Casa Chameleon Mal Pais

For some of us, the words “Costa Rican boutique villas” are more or less all that’s needed. Throw in “Pacific coast” and “Nicoya peninsula” and the chance that you still need convincing drops by half again. For the rest of you, the short version: Costa Rica, one-time low-budget backpackers’ haven, has expanded its upscale offerings, and a place like Casa Chameleon Mal Pais is the perfect venue for acquiring some first-hand knowledge of this trend.

So, to the point: you get your own plunge pool. You get a terrace, you get a hammock. Those basically make the decision by themselves, but we’ll continue for the sake of formality. Each villa spreads itself out in sun-kissed flagstones and patterned textiles, content and divinely comfortable in a manicured bed of tropical flora; keep the doors open so it’s the first thing you see when you wake from your canopied king bed. Each comes with an ocean view and its natural companion, a hammock, plus the option of in-villa dining and spa treatments. No judgment for skipping out on anything, least of all the aimless nap-dotted afternoon you came here for.

But getting up and exploring is well worth the effort — for the open-kitchen restaurant, firstly, but also to loll about next to the waterfall in the main pool. Then there’s the rest of the peninsula: the white-sand-meets-jungle beaches, which regularly top best-of lists, and where the flocks of surfers come to ply their sport in its ideal remote setting. Mal País, the neighboring fishing and farming village, remains fortunately insulated from the critical mass of tourists. Get yourself an ATV, as the locals do, and get exploring already.