Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

Ronald Zürcher's 199-key tree-house resort opened January 2004 on a 45-acre Guanacaste plateau 97 metres above the Pacific, flanked by two beaches. Paul Duesing, EDG and Cola Blanca handled interiors; the recent overhaul added the Virador Beach Club (Mediterranean under Khaled Natour) and a Wellness Shala by Arquitectura Mixta. Arnold Palmer's 18-hole Ocean Course wraps the property; the 380-slip Marina Papagayo serves the coast.