A general manager with three decades in hotels thinks the future of luxury is not marble lobbies or thread counts — it's connection. Nazaret Carbonari, who leads Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique on Costa Rica's Pacific Papagayo coast, started out answering phones on a hotel switchboard and says the people-facing side of hospitality hooked her from day one. Now she runs a resort whose whole concept is built around Pura Vida: the Costa Rican ethos of slowing down and enjoying life.
Her take on modern luxury is a useful compass for anyone booking a high-end trip right now. Beautiful rooms are a given, she argues; what travellers actually remember are experiences they couldn't replicate anywhere else — coffee tastings, cooking alongside the resort's chefs, or a treatment in one of the spa's Treehouse Suites, where the forest is essentially the treatment room. The property itself is designed to fade into its setting: native, water-saving plants in the landscaping and buildings that follow the land's natural contours instead of flattening it.
If you only had 24 hours at the resort, Carbonari's advice is refreshingly simple: nature, flavour and wellbeing. Take in the setting, do one hands-on culinary experience, book a Treehouse Spa treatment — and then leave gaps in the schedule on purpose. Slowing down, she insists, is the point.
The resort's showpiece for groups is Estate 9, a five-bedroom, three-level private residence with roughly 10,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor space. It's aimed at families or friends travelling together who want the feel of a private villa without giving up hotel services. Two private pools, fire pits, expansive terraces, outdoor dining and chef's kitchen come standard, all with ocean views. The pitch: breakfast by the pool, sunset cocktails on the terrace and a private dinner, without ever leaving the residence — while the resort's restaurants, spa and activities sit a short stroll away.
Estate 9 guests also get a dedicated concierge who builds personalised itineraries and can bring private culinary, wellness or destination experiences directly into the house. For multi-generational trips or a milestone celebration, that villa-plus-resort model solves a common problem: everyone gets togetherness and privacy at the same time.
Why should a traveller care? Because Costa Rica's luxury hotel scene has boomed on the Papagayo peninsula, and properties are increasingly competing on depth of experience rather than gloss. A resort leaning into local food, coffee culture, nature-based wellness and genuine warmth is a good signal of where to spend your money — especially if your ideal holiday involves zip-lining or wildlife one day and a forest spa the next.
