FLORBLANCA RESORT


Resort Florblanca. Named for the white flowers of the frangipani trees that shade the beachfront property, this collection of simply luxurious villas ministers to body and soul. Each handsome villa has an outdoor Balinese-inspired bathroom and a sunken tub. There's a dojo for karate and yoga, a massage therapist, a music room, cable TV in a comfortable lounge, and an art and pottery studio. Two pools flow into each other in front of Nectar, the excellent alfresco restaurant which serves four-course gourmet dinners with inventive menus. Multi course breakfasts are lavish. Resident biologist guides lead horseback tours and nature walks into Cabo Blanco and snorkeling excursions in its surrounding waters.

This new resort hotel is hands down the most luxurious option in this neck of the woods, and one of the most luxurious and intimate hotels in the country. The individual villas are huge, with a vast central living area opening on to a spacious veranda. The furnishings, decorations, and architecture boast a mix of Latin American and Asian influences, with some African adornments thrown in for good measure. Most have views over the lush gardens to the sea. Every unit features a large open-air bathroom with a garden shower and teardrop-shaped tub set amidst flowering tropical foliage.