About us
Casa MarBella is a boutique style hotel in Santa Teresa situated on a mountain slope on the Pacific Coast. The casa provides panoramic ocean views and is surrounded by jungle. It’s centrally located in the jungle town and is within walking distance to stores and some of the notable restaurants in the area. Most importantly, you can walk to the beach in 5 minutes (Playa Carmen).
The hotel is essentially 1 grand villa consisting of 8 separate and unique units surrounding an infinity pool overlooking the coast (“sunset view”) and the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, the first national park in Costa Rica. It has 4 different typologies of rooms for your different needs and group sizes. It offers unique accommodation in Santa Teresa for those seeking the service, safety, and privacy of individual hotel rooms, yet the intimacy of a private villa. Reservations can be made for individual hotel rooms or for full hotel rental, depending on what you are looking for.
Although the area itself is renowned for its consistent surf breaks, which some are within walking distance from the property, there are plenty of other attractions that draw guests. These include hiking, yoga, canopy tours, dining, and so much more. We even have our own private ocean view yoga terrace, where we keep mats for private practice. You don’t even need to leave the hotel to enjoy watching wildlife in their natural habitat. Amongst others, you can see howler monkeys, iguanas, and a variety of bird species. Moreover, we have a private access to the restaurant next door that is literally steps away and has a spectacular sunset view.
Come and enjoy a relaxing holiday in our jungle home. Where the jungle reaches the sea. Where monkeys can be seen hanging out in trees and eating fresh fruit. Where t-shirts, board shorts, and the optional flip-flops are the official attire. Where televisions are replaced with books and card games. Where everyday finishes with stunning sunsets enjoyed from the beach or your favorite sunset bar. Come enjoy the experience of Santa Teresa in our very own Casa MarBella - A Hillside Retreat Experience.
Hotel Sustainability
Casa Marbella makes a conscious effort in preserving the environment by: recycling, composting, collecting rain water, using biodegradable soaps and cleaners, installing energy saving light bulbs, and hiring local workers. We utilize a water softener and UV purifier making the tap water safe to drink and reducing plastic consumption.
Meet the Owners - Andre & Jessie Griffin
It seems like another lifetime ago, but they met working at a dive shop in Koh Tao, Thailand. Both had separately been living nomadic lives for most of their 20’s, and enjoying their own adventures.
Andre, originally from Portugal, left his home in Madeira Island after high school and moved to Lisbon to get a university degree. This is where he got offered a job in Brazil that would end up sparking his wanderlust. From there he would end up traveling the world, living in countless places and eventually earning a Masters in Business in Australia (where he could have achieved a masters in surfing too with the amount of time he spent at the beach).
Jessie, on the other hand, was born in the land where pizza crust comes in all shapes and sizes – the United States Midwest. She left home to study in University and ended up getting the travel bug after taking a semester abroad in Australia. From there she spent some time in Ireland and a few other places but most of her travels were spent in Thailand (just short of 6 years).
Their paths finally crossed when Andre came to Sairee Cottage Diving to do his Divemaster, where Jessie was already working as an instructor. It wasn’t necessarily love at first sight but close enough. Andre soon did his instructor training too. Their days were filled with teaching and enjoying island and diving life, while also being quite the social butterflies (Jessie in particular… rah rah rah!).
After a couple years, Andre was getting the itch to be able to surf again (no waves on the island where they were), and Jessie’s dad was getting ever more persistent in convincing Andre to bring her daughter closer to the U.S. That is what made them leave their island home and family, and embark on their new adventure in Central America.
After doing quite a lot of research, Costa Rica seemed to be the most promising place to settle in Central America as it’s safe, has a stable government, has 4% of the world’s biodiversity, and most importantly you can own your own business.
They flew into Costa Rica and knowing that both wanted to live by the beach and near the ocean travelled up and down the Pacific coast; Andre wanted to be able to surf most of the year so this made the Caribbean side not an option. They initially spent just shy of 2 weeks in Santa Teresa, and then continued their journey north, but couldn’t help but miss Santa Teresa during their travels and it seemed like a place they could settle and call home.
To make a long story short, they ended up returning to Santa Teresa after making it as far north as Tamarindo, and haven’t left since. Almost a year was spent looking at properties for sale, deciding on Casa MarBella, and starting the long legal process of buying it and making it their own dream. The previous owners were very gracious in the help and knowledge they passed on, which helped make the transition that much easier into becoming hotel owners when they finally got the keys and made it their own.