Whenever you spherical the ultimate bend within the highway 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 count on, 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, aside from 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.
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It is typical for a number of generations of a household to remain collectively at Villa Avellana, normal supervisor Thomas Freitag tells Entrepreneur. Teams of buddies have additionally taken up residence; the villa has even hosted a marriage too.
Naturally, folks spending greater than $100,000 on a trip may need some excessive expectations, together with the need for a variety 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 personal chef; spa providers 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 partnerships with native nonprofits — simply to call a couple of.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The treehouse retreat.
The villa’s proximity to the 4 Seasons Resort, Andaz Resort and the Clubhouse at Prieta Seaside can also be a draw, as visitors can make the most of day passes permitting entry to further eating places, facilities and providers.
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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 have 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 foul 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 experience, we nonetheless had a beautiful time, which is a testomony to Villa Avellana’s in depth facilities and unbelievable employees.
Picture Credit score: Amanda Breen. View from Villa Avellana’s seaside.
Any enterprise that strives to exceed buyer expectations can study quite a bit from Villa Avellana’s strategy.
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Learn on for an inside have a look at the property and the way its staff goes the additional mile to make visitors really feel at residence and like something is feasible.
Enterprise lesson No. 1: Do not skimp on the small print — try to shock and delight
Upon arrival at Villa Avellana, visitors are greeted by identify, provided a hand towel and met with the refined however serene scent of doTERRA important oils wafting down the halls and from the bedrooms.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Ocean view king room with en suite lavatory 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 lavatory and personal balcony. The home, which sleeps as much as 18 adults and 5 kids, 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 children. Villa Avellana offers visitors with every day housekeeping and a laundry service.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Ocean view king room with en suite lavatory 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 equipment 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 choice 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 significant affect: a sequence of surprise-and-delight moments that may imply the distinction between an awesome expertise and an unforgettable one.
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All companies would do properly to keep in mind that the little issues matter quite a bit. Shock-and-delight components do not need to value a number 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 lavatory 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 referred to as a Vandola, and fresh-squeezed juices, pastries, toast and fruit have been obtainable 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 world classics with ingenious twists and contemporary native components.
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“Every little thing is in your time” was a typical chorus throughout our keep on the villa. Meals have been ideated and penciled into the schedule, however the employees was joyful 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 rigorously 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 arrange a few spontaneous actions within the dwelling space, which nonetheless felt deliberate and significant. We loved a presentation by The Chocolate Grasp, 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 in regards to the nonprofit group that helps elementary and excessive colleges within the communities surrounding Peninsula Papagayo.
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Companies, take observe: Unexpected circumstances are a possibility to showcase your preparation expertise — and show that nothing will cease you from giving purchasers 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 out of doors eating and dwelling areas create one other oasis on the property. Regardless of the storm, gentle temperatures within the 70s allowed us to benefit from the coated out of doors area for a lot of our go to — and in good firm.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The bar, pool and out of doors 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 staff. Bartender Tatiana Juarez generously invited my husband behind the bar to show him the best 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 making ready it within the Vandola — she was even sort sufficient to present us some beans to take residence.
Freitag is a wonderful host with a ability for constructing rapport and establishing belief; 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 lodge choices amid quite a few cancellations, Freitag was at all times able to make the most effective of any scenario.
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These are just some of many examples of how Villa Avellana’s employees cultivates a very uncommon visitor expertise.
Companies ought to by no means lose sight of how necessary it’s to assemble a staff with a expertise for communication and relationship-building. Rent the suitable folks, and you will give your purchasers an expertise they can not 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 offer the holiday expertise of a lifetime. It is a lofty purpose that not solely requires the distinctive readiness, flexibility, consideration to element 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, could 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 troublesome to exceed expectations if the individual is, properly, anticipating them to be fulfilled.
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Freitag says that a part of the job is to pay attention 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 do-it-yourself chocolate chip cookies that have 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 duplicate of the movie was positioned within the media room.
The lesson right here is a straightforward however crucial one: Companies that hearken to their purchasers so carefully that they hear what’s not being mentioned can surpass even the best expectations.
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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 seaside.
It was exhausting 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 every one is taken care of — and chill out sufficient to have a trip they will keep in mind without end.
