Selva Boutique Resort - Costa Rica
Six hillside villas with private pools in Santa Teresa, from a honeymoon studio to a four-bedroom house
About this stay
Selva trades a beachfront address for a garden setting close enough to Santa Teresa Travels for an easy taxi ride and a short walk to Soda el artesano Santa Teresa for food when no one wants to cook. The outdoor pool sits at the center of the property, framed by the kind of dense planting the name promises rather than a token palm tree by the entrance, and rooms with kitchens suit longer stays or families cooking their own meals on their own schedule. Air conditioning matters here more than at breezier beachfront spots, since the garden setting blocks some of the coastal wind that keeps other properties naturally cool. The boutique scale keeps the pool and common areas from ever feeling crowded, even during Santa Teresa's busier surf season weeks when the town itself fills up fast.
- Six villas on a hillside in Santa Teresa
- Private or infinity pools in five of the six villas
- Villa Ebony: four bedrooms, yoga deck and barbecue
- Private chef on request; no restaurant on site
- Surf, horseback riding, zip-lining and ATV rentals arranged
- 9.6 guest score from 181 reviews
Our take
Selva Boutique Resort is six villas on a secluded hillside in Santa Teresa, 50 m north of Super Ronnys 2 on the Fuego Lodge road, a short walk from the beach. Each villa has its own character: Villa Ebony sleeps a group in four bedrooms with an infinity pool and a yoga deck, Villa Ivy has 180-degree glass walls, and Villa Ivory, at the highest point, is built for honeymooners. There is no restaurant; a private chef cooks in your villa on request. I would book it for families and friends who want a private pool and their own kitchen; skip it if you want a hotel bar and buffet. Guests rate it 9.6 across 181 reviews.
- ✓Groups should look at Villa Ebony, with four bedrooms, an infinity pool, a yoga deck and a barbecue, rather than several separate units.
- ✓Book the in-house private chef for at least one dinner: the resort has no restaurant, and it saves a drive into town.
- ✓Couples should ask for Villa Ivory, the honeymoon villa at the highest point of the property, but note that no pool is listed for it.
Why we love it
- Garden pool away from the crowds
- Kitchen access for longer stays
- Short taxi ride to Santa Teresa Travels
- Walkable to Soda el artesano Santa Teresa
Why guests love itSelva Boutique Resort suits families who want a house rather than a room. Villa Ivy has three bedrooms and a private pool, Villa Guanacaste sleeps six with an infinity pool and a private gym, and Villa Ebony takes a large family in four bedrooms with a barbecue. Rooms are air-conditioned and the villas have kitchens, so meals stay simple, and the resort arranges surf lessons, horseback rides, zip-lining and ATV rentals. Two cautions: private pools mean watching young children closely, and the hillside setting puts the beach a short walk away rather than at the gate. Guests rate it 9.6 from 181 reviews.