The Perch — or "Posada de Pajaros" — is a spacious, airy, new home on a slice of mountainside hanging over the Buena Vista river. The sweep of the Pacific Ocean. Breezes are nearly constant. The views are varied and assertive. Iguanas peer back at you from treetops, troops of monkeys traipse overhead, and birds and butterflies sweep by in abundance. A place to relax, feel at home while away, and a basecamp from which to explore stunning Guanacaste.

The architect's vision for this house was that it would be like a tree-house/bird's nest, with breezes passing from all directions and providing a natural respite from the Guanacaste heat. This brand new house works just as intended — no matter what time of day, it is cool and inviting in the larger living room and the deck looking over the valley.

A pool with accompanying poolhouse provides shade and refreshment outside, while air-conditioned bedrooms provide privacy and quiet space. There's a brand new, separate cabana with a fourth bedroom/half-bath that converts to a ping-pong/recreation room.

We designed this house for friends and families to deeply relax together — views to enjoy together and gardens to relax in; a large kitchen to cook together in; and plenty of corners to spread people around when everyone needs a bit of space.

The house is completely private, and sits 6 kilometers/3.5 miles northwest of Samara. While the map shows an "airport" in the valley below the house, it is a grass runway with one or two gyrocopters a day.

DISTANCES: 10 minutes to Samara in the dry season (using the river-crossing shortcut); 23 minutes during the rainy season. 5 minutes to Playa Buena Vista. 10 minutes to the exquisite Playa Barrigona, and 25 minutes to Nosara.

The road from Samara up to the house, like many roads in Guanacaste, is rough. A 4x4 is recommended, or at least a high clearance 4x2 SUV. While the house has modern screens and door sweeps, like all houses in this part of Costa Rica you may see bugs, scorpions, snakes, ants or other critters.