Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas

Las Catalinas, an adorably tiny beach village set between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean on Costa Rica’s northwest coast, is that rarest of things: a new town. Planned by Douglas Duany, a noted professor of urban design and architecture, to accentuate views of the landscape, to eliminate the need for cars — and to leave most of the wilderness well enough alone, it’s the perfect venue for the second location of Casa Chameleon. The mini boutique chain, with a flagship location down the coast on the Nicoya peninsula, has a formula that works: spacious and sustainably built villas with private terraces, saltwater plunge pools, and hammocks with ocean views. They’ve repeated it at Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas, and it works at least as well as the first one.

The look is clean and modern, yet romantic enough for your honeymoon — it’s an adults-only hotel, after all. It’s ideal for a couple’s escape, though truth be told, you’d have a fine time alone in a suite or villa with its canopied king-sized bed, 480-thread count sheets, and a minibar stocked with artisanal Costa Rican snacks and drinks. Not to mention that infinity-edged plunge pool. All villas have carved wooden furniture, cool tile floors dotted with woven throw rugs, and large, light-filled bathrooms.

Should you need a little space from your traveling companion, soak up the pleasures of tropical paradise from one of Casa Chameleon’s public lounges and decks. There’s the central infinity pool and outdoor bar, also known as the place to be at sunset; come breakfast time, there’s the impressive smoothie bar at Sentido Norte, the hotel’s airy cliffside restaurant, which doubles as the venue for farm-to-table lunches and an ocean-to-table dinner menu. Meanwhile there’s plenty to see and do in Guanacaste. This spectacular outdoor landscape is the reason why most people come to Costa Rica, after all. But when you’re staying Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas — the newest hotel in a destination that was quite literally designed to please you — no one would blame you for staying put.