At This New Resort in Costa Rica, the Hydrotherapy Comes With Ocean Views

Stay Here For

Privacy and tranquility, with impressive food and beverage, and a natural soundtrack courtesy of tropical birds and rambunctious howler monkeys.

The nine properties in Ritz-Carlton’s ultra-luxe Reserve collection share certain qualities, chief among them the sense of peace that washes over you as soon as you enter them. It happens the moment you step through the welcome casita at Nekajui, the second newest Reserve, and into a cobblestone plaza anchored by a majestic ceiba tree.

The feeling is by design. The stunning location (between two sapphire bays on a forested ridgeline of Costa Rica’s Papagayo Peninsula), intimate key count (107) and spacious accommodations (starting at 872 square feet) make it seem more like a personal estate than a resort—but with all the amenities you’d expect at a property of Ritz-Carlton Reserve’s level. The diversity and skill of the restaurants and bars impress, and the spa feels like its own little village within the property. But it’s the deeper, almost spiritual undercurrent that enhances the tranquility at Nekajui, which means “lush garden” in the language of the Indigenous Chorotega people who once inhabited this stretch of Pacific Costa Rica. Their ancestral arts, crafts and traditions root this resort in place, layering in storytelling and soul.

That ceiba, for example, carries sacred resonance, and a dramatic chandelier modeled on its root system illuminates Cooper’s, the underground speakeasy. Juanilama, a citrusy medicinal verbena, scents the serene Spa and Wellness Center, and the aroma of locally grown, delicately roasted geisha beans draws you into Café Rincón, the kind of coffee shop you wish you had at home. Nekajui takes every opportunity to remind you: This is not Mexico, this is not Panama or Colombia, this is very intentionally and authentically Costa Rica.

You’ll feel restored by grand gestures and fine-tuned details that engage all the senses. There are panoramic ocean views and vivid Latin American art to gaze at, gracious lawns and warm sand to feel under your feet, poetic cocktails at five bars (all with distinct identities and menus) and vibrant ceviches to taste. The guests (honeymooners, empty nesters, more families than you might expect) seem to drift through the property—across the suspension bridge, through the café, between the terraced pools—permanently blissed out. Don’t call it a wellness resort, but at Nekajui, there’s definitely something healing in the air.

The Essentials

The Rooms

From single-bed accommodations to private villas, each guest room zeroes in on warm, calming tones and traditional patterns.

Natural materials—black stone bathrooms, cane wicker cabinet doors, terrazzo floors, warm cinnamon woodwork carved with traditional Chorotegan patterns—give Nekajui’s 107 guest rooms a stylish vibe that’s earthy but not crunchy. Extra-large baths with shower-and-tub wet rooms (including a ceramic crock of juanilama-scented bath salts) come standard, with features like saltwater plunges and comfy sectionals added on as you ascend through the categories.

For extra space to spread out, book in the suite category: Ocean Reserve Suite, Ocean Vista Suite, Casona Suite or (our personal favorite) Gran Casona Suite. They all have large living rooms with comfy sectionals and coffee tables, and the Casonas in particular offer the most residential feel (without your having to book one of the actual villa residences, which top out at a 10-bedroom estate enveloped in the forest canopy).

The Bars and Restaurants

The number, diversity and quality of Nekajui’s food-and-beverage offerings are seriously impressive for a resort with only 107 rooms. The culinary team here goes deep: roasting coffee and cacao in-house at Café Rincón; sourcing Wagyu from a nearby rancher for dinner at the Peruvian restaurant, Puna; and crafting distillates from mango leaves and white chocolate in the cocktail lab for Cooper’s speakeasy. The various drinks programs—each outlet has its own bespoke menu—are especially thoughtful, from the fresh and spritzy cocktails at the tree house–like Ámbar to the heritage-influenced elixirs at Casona Bar, which serves as the resort’s living room lounge.

Some of the restaurants are chameleons, changing day to night (Mirador for breakfast becomes Puna for dinner) and, like nesting dolls, shelter concepts within concepts. The door to Cooper’s hides behind the host desk at Puna, which also includes Paruro, a separate six-seat counter where the multicourse tasting draws inspiration from the Asian-influenced Nikkei and Chifa cuisines of Peru. For lunch without having to move from your lounger, there’s Brisa by the main pool and Iberian-accented Niri Beach Club down on the sand. The latter’s wood-burning grill keeps going for dinner service. Did you expect the best pan con tomate outside Barcelona to be on a remote bay in Costa Rica? Of course not, but Nekajui loves subverting expectations of what a beach resort can do on the food-and-beverage front.

The Standout Feature

All guests are invited to take a dip at the Spa and Wellness Center pool.

The Spa and Wellness Center’s 90-foot-long outdoor pool has wellness toys like jetted hydrotherapy alcoves, but it’s also just an amazing place to hang out all day—no spa booking necessary. Of the resort’s four pools, this offers the largest hydrotherapy circuit in Latin America, with the best ocean view, and it feels like no one even knows it’s there.

The Location

A majority of the region surrounding Nekajui is conserved land, with a handful of resorts dotting the shores—it’s easy to break free from civilization.

Seventy percent of the Papagayo Peninsula, located an hour west of Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR), is conserved land, with only three luxury resorts (including Nekajui) and an archipelago of villas calling the 1,400 acres home. So there’s ample opportunity for exploring in the forested valleys and mangrove lagoons just beyond Nekajui’s gates, while an hour south, the laid-back towns of Playa Hermosa and Playas del Coco hum with cafés, breweries and beach boutiques.

The Time to Go

Count on high heat and humidity regardless of whether you travel during the dry (December through May) or rainy (June through November) season. Visitors at the end of the dry season might be surprised by how toasty brown Costa Rica’s Pacific coast looks. For the lush jungle fantasy, go right after the winter holidays.

The Vibe

There’s always something to see just beyond the shore, such as the neighboring Bahía Huevos, which is known for its snorkeling and sea caves.

What are people drinking? Everyone is sipping exquisite coffee, sourced from small Costa Rican co-ops and best brewed by Café Rincón’s talented baristas in a sapphire earthenware drip-pot modeled on precolonial Chorotegan pottery.

The perfect spot for your social media post: Ámbar is one for the memory books—the tented, 19-seat lounge suspended over the hillside is especially scenic during sunset.

The secret spot everyone’s talking about: Head to the cave at the end of Nekajui’s beach, Playa Pochote. It’s pinched between two bays, so when the tide starts to rise, water rushes into the semicircular rock passageway dramatically from both sides. Watch the tides and explore with caution.

The story you’ll tell everyone when you get home: You won’t stop talking about how you saw more monkeys than people at this intimate resort. Four species of primate call the Costa Rican forest home: the mantled howler, white-faced capuchin, squirrel monkey and long-limbed spider monkeys.

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