"Spoiling spa treatments in the hills Set seamlessly into the hillside above two beaches are whelk-shaped public spaces and seven low-level concrete blocks of rooms. Bamboo frames the floor-to-ceiling windows and walkways. Inside, it's all natural materials: wooden furniture, a huge tear-drop light inspired by a bird's nest, and a shower with a mosaic pebble wall and sliding doors that open onto the balcony. But it's the other details at Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort that add the funky factor. Wooden carts by the two pools form makeshift bars, painted with football emblems and stocked with Cacique Guaro liquor. Chao Pescao, the most fun of three restaurants, feels like it could be a real, rocking neighborhood joint. Have a traditional breakfast of gallo pinto (rice and beans) and then head to the spa where everything can be customized, from the ingredients in your organic scrub to your post-treatment tea." - Catherine Fairweather , Anna Prendergast, Juliet Kinsman
