I Stayed At A Luxury Villa That Costs Over $20,000 A Night. Take A Look Inside — And Learn Its Secrets For Surpassing High Expectations.

When you accusation nan past crook successful nan roadworthy and spot Villa Avellana, a 10-bedroom residence located connected Costa Rica's Peninsula Papagayo, it's arsenic if nan location is expanding retired of Guanacaste's northbound Pacific scenery itself. Designed by Sarco Architects, nan spot sits successful a gated vicinity incorrect a gated statement and boasts overmuch than 33,000 quadrate feet of indoor-outdoor surviving abstraction and 3 acres of black-sand beachfront. It too comes pinch a 42-foot yacht and 20-person staff.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana

As 1 mightiness expect, nan all-inclusive, full-buyout property, which officially opened to guests successful August 2023, comes pinch a premium, season-dependent worth tag. Nightly rates pinch a five-night enactment petition are $22,000 from May 1 to November 18 and $32,000 from November 19 to April 30, pinch nan objection of nan "festive season." The 2nd spans from November 20 to November 27, past December 20 to January 4, and costs $40,000 a nighttime pinch a minimum enactment of 7 nights.

Related: I Went connected a $75,000 Luxury Air Cruise for 22 Days. Here's a Peek Inside nan Over-the-Top Travel Experience Unlike Any I've Had Before.

It's emblematic for aggregate generations of a family to enactment together astatine Villa Avellana, wide caput Thomas Freitag tells Entrepreneur. Groups of friends personification too taken up residence; nan villa has moreover hosted a wedding too.

Naturally, group spending overmuch than $100,000 connected a picnic mightiness personification immoderate precocious expectations, including nan desire for a scope of amenities and activities suitable for each ages, interests and abilities.

Villa Avellana delivers connected that, and past some: world-class meals crafted by a backstage chef; spa services and yoga classes successful nan treehouse retreat; swimming and spear sportfishing successful nan warm, calm Prieta Bay; golf, value tours, ziplining and upland biking crossed nan peninsula; and activity projects done partnerships pinch conception nonprofits — conscionable to punishment a few.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The treehouse retreat.

The villa's proximity to nan Four Seasons Resort, Andaz Resort and nan Clubhouse astatine Prieta Beach is too a draw, arsenic guests tin return advantage of clip passes allowing entree to further restaurants, amenities and services.

Related: Going connected a Family Vacation? This Popular U.S. Destination Is nan Most Expensive successful nan World.

My hubby and I had nan opportunity to acquisition Villa Avellana arsenic information of a mini spot group successful November. We were expected to beryllium location for 3 nights, but a seasonally uncharacteristic tropical ample upwind and consequent airdrome closure doubled nan magnitude of our enactment (spoiler alert: it wasn't a bad spot to beryllium stuck).

Although nan dense rains prevented america from enjoying immoderate of nan weather-dependent activities connected nan agenda, for illustration a surf instruction and alloy ride, we still had a awesome time, which is simply a testament to Villa Avellana's extended amenities and unthinkable staff.

Image Credit: Amanda Breen. View from Villa Avellana's beach.

Any business that strives to transcend customer expectations tin study a batch from Villa Avellana's approach.

Related: 5 Life-Changing Customer Service Secrets You Can Learn From Five-Star Hotels

Read connected for an incorrect look astatine nan spot and really its squad goes nan different mile to make guests consciousness astatine location and for illustration point is possible.

Business instruction No. 1: Don't skimp connected nan specifications — strive to astonishment and delight

Upon beingness astatine Villa Avellana, guests are greeted by name, offered a manus towel and met pinch nan subtle but serene scent of doTERRA basal oils wafting down nan halls and from nan bedrooms.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Ocean position king room pinch en suite bath and backstage balcony.

My hubby and I stayed successful 1 of nan h2o position king rooms. Like each of nan rooms astatine nan villa, ours featured an en suite bath and backstage balcony. The house, which sleeps up to 18 adults and 5 children, has 3 h2o position king rooms, 2 h2o position double queen rooms, 4 crippled position king rooms and 1 h2o position bunk room for nan kids. Villa Avellana provides guests pinch regular housekeeping and a laundry service.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Ocean position king room pinch en suite bath and backstage balcony.

In nan evenings, aft a clip of activity aliases lounging poolside pinch a spicy mezcal margarita, guests recreation backmost to a relaxation-promoting amenity. Some of ours included an incense kit complete pinch sage, palo santo, selenite chromatic and a bird-carved lighter; curen aureate mud from Rincón de la Vieja Volcano for a look mask; and a action of beverage infusions.

Learning guests' names earlier they measurement ft connected nan spot and leaving amenities successful their rooms each evening mightiness look for illustration insignificant details, but they adhd up to a awesome impact: a bid of surprise-and-delight moments that tin mean nan value betwixt a awesome acquisition and an unforgettable one.

Related: Delighting Customers Is nan Secret Sauce of Successful Management

All businesses would do bully to retrieve that nan mini things matter a lot. Surprise-and-delight factors don't personification to costs a lot of clip aliases money, but moreover minimal investments successful them often recreation backmost successful spades.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Ocean position king room pinch en suite bath and backstage balcony.

Business instruction No. 2: Be highly prepared — but flexible

At Villa Avellana, meals cater to everyone's dietary restrictions and preferences, acknowledgment to nan elaborate questionnaire that guests tin retired earlier arrival.

Costa Rican java was prepared successful a accepted pour-over java shaper called a Vandola, and fresh-squeezed juices, pastries, toast and consequence were disposable successful nan room each morning. Breakfast navigator Michelle Brenes too offered regular specials for illustration chilaquiles aliases French toast. Head navigator David Moya's luncheon and repast creations featured world classics pinch inventive twists and caller conception ingredients.

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"Everything is connected your time" was a communal refrain during our enactment astatine nan villa. Meals were ideated and penciled into nan schedule, but nan portion was happy to coming repast to nan rooms of non-early risers and consult our group to corroborate erstwhile a luncheon aliases repast seating made consciousness incorrect nan remainder of nan day's plans.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Dinner served outside.

The expertise to strategy cautiously but pivot pinch volition was too connected afloat show erstwhile nan ample upwind curtailed respective of our scheduled activities.

With surfing and boating disconnected nan agenda, lead concierge Sergio Jaén helped style a mates of spontaneous activities successful nan surviving area, which still felt deliberate and meaningful. We enjoyed a position by The Chocolate Master, Henrik Bodholdt, who discussed cacao farming and helped america make our ain cocoa bars. We too heard from nan caput of Creciendo Juntos, Elsa Bonilla, who shared overmuch astir nan nonprofit connection that supports elemental and precocious schools successful nan communities surrounding Peninsula Papagayo.

Related: 3 Things Luxury Hotels Can Teach About Exceptional Customer Service

Businesses, return note: Unforeseen circumstances are an opportunity to showcase your mentation skills — and beryllium that point will extremity you from giving clients a five-star experience.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The surviving area, featuring nan interior eating abstraction and kitchen.

Business instruction No. 3: Hire awesome group pinch a talent for building rapport

Villa Avellana's bar, excavation and outdoor eating and surviving areas create different oasis connected nan property. Despite nan storm, mild temperatures successful nan 70s allowed america to bask nan covered outdoor abstraction for overmuch of our sojourn — and successful bully company.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The bar, excavation and outdoor eating and surviving areas.

My hubby and I enjoyed chatting pinch nutrient and beverage caput Jose Murllio about Miami Vice cocktails and Costa Rica's changeable team. Bartender Tatiana Juarez generously invited my hubby down nan barroom to thatch him really to make her daiquiri pinch aged rum and a guaro sour. From Aneth Alvarez, I learned astir Costa Rican java and nan process of preparing it successful nan Vandola — she was moreover benignant tin to springiness america immoderate beans to return home.

Freitag is an fantabulous large pinch a accomplishment for building rapport and establishing trust; he has a knack for making group consciousness for illustration each of nan specifications are accounted for, moreover erstwhile unexpected challenges arise, and pinch nan storm, location were plentifulness of them. From showing america astir Peninsula Papagayo successful less-than-ideal upwind to helping america navigate statement and edifice options amid galore cancellations, Freitag was ever caller to make nan champion of immoderate situation.

Related: Use These 5 Hacks to Instantly Build Rapport With Your Clients

These are conscionable a less of galore examples of really Villa Avellana's portion cultivates a genuinely uncommon impermanent experience.

Businesses should ne'er suffer show of really important it is to combine a squad pinch a talent for relationship and relationship-building. Hire nan correct people, and you'll springiness your clients an acquisition they can't find elsewhere.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. Lap excavation and jacuzzi.

Business instruction No. 4: Listen for what's not being said — past spell supra and beyond

Villa Avellana strives to proviso nan picnic acquisition of a lifetime. It's a lofty extremity that not only requires nan exceptional readiness, flexibility, attraction to item and rapport mentioned supra but too nan expertise to really comprehend what group want and past execute it flawlessly.

Meeting expectations, moreover inordinately precocious ones, tin beryllium reasonably straightforward erstwhile group cognize what they want and don't hesitate to verbalize it. Of course, moreover if personification is transparent astir their wishes, it's difficult to transcend expectations if nan personification is, well, expecting them to beryllium fulfilled.

Related: Empower Your Customers and Exceed Expectations With These 3 Customer Service Strategies

Freitag says that information of nan business is to perceive for what group want but don't needfully inquire for outright. For example, if a impermanent casually mentions to different really cool it would beryllium to spot a whale, that's a chance to make nan magic hap — return them retired connected nan alloy and spot a whale.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. The media room.

During our stay, erstwhile personification successful nan group mentioned really convenient it would beryllium to personification immoderate of nan homemade cocoa spot cookies that were successful nan room downstairs personification to nan bedrooms upstairs, a expanse of those cookies appeared connected nan array successful nan media room. Later, erstwhile group expressed liking successful watching The Apprentice, a transcript of nan movie was placed successful nan media room.

The instruction coming is simply a elemental but captious one: Businesses that comprehend to their clients truthful intimately that they comprehend what's not being said tin surpass moreover nan highest expectations.

Related: Yes, nan Rich Are Different — Here Are 5 Customer Service Secrets I Learned While Working With Wealthy Clients

The Liberia airdrome was still closed erstwhile nan rainfall fto up, truthful our group drove to San Jose, wherever we spent nan nighttime earlier catching our statement nan adjacent morning.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Villa Avellana. An exterior position from nan beach.

It was difficult to opportunity goodbye to Villa Avellana, not only because nan spot is exquisite but too because its portion created specified a convivial atmosphere: It's a spot wherever guests tin spot that each is taken attraction of — and relax tin to personification a picnic they'll retrieve forever.