Villa Caletas

A Greek-style amphitheater with columns sits on a Costa Rican clifftop a thousand feet above the Pacific, which tells you something about the vision here. Villa Caletas is a French-inflected hillside resort that skips the thatched-roof playbook entirely, mixing contemporary design with colonial antiques. Villas and suites run toward plunge pools and jacuzzi views; the basic rooms are comfortable without pretending otherwise. Pack walking shoes: the layout is all stairs, no elevator.