Mint — Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Beach-lovers and surf hounds have long favoured the wild beauty of Costa Rica for their annual dose of sun and sea. The arrival of the bijou, adults-only Mint Santa Teresa hotel is just the excuse we need to block out some dates for our summer retreat.
Terraced into the side of a steep hill with sparkling views of the Pacific Ocean, the four-bedroom property is the work of Benjamin Garcia Saxe, his Costa Rica office ably creating a series of interlocking all-white pavilions that seamlessly blend Greek architectural influences and Scandi-minimalism with locally-sourced materials such as caña brava grass and carved timber furniture.
Each room features a rooftop terrace – the sun held at bay by a sail-shade – which is furnished with rattan furniture made in Sarchí, a Costa Rican town noted for its craftsmanship. From every vantage point, the eye is drawn towards the distant horizon though the architects have thoughtfully framed the whole against both manicured landscaping and the wilder hillside tropical foliage.
The communal lounge area and infinity pool make for great social mixers, though the diversions are equally tempting, including nature trails on horseback, exploring Montezuma, and kayaking to nearby Cabo Blanco for the sunrise.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
100 metres east of Fercosta,
Santa Teres
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Six Indian artists reframe the ladies compartment of a Mumbai local train
An exhibition by Method (India) at Galerie Melike Bilir in Hamburg explores a gendered space
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s The Fountainhead – a shining example of Usonian design – is now on the market
This quintessential Wright home – built in a vibrant mid-century neighbourhood – was named after a novel inspired by the architect
-
The best over-ear headphones, tested by experts
This round up of the best over-ear headphones reveals how leading products from Apple, Bose, Focal, Sennheiser, and Sony matched up when we put them to the test
-
Suitree Experience Hotel invites stays above the treetops in Costa Rica
Suitree Experience Hotel by Studio Saxe is a Costa Rican retreat for elevated stays
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico
-
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland
-
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
-
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
-
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
-
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China
-
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France