Meaning “Whale House” in Spanish, Villa Ballena certainly lives up to its name, boasting nearly 5000 square feet of space to enjoy rain or shine. As you enter the home, your eyes are immediately drawn to the grand 50-feet high foyer, illuminated with natural light, featuring a striking blue accent wall made from Venetian Stucco, and showcasing a glass and steel staircase—a testament to the homes sophisticated, contemporary architecture. This space is crowned with a large ceiling fan hanging from a teak-wood accent panel with natutal-lighting for the ultimate in first impressions. Villa Ballena was built to connect a polished designer home with the “Pura Vida” beach lifestyle. The downstairs is devoted to family fun, featuring a professional grade foosball table, a 86-inch flatscreen TV, an oversized sectional for movie nights, and a wet bar with beverage cooler. Just off this first-floor family room is an epic bunkbed room for young kids and teenagers alike. This space sleeps eight, features single-over-queen sized bunk beds (each with their own reading lights, charging stations, and built-in storage), and has a fun en-suite bathroom with two showers and a three-sink vanity. This family family space opens via sliding glass doors that lead to a large covered patio, complete with an outdoor wet bar with quartz countertops, blond teak cabinets and a second flat-screen TV; the stunning pool with two water features, a separate jacuzzi tub for eight, a pool1/2 bathroom; seating areas in both sun and shade, and floating steps that lead to the resort-style poolside lounge chairs with umbrellas. This lovely space is surrounded by tropical plants, an outdoor shower as you come in from the beach side, and a raised paver platform underneath a beautiful almond tree to relax in the shade and to witness some of the most amazing sunsets Mother Nature can offer. While the fun is happening downstairs, the more refined entertaining area is on the second level, which serves as the heart of the home and has simply jaw-dropping ocean views from every corner. Here you have a chef’s kitchen with solid teak upper cabinets and classy charcoal grey lower cabinets, built-in, professional series stainless steel appliances, a double-oven, a breakfast bar, a striking quartz countertop island with two waterfall edges, and a separate wine fridge and bar. This space opens beautifully to a formal sitting area for four; the dining area with seating for 10 around a show-stopping solid table made from one piece of authentic Guanacaste wood; and the living room, with a comfortable sectional sofa and flat screen TV. All of these spaces open via large, sliding glass doors to a huge covered terrace, with additional outdoor seating for ten, a built-in Bull branded grilling station, a beautifully tiled accent wall with succulent garden, and absolutely stellar views of the waves crashing on the beach and the islands in the distance. There is also bedroom is conveniently located on this main level for those with limited mobility, and another bedroom on the third floor that comes complete with its own en-suite bath and a private balcony with a canopy view. Villa Ballena also comes with dualing principle bedrooms, each with their own professional color palette, coffered ceilings with soft back-lighting, and large individual balconies with glass railings to see those phenomenal views of the ocean, the famous Las Catalinas islands, and even the new Flamingo Marina in the harbor. Both principle en-suite bathrooms feature dual vanities, water closets, solid blond teak cabinetry, upper transom windows to allow natural light, and showers with oversized quartz tile accented by black fixtures and matching shower recesses. This home also comes with automatic blinds, a top-of-the-line water filtration system, a carport, and an oversized one-car garage. In addition to being beachfront, this home is walking distance—along the beach—to all area restaurants and shops, to the local fruit stand for fresh produce daily, to the community hub of the ever popular Costa Rica Sailing Center, and to the new Flamingo Marina with its high-end shopping and restaurants. Playa Potrero is reminiscent of a beloved 1950’s beach town. It has approximately15-20 great coffee shops, beachfront bars and restaurants; a popular local brewery; fresh fruit markets; and unique boutique hotels. While it is a rapidly growing tourist destination for those who have discovered this perfect place in paradise (and the new new nearby Flamingo Marina), the town also has a strong sense of local community among those long-term residents, who have moved here to enroll their children in the nearby top-notch private schools or to simply enjoy the laidback beach lifestyle. Villa Ballena will also be attractive to our investor clients, with its ability to serve as a lucrative vacation rental, it’s prime location just steps away from the new and luxurious Flamingo Marina, which still has substantial future growth planned, and the fact that it is fully titled beachfront property—a distinction of which only 3% of Costa Rica’s beachfront property can have. Whether this home is used as a temporary getaway for family and friends, a legacy beachfront home to enjoy and pass down for generations, or strictly as an investment property, Villa Ballena is sure to surpass all expectations.
