Kura Design Villas
Uvita, Bahía Ballena, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Location
Uvita
On a mountain ridge above Marino Ballena National Park and the famous Whale's Tail sandbar, Uvita, on the South Pacific Whale Coast — reached up a dirt track, with a helipad for arrivals.
Transfer
A Uvita transfer
Around three hours by road from San Jose, SJO, or a domestic flight, then up a dirt track to the ridge — an on-site helipad serves direct arrivals.
Villas
Eight villas
Eight detached, glass-fronted one-bedroom villas, adults-only and capped at two guests each, with private terraces, double hammocks and ocean-view double rain showers — from Junior Suite Villas through Infinity Villas to a Master Suite of around a hundred and forty square metres with a private plunge pool.
Best For
Who it suits
Couples and honeymooners seeking design, seclusion and romance, adults only — a tiny eight-villa hideaway with a sixty-two-foot infinity pool over the Pacific, seasonal whale-watching from the water and serious eco credentials, in total privacy above the Whale Coast.
Board Basis
Bed & breakfast
A bed-and-breakfast base with an a-la-carte breakfast, free beach shuttles and guided meditation — one restaurant of Costa Rican fusion from organic, local produce, and an open-air bar over the Pacific.
Overview
A tiny adults-only design hideaway
Kura Design Villas is an eight-villa, adults-only hideaway on a mountain ridge above Uvita, gazing over Marino Ballena National Park and its famous Whale's Tail sandbar on the South Pacific Whale Coast. A sixty-two-foot infinity saltwater pool seems to pour straight into the Pacific, with humpback whales passing below it in season, and the eight detached, glass-fronted one-bedroom villas open to ocean-view double rain showers, double hammocks and private terraces, each capped at two guests, up to a Master Suite of around a hundred and forty square metres with its own plunge pool. Owned by an architect and a biologist, the resort pairs tropical-minimalist design with serious eco credentials — a salt and chemical-free pool, solar power, rainwater harvesting — and total seclusion, reached up a dirt track with a helipad for arrivals. One restaurant plates Costa Rican fusion from organic, local produce, the Kura Spa works facials, massage, wraps and scrubs, and free beach shuttles and guided meditation come with the bed-and-breakfast stay. San Jose is around three hours away, or a domestic flight — a couples', honeymoon and romance retreat for those who want design and quiet above the whales.
Accommodation
Villas
Eight detached, glass-fronted one-bedroom villas open to ocean-view double rain showers, double hammocks and private terraces, each adults-only and capped at two guests. They run from Junior Suite Villas through wider Infinity Villas to a Master Suite of around a hundred and forty square metres, the highest and most private, with its own plunge pool.
Entry
Junior Suite Villa
Sleeps two. A glass-fronted villa with ocean or rainforest views, double hammocks, an ocean-view rain shower and a private terrace.
Glass-frontedOcean view
Signature
Infinity Villa
Sleeps two. A larger villa with ocean views and an extra-wide sun terrace.
Ocean viewSun terrace
Top
Master Suite
Sleeps two. Around 140 square metres with premium ocean views and a private plunge pool — the highest and most private.
Plunge pool140 sqm
Food & Drink
Dining
One restaurant plates Costa Rican fusion from organic, local produce, with an open-air bar pouring cocktails over the Pacific and an a-la-carte breakfast taken with the ocean view. It is a bed-and-breakfast base, the kitchen small, seasonal and rooted in the coast below.
Signature
The restaurant
The restaurant, Costa Rican fusion, organic and local.
Bar
The open-air bar
The open-air bar, cocktails over the Pacific.
Breakfast
À-la-carte breakfast
An a-la-carte breakfast, with the ocean view.
Wellbeing
Kura Spa
The Kura Spa works facials, massage, wraps and scrubs, while the sixty-two-foot infinity saltwater pool runs to the edge of the ridge over the Pacific, an underwater sound system below the surface. Guided meditation on the ridge completes a quiet, adults-only wellness offer with the whales passing in season.
Kura Spa
The Kura Spa, massage and facials.
A 62-ft infinity pool
A sixty-two-foot infinity pool, saltwater, over the Pacific.
Guided meditation
Guided meditation, on the ridge.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
Whales, waterfalls and the Whale Coast define a stay — watch humpback whales from the pool in season, look down on the Whale's Tail sandbar, take a short trip to the Nauyaca Waterfalls, and surf or paddleboard the South Pacific. Rainforest hikes run from the ridge, with the pool the still centre of it all.
Humpback-whale watching
Humpback-whale watching, from the pool, in season.
The Whale's Tail
The Whale's Tail, the sandbar below.
Nauyaca Waterfalls
Nauyaca Waterfalls, a short trip inland.
Surf & SUP
Surfing and paddleboarding, on the South Pacific.
Rainforest hikes
Rainforest hikes, from the ridge.
Getting There
Location & transfers
By road
From San José (SJO)
Around three hours by road from San Jose International, or a domestic flight, then up to the ridge.
By air
Helipad
On a mountain ridge above the Whale's Tail, with an on-site helipad for arrivals.
Trusted by Travellers
What Our Clients Say
Read verified, independent reviews from our customers who booked their bespoke luxury holidays with us.
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- A bed-and-breakfast base, with free beach shuttles.
Adults only
- Adults only, two guests per villa.
Setting
- A ridge over the Whale Coast, in total seclusion.
Getting there
- Around three hours from San Jose, SJO.
Book This Property
Start Planning Your Kura Design Villas Stay
Your HighStreet specialist will respond within 2 working hours with a personalised quote and the best available rates — guaranteed.
1
Your holiday
2
Your details
3
Review
Step 1 of 2
Tell us about your stay
Dates, party size, villa preference and budget.
Dates & party
Date flexibility
Adults
2
Children
0
Budget & accommodation
Budget per person (flights + hotel)
£4,500
£500£50,000+
Villas Preference
Flights
You Might Also Consider
Other Costa Rica hotels you might consider
Costa Rica
Lapa Rios Lodge
Lapa Rios has anchored the Osa Peninsula since 1993 — a National Geographic Unique Lodge set in a 1,000-acre private rainforest reserve buffering Corcovado, at the point where the Pacific meets the Golfo Dulce. Seventeen open-air thatched bungalows climb the hillside above the beach, with outdoor showers, hammocks and scarlet macaws overhead. Stays are full-board with guided rainforest activities, an eco salt-water pool looks to the Pacific, and a deep conservation mission runs through everything.
Costa Rica
Nayara Tented Camp
Nayara Tented Camp raises around 29 luxury tents on stilts above Arenal Volcano National Park — one of the only luxury tented camps in Central America and a member of Leading Hotels of the World. Each tent has a private mineral-spring plunge pool, a freestanding soaking tub and a terrace facing the volcano. Sloths live in the reforested grounds, naturalist guides lead the rainforest, and Ayla serves Mediterranean plates over the Arenal view.
Costa Rica
Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa
Tabacón is built around Costa Rica's largest network of naturally-flowing thermal mineral springs — the region's only natural thermal river, heated by Arenal and winding through tropical gardens under the volcano. Some 105 rooms and suites range from garden views to rainforest-facing honeymoon suites with private thermal plunge pools, all with unlimited springs access. The Grand Spa treats in open-air rainforest bungalows, the adults-only Shangri-La Gardens hide the hottest pools, and Arenal's adventures wait beyond the gates.