Before Villas Espavel: what Boheme Chic was when we found it

 

After a tenuous week of having our wired funds lost in the international banking quagmire between the US and Costa Rica, we are finally Costa Rican property owners! We bought a beautiful property that is a 5-min walk to the beach and Sámara town. The property has a collection of sweet guest villas which the previous owner ran as Villas Boheme Chic.

In its new incarnation, Villas Boheme Chic will be renamed Villas Espavel, because Canuche and I are neither Bohemian, nor Chic. Instead we want the name of this beautiful destination to reflect the nature that makes it so special. The Espavel is an immense tree that stands guard over this property. 

The majestic Espavel tree is just the beginning of what makes this property magical. It sits at the bend of the small creek, Rio Lagarto. The creek wraps two sides of the property and beyond the creek rises the dry jungle of the Guanacaste with howler monkeys, slow iguanas and jewel colored birds. We are so thrilled to have found a location that is so connected to nature, feels so remote and yet is just a quick stroll from the beach and town.

While we love the property location as well as the bones of these sweet Mediterranean villas, we envision some major improvements. We will make the grounds more welcoming, take down the barbed wire separating guests from the river and convert the grounds from a thorny impenetrable jungle to a luscious and inviting place to swing in a hammock. Oh, and we want to get rid of every piece of plastic furniture on the premises.

As Villas Boheme Chic makes its transition to Villas Espavel, we will create more outside relaxation space that connects guests to the beautiful jungle. We will add shelves to unpack your clothes, beautiful wood furniture, bedside tables with reading lights, and energy efficient details like great ceiling fans and LED lighting. We can’t wait to see this transformation take place!

During the construction phase, we will add three new villas, Villa Palma, Casa Espavel and Villa Jardin, a gorgeous pool with jumping rocks, a treetop yoga space, and many more plants and trees. The first phase of remodeling the existing villas will be done in June 2016. We'll take a breath and then begin construction on phase II with the pool, yoga space, and new villas in July. Phase II construction should be complete by December 2016. We can’t wait to welcome guests to Villas Espavel and share this slice of paradise with you.

Here is Canuche’s sketch-up of the design. Isn’t that pool the coolest?

- Mercy

March 2016