The floating pool. Picture: Supplied
Naraya Tented Camp in Costa Rica has landed design firm Luxury Frontiers a prestigious award.
The Johannesburg and San Fransisco-based design firm has been honoured with a 2020 AHEAD Americas Award in the “New Concept” category for its design of Nayara Tented Camp, located in the Arenal Volcano National Park in Costa Rica.
The Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design (AHEAD) celebrates the hospitality industry. Nayara Tented Camp was one of more than 200 entries from 16 countries, and one of 18 winners. Announcing the “New Concept” winner, host Guy Dittrich described the property as “a simple, straightforward definition of new luxury.”
He said: “This winning concept sees the seamless integration of indoor to outdoor. It takes into consideration the importance of the site, and elevates the luxury experience while keeping a harmonious relationship with the natural surroundings.”
In its entry for Nayara Tented Camp, Luxury Frontiers described its effort to “create a luxury tented experience within a Costa Rican context to optimise a genuine sense of place as well as foster a sense of adventure.”
The company’s three-year collaboration with Nayara Resorts resulted in a “light-on-earth floating structure, achieving the highest level of luxury and experiential accommodation.”
Some of the design aspects include a celebration of Costa Rica’s natural colours and craftsmanship in a toned-down canvas space where explorer-inspired furniture meets contemporary design.
Its master suites are fashioned as a nod to soft African safari tents fused with Costa Rican sense of place, and its public areas offer a gourmet restaurant with an expansive terrace and large family-friendly pool with swim-up bar.
It also features canopy beds with a botanical headboard mural, private plunge pools fed by natural mineral hot springs, and the openings and windows on tents that allow for natural vegetation to be part of the guest experience with views of the Arenal Volcano.
Graeme Labe, Luxury Frontiers Principal and Managing Director said the low-impact, eco-friendly design offers levels of luxury in the camp that is not available anywhere near Arenal Volcano.