Hotel Belmar is taking its sustainability vision to the next level with the launch of Artista, a new collection of regenerative luxury villas set to open on June 1 in Costa Rica’s Monteverde cloud forest.
But don’t expect a giant expansion project. In fact, the whole point is quite the opposite. Comprising just 10 private villas in a fully car-free enclave adjacent to the main Belmar hotel property, Artista has been conceived as an exercise in low-impact luxury. Or as Hotel Belmar owner Pedro Belmar puts it: “We approached each villa carefully composing space, material and light in dialogue with the forest. Hospitality, for us, is an act of creation grounded in responsibility to the land that sustains it.”
And in that vein, the villas located within one of Costa Rica’s most biodiverse regions blend mountain-inspired architecture with organic materials and Costa Rican craftsmanship. Designed in partnership with Costa Rican-Swiss firm Nestetik, interiors draw inspiration from Nordic and mid-century mountain architecture while incorporating work from Costa Rican artisans, illustrators and textile makers.
FSC-certified modular timber is used in place of traditional steel and concrete alongside innovative materials such as bagacreto, a sugarcane fibre-based drywall alternative, and HDPE - a durable and recyclable material used in place of conventional PVC – with all of these designed to reduce environmental impact. The project is projected to reduce energy consumption by up to 70% and water use by at least 50% through systems including rainwater harvesting, passive airflow strategies, solar-filtered glazing and biological water treatment systems.
And while sustainability is clearly central, Artista still knows exactly what luxury travellers actually want. The collection includes seven one-bedroom villas and three two-bedroom villas, each designed as standalone sanctuaries featuring glass-enclosed passageways, oversized rain showers, expansive terraces and saltwater plunge pools. The larger villas also include chef-service kitchens, while select accommodations feature dedicated creative studios designed to encourage creativity and natural restoration.
Properties like Artista which position regenerative hospitality as part of the luxury proposition are for high-end travellers seeking restorative environmentally friendly experiences that possess a luxury aesthetic while still prioritising authenticity.
“At Belmar, sustainability isn’t a feature; it is the foundation of everything we do. For us, growth can and must seek to strengthen both the land and the community it is part of,” Belmar stresses.
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