Hilton's ultra-luxury LXR Hotels & Resorts collection keeps expanding, and its next stop is one of Costa Rica's most beloved coastal pockets: Manuel Antonio. The upcoming Maravé Manuel Antonio, LXR, is slated to open in 2029, with interiors by Chicago- and Mérida-based studio Curioso and exteriors from Costa Rican practice Carazo Arquitectura.
The property will offer 173 keys, spanning guestrooms, suites and fully furnished branded residences — the latter a signal that this is as much a buy-a-piece-of-it project as a hotel. Nearly every accommodation is framed around three very Costa Rican outlooks: the Pacific Ocean, the mountains and the rainforest canopy.
Curioso's concept, dubbed Ritmo y Reverencia (rhythm and reverence), is built on the idea of moving with the landscape rather than imposing on it — wind, mist, ocean currents and canopy treated as active design elements. In practice, that translates to a layered material palette: weathered timber that mimics natural aging by sea and sun, tumbled stone on horizontal surfaces, hammered metalwork with a handcrafted feel, stone-washed linens in muted jewel tones drawn from jungle flora, and sheer woven textiles that let filtered light shift through the rooms throughout the day.
The stated ambition is to balance jungle serenity with coastal energy — polished international luxury hotel-making grounded in local landscape and craft. That mix of refinement and raw nature is exactly what has made Manuel Antonio a standout: a small Pacific resort town next to one of Costa Rica's most visited national parks, where white-faced capuchins and sloths are regular sights and beaches sit minutes from rainforest trails.
For travellers, this is one to file under 'watch this space'. A 2029 opening is a way off, but it points to where high-end Costa Rica is heading — branded residences and design-led resorts rather than the barefoot lodges that built the country's reputation. If you can't wait, the area already has strong luxury options, and Hilton's other LXR properties (in places like France and Hawaii) give a sense of the flag's service standard. For anyone eyeing a serious Costa Rica trip later this decade, Maravé could be the reason to lock in Manuel Antonio over, say, Guanacaste or the Osa Peninsula.
