Sapphire Residences sits on the Gulf of Papagayo in Playas del Coco, a gated community of Spanish-style apartment buildings arranged around tropical pools and a whirlpool. Residences come as one and two bedroom apartments with fully equipped kitchens, private balconies and verandas, in-residence laundry and complimentary WiFi, with reception and concierge service at the front and security staff on site around the clock. This is a European Plan stay, which means the apartment is yours and meals are not included, so breakfast is whatever you cook or whatever you find a couple of blocks away in town.

Playas del Coco is a five-minute walk from the door, and the town behind it is a walkable coastal town with seafood restaurants, bars and a casino within a few blocks. Snorkeling, scuba diving and catamaran cruises are all available in the area, while Guanacaste’s volcanoes, waterfalls and national parks lie inland, where monkeys and sloths are part of the scenery. Liberia’s Guanacaste International Airport is about twenty minutes away. Sunset over the Pacific is the local evening ritual, and the beach is the place most people watch it from.