New luxury beach home on private 1/4 acre in natl park, meters to pristine beach

I'm Thom Gardner.

For years, my former partner, Shanda Kenyon, and I rented numerous homes in Palm Beach Estates, and were consistently disappointed by uncomfortably cheap, tiny mattresses, back-breaking rattan and foam furniture, concrete or tile floors that left our feet and joints aching at the end of the day, backyards with minimal privacy, pools that were not meant for swimming, low-end kitchen appliances, and plastic cookware. These concrete block homes absorbed the harsh daytime heat and released it back into the house all night long.

As a former realtor of 19 years, I set out to change all that with Casa Loto Azul, and designed it with elements from many of the finest homes I've represented in my business life. I brought in comfortable Serta mattresses and high-quality stainless kitchen appliances from the United States. All floors are farm raised teak wood, including on the terrace and covered deck, to alleviate those aching joints.

The home was constructed with steel beams and insulated to far exceed the standard R value here. Shanda, a truly creative mind, helped design custom teak and laurel cabinetry throughout, all featuring quartz countertops. I put in more security features than any other home in our area, in several layers. Shanda thoughtfully stocked Casa Loto Azul with real cookware and glassware, and quality linens that actually match. Enjoy large walk-in showers with rainheads, quality Lennox A/C units in each room, a treadmill, a pulley weight machine, and Selec-Tech dumbbells in the gym, along with comfortable furniture from the high-end local retailer, Casa y Mas. To top it off, the lot backs to protected jungle space.

It's just a two-minute walk to the beach via your choice of jungle trail or road, with secure front gates ensuring your privacy unless you are expecting someone. The layout includes one primary bedroom with a king sized bed, and two secondary bedrooms with queen sized beds- not doubles like you usually find here, all with attached bathrooms. There's a half bath in the upstairs gym, and the home is all on one level except for the gym and owner's lockout.

The living room features a 70-inch TV with Apple TV unit, and the primary bedroom has a 48-inch TV with Apple TV as well. Starlink internet with repeaters throughout. Ditch the sand with an outdoor beach shower, and you might even pick a banana, fig, or starfruit from one of the currently producing trees. And after trying to find someone who would do broken tile mosaics in the main entryways and at the beach shower, Shanda and I did them ourselves. We believe you’ll think we did a decent job!

Oh yes, there is that 40 foot (12.5m) lap pool, 4 foot 10” deep from end to end so you can stand with a drink in your hand and have a conversation, with a 28 foot long bench on one side, so you can also sit with a drink and have a conversation if you’d rather.

If you'd like to try to surf, there is a beginner's 7' 6" Foamie surfboard and a boogie board in the laundry room you are welcome to use, as well as two low beach chairs.

Palm Beach features three restaurants and bars right in the neighborhood, as well as a mini market, and in Playa Grande, a 3 minute drive, you have several more. For a larger beach tourist experience, Tamarindo is a 20 minute drive around the national park, or a 5 minute water taxi ride from the old Grateful Hotel site in Palm Beach, from 8 am to 5 pm.

This isn't just a vacation home- it's my primary residence. And now, it can be your luxurious home away from home like no other home in Costa Rica, as well. Booking now for Christmas through February,