Private retreats · Peninsula Papagayo
A remarkable house. Your favorite people. Nine days that belong to you.
The first evening does not need a grand entrance. Someone is already in the pool. A glass arrives on the terrace. Beyond the trees, the Pacific is turning silver, and the people who normally need months of calendar coordination are all here. Dinner is at home tonight. So is breakfast tomorrow. There is time.
A fully serviced Costa Rica retreat brings the residence, its people and the wider country into one journey: breakfast prepared before a private yacht day, a helicopter departure for the rainforest, hot springs in a second destination, and a beautiful coastal home waiting when you return. The service is what lets you enjoy all of it without becoming the organizer.
We would build this retreat around eight adults, eight nights with The Hive reserved throughout, and an overnight escape to La Fortuna within those nine days. Four couples have private accommodation, a chef and service team look after the meals, dedicated chauffeured SUVs handle the coast, and private guides bring the forest and volcano country to life.
Plan around US$350,000–370,000 for the group. At the upper end of the festive-season residence market, roughly US$260,000 can go to the house alone. The rest funds a genuinely serviced stay and meaningful private experiences, including a helicopter journey that can exceed US$20,000 for the party. Here is what those days look like.
Plan your private Costa Rica retreat
Choose the house around the way you want to live
The Hive: a private world with room to come together
The Hive is our starting point for this Papagayo retreat. Its six en-suite bedrooms, ocean-facing living spaces, infinity pool and distinctive interiors make the home part of the experience. There are places to gather and places to disappear with a book. A gym, screening room, games area and spa space mean a day at the house has its own possibilities.
Eight adults are an intentional choice. The residence's indoor dining area seats eight, while the terrace seats ten. That creates a different kind of evening from a large celebration requiring an event dining installation: everyone at one table, conversation moving easily, and a chef's menu with room for individual preferences. We work through the actual bedroom and bed allocation before choosing the residence, rather than treating its maximum sleeping capacity as the ideal group size.
Bespoke Costa Rica can arrange the residence and coordinate the service around it: meals, drinks, treatments, outings and the celebration itself. We establish the selected meal plan and staffing from the beginning. The house's kitchens and dining spaces are the setting; the agreed reservation determines the hospitality delivered throughout the week.
Casa Las Olas: Four Seasons hospitality in a private residence
For a group that wants a resort-supported stay, Casa Las Olas is another exceptional direction. The six-bedroom Four Seasons residence overlooks Prieta Bay and has a 100-foot swimming pool, generous entertaining areas and a children's room with bunks. Its bed mix deserves close attention for an all-adult party; six bedrooms do not mean six equivalent couples' suites.
Choose this route when Four Seasons services, resort experiences and the residence's access arrangements are central to the holiday. We would build a separate proposal around that exact home and service plan. It offers a different answer to the same question: how can everyone enjoy a private retreat while having the wider peninsula within reach? Our Papagayo resort guide and Papagayo villa selection help distinguish those styles of stay.
A fully staffed residence, with the whole stay looked after
The luxury starts before breakfast. Coffee is ready, the table is set, towels are fresh and someone already knows what time your driver needs to be at the door. You choose how to spend the day; the team connects the house, the meals and the experiences.
A house manager, housekeeping and a concierge who holds the plan
Bespoke Costa Rica coordinates the residence's house manager, daily housekeeping and the service schedule around your group. Bedrooms and shared spaces are cared for while you are out, laundry and evening refreshes are arranged to the selected service plan, and the concierge stays ahead of arrivals, restaurant reservations, treatments and tomorrow's departure. The villa remains prepared for you while you spend a night in the rainforest.
Private chefs, servers and drinks without hosting duties
The dining program covers breakfast, lunches at home and chef-prepared dinners around the days away. We arrange the chef, servers, groceries and agreed drinks selection as one service: cocktails arriving by the pool, lunch appearing after a swim, a tasting-style dinner on the terrace, and a cleared table while the conversation continues. Menus follow your preferences, dietary requirements and the Costa Rican ingredients you want to explore.
For the celebration, add the touches that make the evening yours: a bartender, flowers, music, a photographer and a carefully paced dinner. The dining staff and event team coordinate with the property so you can be a guest at your own gathering.
Private SUVs with drivers, ready around your plans
Two chauffeured SUVs with driving and guiding support give an eight-person group flexibility. One car can leave for golf while another takes guests to the beach; a couple can return early without ending everyone else's outing. Bespoke Costa Rica reserves the vehicles and drivers around agreed daily service hours, airport arrivals and evening plans, with luggage space included in the choice of vehicle. We coordinate additional driving shifts when the day runs longer.
The ground team coordinates the driving and guiding support you want on the coast, while specialist naturalists add depth to the forest experiences. In La Fortuna, a local vehicle and private guide meet the flight so the service continues across destinations. Your naturalist helps you understand the forest, find wildlife and enjoy the outing at your own pace.
Days 1–2: arrive, exhale and let the place become yours
Day 1 · A welcome that works around your flights
Fly into Guanacaste Airport, Liberia, for the straightforward approach to Papagayo. Bespoke Costa Rica coordinates private pickups around the actual arrivals, with passenger and luggage space considered together. If friends land on different flights, they can arrive independently and still find the same welcome waiting at the house.
Keep the first meal generous and uncomplicated. Fresh fruit, something from the grill, a favorite drink and a table ready when you are. Guests arriving later should be able to eat comfortably without making the entire group wait for a formal dinner. We coordinate the kitchen and arrival schedule so the first evening feels like a holiday from the moment you reach the terrace.
Day 2 · Your first full day stays close to home
Take breakfast slowly. Swim, read, or have a quiet workout before anyone needs to decide what the day is for. Later, arrange a beach-club visit or a nearby beach outing with the access and transfers established in advance. The appeal is having a beautiful residence to return to, not spending the first day learning its logistics.
At sunset, ask the bartender to build the evening around the group's tastes. A light early dinner may suit some guests; others will want to linger. This is also the moment to settle the week's small preferences with the concierge: coffee timing, dining pace, dietary needs and who likes an early start.
Day 3: make the Pacific your shared living room
A private yacht day changes the perspective on the peninsula. The house disappears into the trees, the coastline opens out, and the group has a different place to be together. Choose a substantial crewed yacht for shaded seating, comfortable bathrooms, lunch on board and space for guests who would rather watch the water than spend the whole day in it.
We would favor a full day over squeezing the experience into a quick sunset departure. There is time to cruise, choose a suitable swimming stop with the captain, eat without rushing and settle into conversation. A 105-foot Azimut is one option in the Guanacaste charter market; the final vessel is chosen around its actual operating location, layout and the day you want.
Bespoke Costa Rica coordinates the charter, embarkation transfer, catering and return. Lunch on board gives the day an unhurried center, with shaded seating and drinks ready between swimming stops. We plan the route and return around the group, then coordinate an easy supper at the residence for the evening.
Let dinner at home be easy afterward. The great luxury is not having another reservation to make. Explore the possibilities in our Costa Rica yacht and marina guide.
Days 4–5: a private helicopter journey into volcano country
Day 4 · From your coastal residence to the rainforest
Breakfast looks out over the Pacific; by afternoon, the view has changed to rainforest and Arenal. This is the excursion that gives the retreat a second world without asking you to dismantle your coastal stay. Leave the main luggage at The Hive and take a light overnight bag. Your rooms, the villa team and the rest of the holiday remain in place.
Bespoke Costa Rica coordinates pickup at the villa, the connection to an operator-approved landing area, the helicopter flights and the reception in La Fortuna. For eight adults, we plan two appropriately configured helicopters or the operator's suitable group arrangement, with passenger weights and overnight bags considered together. The experience is private from the villa door through to the receiving hotel.
At this scale, the return helicopter journey can be a US$20,000-plus part of the retreat. We budget about US$26,000 for the group's outbound and return flying program, with the final aircraft, positioning and landing arrangements priced for the journey. A scenic coastal loop and a two-destination overnight mission are different experiences; this itinerary includes the latter.
Four private rooms, warm water and a different kind of evening
Nayara Tented Camp is one direction we would explore for the rainforest stay: four private tents for four couples, each with a hot-spring-fed plunge pool and a terrace that makes an afternoon at the hotel part of the adventure. The Springs is another option when expansive hot springs and a resort setting suit the group. We choose the hotel and room category around the travel dates and the required overnight booking terms.
After landing and the private hotel transfer, keep the afternoon beautiful rather than busy. Lunch, warm water, time on your own terrace, then a reserved dinner. A naturalist-led night walk can add a completely different encounter with the forest for guests who want it, while others enjoy a longer dinner or an early night.
Day 5 · A private forest morning, then home to Papagayo
Start with breakfast and a private guide. Choose one main experience: the hanging bridges with a naturalist, a volcano-country walk, or a wildlife outing focused on the animals you most want to see. A good guide gives you time to look through a scope, notice birds in the canopy and understand the landscape. Coffee and chocolate can become the alternative for guests who prefer a gentler morning.
After lunch, return by helicopter to the coast, where your SUVs complete the connection to the villa. The house team has the evening ready: fresh rooms, drinks, a light supper and no luggage to unpack beyond the overnight bag. You have slept in the rainforest and come back to the same beautiful home.
Our La Fortuna luxury itinerary explores the destination in more depth; our helicopter experiences guide explains other ways to connect the country. We choose the flying day with the operator around weather and daylight and keep ground transport available as the practical alternative.
Day 6: let the fully serviced villa become the whole destination
There is a temptation to justify a large budget by filling every hour. Resist it. A private residence of this caliber deserves a day when the pool, the terrace and the people in the house are enough.
Arrange treatments in a sequence that allows everyone to enjoy them, rather than announcing eight massages at once in a single treatment room. Others can use the gym, watch a film, play a game or settle into a shaded corner. Lunch can be the day's anchor: a relaxed table, local seafood or a menu built around the group's preferences, and no need to leave when the plates are cleared.
For guests who want movement, add a separate golf morning or guided activity on the peninsula. Confirm the applicable access and reservation arrangements for the chosen residence. Those staying home should feel they have chosen something equally worthwhile.
Bespoke Costa Rica can coordinate therapists, private instruction and meal service with the house team. We plan the practical details discreetly: treatment spaces, setup, privacy, dietary requirements and enough time between appointments. Comfort comes from getting those details right before the day begins.
Prefer cloud forest? Make Monteverde the overnight escape
Monteverde gives the retreat a different contrast: cooler air, mist moving through the trees, a private forest walk and a quiet evening after the day visitors leave. It can replace the Arenal overnight when the group is more drawn to birdlife, cloud forest and coffee than to volcano views and hot springs.
Bespoke Costa Rica coordinates the helicopter routing to an approved arrival point, the local ground connection, private guiding and the overnight accommodation as one journey. Monteverde Lodge is an option in our collection, with forest-facing accommodation and El Jardín restaurant. We select the actual room mix and service around the group rather than assuming four identical suites.
A morning in Curi-Cancha or another reserve with a private naturalist can become the highlight. Plan a return to the villa with enough daylight for the flight and time to enjoy the coast again. The helicopter and hotel are priced as a replacement for the Arenal escape, preserving the rest of the retreat.
For a shorter change of scene, we can instead organize a private Guanacaste nature day around Las Pailas at Rincón de la Vieja or Oropéndola Waterfall. The choice follows the group's interests and pace; you do not need all three destinations to have an exceptional trip.
Days 7–9: a celebration, an open day and a gentle goodbye
Day 7 · The evening everyone came to share
Give the main dinner its own day. A morning swim, a long lunch and time to dress are better preparation than returning exhausted from a demanding excursion. The celebration can be an anniversary, a birthday, a family toast or simply the rare pleasure of being together.
Start with the person, then choose the production. A favorite menu, a beautiful table, flowers, a musician during cocktails and a photographer for part of the evening can feel deeply personal. For a livelier event, Bespoke Costa Rica can coordinate professional entertainment with a suitable venue and the property's event arrangements. The evening should fit the house as well as the occasion.
We plan who serves, who clears, where performers set up and how the evening moves between cocktails, dinner and speeches. You should be able to sit at your own celebration. The chef and service team look after the table while you enjoy the people around it.
Day 8 · Leave one beautiful day unclaimed
Let breakfast run late. Return to a favorite beach, book another treatment, or stay in the pool until lunch. The best final day often repeats something everyone loved instead of introducing another ambitious excursion. Leave room for the conversations that did not fit around the earlier plans.
Day 9 · Depart without dismantling the morning
After eight nights, private airport transfers follow the actual flight schedule. Some guests can leave early while others enjoy breakfast. We coordinate checkout, luggage and separate departures, with a realistic margin for the airport. There is no need to make the last breakfast feel like moving day for everyone at once.
What a fully serviced retreat around $350K includes
For eight adults over nine days, with the coastal villa reserved for eight nights and one of those nights spent in the rainforest, plan around US$350,000–370,000 for the group. This includes the service and the experiences described here, with the exact proposal built around your dates and chosen residence.
Eight nights at the private residence: approximately US$261,000 including accommodation tax. The villa stays reserved during the overnight away. You keep your rooms, leave the main luggage in place and return to the same home.
Private helicopter journey for the party: approximately US$26,000. The planning budget covers the outbound and return group flying program, sized for eight adults and overnight bags, with the final route and aircraft arrangement coordinated by the operator.
Four rooms for the rainforest overnight: approximately US$10,000. We select the hotel, room categories and minimum-stay terms around the travel period. An extended rainforest stay is repriced before the itinerary is confirmed.
Private dining, food, drinks and meal service: approximately US$24,000. The service plan covers chefs and servers for the selected meals, groceries and an agreed drinks selection, with the villa, rainforest hotel and yacht dining coordinated together.
Two private SUVs with driver-guide service across the coastal program: approximately US$14,200. This provides separate movements and planned ten-hour daily service rather than a few isolated transfers. Additional shifts and the local Arenal vehicle service are arranged around the actual itinerary.
A substantial crewed yacht day: approximately US$8,000. The selected charter includes the agreed onboard catering, with departure point, positioning and boat choice established before booking.
Arenal private guides, experience admissions and destination connections: approximately US$3,500. This supports the selected rainforest experiences and local arrangements beyond the flights.
Wellness treatments: approximately US$2,500. Celebration styling, photography and private entertainment: approximately US$6,000. The event production follows the evening you want, the venue and the chosen performers.
Those components come to approximately US$355,000. The wider US$350,000–370,000 range gives the planning context for changes in dates, aircraft, room categories and service choices. The proposal shows the accommodation, staffing, meals, experiences and transport together, with included residence services recognized in the total.
The budget covers the Costa Rica retreat described here. International flights or international private-jet charter, insurance, discretionary gratuities, premium wine upgrades and additional experiences outside the agreed program are separate. Tell us the hospitality and experiences you want first; we will build the complete stay around them.
Tell us who you want to bring together
Start with the people, possible dates and occasion. Tell us how many private bedrooms you need, which experiences excite the group and what would make the stay feel personal. A particular meal, a favorite kind of music, quiet mornings or a shared interest can shape the retreat more usefully than a long list of luxury amenities.
Bespoke Costa Rica can coordinate the residence, private transportation, dining, yacht charter, guided experiences and celebration as one stay. Our large-group villa guide covers a different format if your guest list grows; our birthday guide explores the celebration itself.
For this retreat, the ambition is simple: an extraordinary place to live for a while, exceptional moments outside it, and enough time together for the trip to mean something.
Design your $350K Costa Rica retreat