Costa Rica has always had the bones — towering rainforest, volcanic backdrops, coastlines that don't quit. What's changed is the caliber of stays that have grown up around all of it. Forget the dated eco-lodge aesthetic. The properties making waves right now are doing something more interesting: pairing serious design sensibility with genuine immersion in the landscape. Open architecture. Hardwoods that earn their place. Pools that blur into the horizon. We stayed at two of them, and they couldn't be more different — which is exactly the point.

Oxygen Jungle Villas

Uvita, Costa Rica

Perched high in a private nature reserve above the Pacific, Oxygen Jungle Villas is the kind of place that makes you question why you ever stayed anywhere else. Twelve adults-only villas — eight with ocean views, four looking into pure jungle — feature floor-to-ceiling glass on all sides, king four-poster beds, and private terraces where toucans and hummingbirds make regular appearances. The design philosophy is minimalist without being cold: contemporary furnishings that step aside and let the panorama do the talking.

The infinity pool, lined in green stone and hovering above the Pacific, is the undisputed centerpiece — Condé Nast called a dip in it an act of meditation, and they weren't wrong. Beyond the pool, the on-site restaurant Yaⱽdé pays homage to Costa Rica's indigenous roots through local organic ingredients and ancient cooking techniques, while the Diⱽ Shum Spa — set alongside a misty river inside a private jungle reserve — offers river spa treatments you genuinely cannot find anywhere else in the country.

For adventures beyond the property, the location is almost unfairly good: Marino Ballena National Park and its iconic Whale's Tail are practically in your backyard, and Corcovado — ranked the number one national park in the world — is a guided day trip away.

The vibe: Understated elegance. Where the jungle meets the sea, and nothing feels like it's trying too hard.Book at: oxygenjunglevillas.com