishing trust; he has a knack for making folks really feel like all the particulars are accounted for, even when sudden challenges come up, and with the storm, there have been loads of them. From displaying us round Peninsula Papagayo in less-than-ideal climate to serving to us navigate flight and resort choices amid quite a few cancellations, Freitag was all the time able to make the perfect of any state of affairs.
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These are just some of many examples of how Villa Avellana’s employees cultivates a really uncommon guest experience.
Companies ought to by no means lose sight of how essential it’s to assemble a team with a expertise for communication and relationship-building. Rent the suitable folks, and you may give your shoppers an expertise they cannot discover elsewhere.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Lap pool and jacuzzi.
Enterprise lesson No. 4: Pay attention for what’s not being mentioned — then go above and past
Villa Avellana strives to supply the holiday expertise of a lifetime. It is a lofty objective that not solely requires the distinctive readiness, flexibility, attention to detail and rapport talked about above but additionally the power to essentially hear what folks need after which execute it flawlessly.
Assembly expectations, even inordinately excessive ones, may be pretty easy when folks know what they need and do not hesitate to verbalize it. In fact, even when somebody is clear about their needs, it is tough to exceed expectations if the individual is, nicely, anticipating them to be fulfilled.
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Freitag says that a part of the job is to listen for what folks need however do not essentially ask for outright. For instance, if a visitor casually mentions to a different how cool it might be to see a whale, that is an opportunity to make the magic occur — take them out on the boat and spot a whale.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The media room.
Throughout our keep, when somebody within the group talked about how handy it might be to have a few of the selfmade chocolate chip cookies that had been within the kitchen downstairs nearer to the bedrooms upstairs, a plate of these cookies appeared on the desk within the media room. Later, when folks expressed curiosity in watching The Apprentice, a replica of the movie was positioned within the media room.
The lesson right here is an easy however essential one: Companies that take heed to their shoppers so intently that they hear what’s not being mentioned can surpass even the best expectations.
The Liberia airport was nonetheless closed when the rain let up, so our group drove to San Jose, the place we spent the night time earlier than catching our flight the subsequent morning.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. An exterior view from the seashore.
It was onerous to say goodbye to Villa Avellana, not solely as a result of the property is beautiful but additionally as a result of its employees created such a convivial ambiance: It is a spot the place visitors can belief that each one is taken care of — and calm down sufficient to have a trip they will bear in mind without end.