Costa Rica Named Top 26 Trips for 2026 by Forbes Luxury Travel Experts
In August 2025, Forbes Luxury Travel Experts highlighted Costa Rica—specifically its stunning Pacific coastline—as one of the “26 Best Trips for 2026.” We already knew this, but it’s nice to have it confirmed: Costa Rica has become one of the top destinations for luxury travel globally.
For Villa Punto de Vista, a family-owned luxury staffed villa in Manuel Antonio, the accolade reflects what we witness daily. Guests arrive expecting beauty and leave having experienced something far deeper—an immersion into place, culture, and the effortless balance of luxury and nature that Costa Rica embodies.
Why We Think Costa Rica is Trending Now, as Local Hoteliers
Costa Rica has never been about one attraction. It’s about the layering of contrasts: rainforest trails opening to sun-kissed beaches, scarlet macaws flying over the Pacific and communities that welcome travelers as participants not observers.
As demand for thoughtful luxury grows the country has moved from “emerging” to essential. And in 2026 Costa Rica is at the top of what discerning travelers are looking for: authenticity plus ease and sustainability plus sophistication. These are the very qualities we have built into our two fully staffed villas in Manuel Antonio overlooking the Pacific.
So how is it playing out in 2026? Let’s take a look…
2026 Travel Trends Shaping Luxury Travel — and How We’re Responding at the Villa
Global leaders like Smart Flyer and MasterCard have shared their 2026 trend forecasts, and we are seeing many of the same patterns reflected in our own client experiences.
Here’s what’s defining the future of luxury travel — and how we’re bringing it to life at our private luxury villas in Manuel Antonio.
Wellness tourism is booming.
Wellness travel is no longer a niche. It has become one of the defining forces in global luxury tourism. McKinsey’s Future of Wellness 2025 report estimates the industry has surpassed $2 trillion, growing steadily at 4–5% each year despite broader economic volatility.
Younger travelers are leading the way. Gen Z and millennials now account for 41% of annual wellness spending and nearly 60% plan to travel for health and wellness in the next 12 months. On the other hand, baby boomers are looking for what McKinsey calls longevity travel — trips designed to preserve independence, vitality, and well-being for years to come.
At Villa Punto de Vista, we see these shifts reflected in the guests who gather on our terraces.
We are welcoming more luxury wellness retreats than ever before — guided by yogis, breathwork masters, mediums, life coaches, couples’ therapists, Reiki practitioners, and more. Each retreat carries its own unique transformation, yet all share the same setting: the peace of the rainforest unfolding into the sea, where nature itself supports the reset.
Foodie travelers are seeking more immersive culinary adventures.
Food has become one of the greatest luxuries of travel and today’s discerning travelers want experiences that go far beyond the restaurant table. The numbers speak to this passion: more than 80% of luxury travelers say cuisine is what they look forward to most when discovering a new destination.
At the villa we bring that excitement home. While Costa Rica has not traditionally been considered a culinary capital but Villa Punto de Vista is changing that with every stay.
Our new wine cellar and viniculture program provides the foundation for immersive pairing dinners curated by our in-house sommelier, Erick. Each menu is designed around local abundance and paired with international vintages that surprise and delight.
Plus, the private chefs we recommend are not only highly trained but also deeply familiar with the villa itself and can transform its spaces into stages for intimate and unforgettable dining.
We also know the best local spots to try traditional Costa Rican fare, can do private market tours to teach you all about how to pick the sweetest local fruits and have partners that offer cooking classes right in your villa kitchen. The culinary journey is yours to choose!
More travelers are booking once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences to check off their bucket lists.
Travelers are looking for experiences that feel singular — moments they can mark as once-in-a-lifetime. Bucket lists are no longer about quantity; they’re about quality, meaning and memory.
Few experiences embody that more than a stay in a private, fully staffed luxury villa in Costa Rica. Every detail is orchestrated exclusively for your group: world-class dining, bespoke excursions and seamless service that rivals a 5-star hotel.
Travelers want to support local economies and experience genuine culture.
Today’s travelers want to know that their travel contributes meaningfully to the places they visit and doesn’t cause harm, and that the culture they encounter is authentic, not staged.
Villa Punto de Vista is proudly family-owned and operated by a Costa Rican family. We chose this refuge in Manuel Antonio to be more connected to our mother’s roots and built it as a family from the ground up, quite literally.
This is a rarity in an industry increasingly dominated by management companies and international hotel groups.
This independence allows us to create something different: a luxury experience that is deeply rooted in Costa Rican hospitality, community, and culture.
From the staff who welcome you to the artisans and guides we partner with, every stay supports the local economy here in Costa Rica while offering guests an immersive cultural experience that feels both real and elevated.
Here, luxury is not detached from place — it is enriched by it.
Group travel is combating loneliness & bringing people together.
At Villa Punto de Vista, we believe the most meaningful travel experiences are the ones shared. Group travel is not only growing — it is redefining how people connect.
As SmartFlyer notes, “Group travel offers a powerful antidote. Instead of traditional parties at home, Americans are turning vacations into social events—we’re seeing a rise in friend group reunions, milestone birthday celebrations, and even less conventional themed trips, like divorce parties.” These experiences do more than celebrate an occasion. They create a sense of belonging, while relieving the burden of hosting from any one individual.
The statistics are telling: 37% of Americans feel stuck in a social rut, 44% haven’t traveled with friends in the past year, and 22% say a trip with friends is exactly what they need.
This is where the villa shines. Designed to gather groups under one roof with space to both celebrate and retreat, Villa Punto de Vista transforms milestones into memories and friendships into traditions.
In the past few months alone, we’ve hosted weddings celebrating a lifetime of love, retreats that have sparked life-long friendships between strangers, 40th and 50th birthday celebrations between friends, family reunions, and more.
Here, connection is not a side effect of travel — it is the purpose.
Book Your 2026 Luxury Villa Vacation in Costa Rica
With Forbes placing Costa Rica among the Top 26 Trips for 2026, demand is rising rapidly and so is interest in our villas. Already, more than 60% of our calendar for 2026 is reserved.
If you’re envisioning a wellness retreat, a culinary adventure, a milestone gathering, or a rare journey you’ll carry for a lifetime, 2026 is already taking shape.
At Villa Punto de Vista, each stay is tailored to you and shaped by the rainforest, the ocean, and the easy rhythm of pura vida. A way of life here in Costa Rica that directly translates to “pure life.”
Secure your dates now, and begin curating your Costa Rica experience with us.
Christien Johnson is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Villa Punto de Vista Estate, an award-winning private resort in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. With nearly 20 years in luxury hospitality, he has helped make the estate a benchmark for private villa experiences, earning 700+ five-star reviews, 13 consecutive WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards (an achievement only secured by the top 3% of venues worldwide) and a vote as the #1 wedding venue in Costa Rica, as well as recognition from Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Johansens, and the Global Choice Awards as the Best Villa in Central America.
Christien also founded and manages Vista Destinations Luxury Travel Agency, Costa Rica Weddings, and Costa Rica Chefs, and advises brands worldwide on automation and AI in luxury hospitality, shaping the next era of high-touch, personalized travel as a trusted voice in private-estate and transformational travel.
