Three centuries before wealthy investors sought out trophy holdings along Costa Rica’s untamed Pacific coast, these shores were a theater of conquistadors, corsairs and cannon fire. For much of the late 17th century, Spanish merchant ships laden with the riches of the Americas sailed the Gulf of Nicoya under constant threat from English and French privateers.

The spoils were plentiful. Merchant galleons coursing into the port of Caldera would be groaning with cacao, tobacco, livestock and hardwoods, transported down by mule from the transit hub of Esparza in the mountain basin above.

One of Costa Rica’s oldest colonial towns, Esparza served as a treasure vault for the vast haul transported across the Spanish Empire. But its lack of fortifications left it perennially vulnerable to plunder. The final devastating raid by English buccaneers in 1686 left the outpost stripped of the very riches that had invited its ruin.

Fortunes sailed away to Europe 300 years ago. But in a delicious paradox, one eventually returned—anchored permanently on the ridge as El Castillo de Esparza.

The castle moniker invokes brooding keeps, defensive towers and forbidding stone. Relics of a bygone age of feudalism, folklore and fairytales. Not so El Castillo de Esparza. Instead, what unfolds as you approach under the canopy of native palms is a near four-acre Mediterranean-style estate of low-slung terracotta roofs, sun-washed stucco, and tropical gardens buffed by cool breezes.

The Countess And The Castle

Built in the early 1980s, these walls may not have witnessed sieges or sovereigns, but they bear a history no less captivating. This castle was the vision of Condesa Nina de Baillet Latour, who bestowed upon the estate a remarkable, globe-spanning lineage. Born Neeltje Hendrika Melati van der Nat de Bruyn, she was raised amid the privilege of a Dutch East Indies family before marrying into one of Belgium’s most established noble houses. Her husband, Count Alfred de Baillet Latour, came from a dynasty dating back more than three centuries, the title born of an imperial decree by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1719.

The Latour influence stretched from European high society to the Artois brewing empire, before finally reaching the bluffs of Esparza.

Although Count Alfred died in 1979 before gracing its salons, the estate flawlessly executes the world he and Nina imagined. A magnificent collection of European antiques was shipped across the Atlantic, blending with native Costa Rican craftsmanship to create an Old World patina far beyond the home's 1980s provenance—a collection that comes with the deeds as part of this turnkey opportunity.

What unfolds as you approach under the canopy of native palms is a near four-acre Mediterranean-style estate of low-slung terracotta roofs, sun-washed stucco, and tropical gardens buffed by cool breezes.

The four acres of estate grounds are a manicured tapestry of green—undulating terraces of indigenous palms, tropical trees, and flowering shrubberies—bordering onto protected forest. From the villa’s lofty vantage point, views tumble down over fincas, coffee fields, cattle pastures and the cascading waters of El Encanto waterfall, before dropping away to meet the distant glimmer of the ocean.

Two separate three-bed guest houses, one with its own pool, offer privacy within privacy, while the commanding 1,300-square-meter (13,993 square feet) six-bed main house spreads the double wings of its terracotta roofs in sheltering fashion.

A Curated World That Cannot Be Replicated

Inside, you get a tangible sense of the elusive Nina in her curated world. One imagines her sweeping through arched thresholds, the click-clack of heels echoing across the burnished parquet, or presiding over feasts at the baronial dining table. For this is indeed a grand property. A sweeping central staircase greets you like a prelude to a world both grandly historic and present. With the scale to accommodate major events, you feel that if you didn’t at least throw a few private parties here, the memories of many would be poorer.

“What makes this estate truly exceptional is that it cannot be replicated,” says Yali Alpízar who holds the listing with Luxury Living Costa Rica. “Its European-inspired architecture, aristocratic provenance, expansive grounds and historic character create a unique experience full of authentic stories and architectural significance.”

A short drive away lies the town of Esparza—a living time capsule where horses remain an everyday mode of transport and locals browse markets that have traded for generations. Presiding above all is the 16th-century Iglesia de Espíritu Santo, where those pioneering merchants once knelt for Mass.

Who might the next keeper of the keys be? “Someone looking for legacy as much as luxury,” says Alpízar. “International collectors of significant homes, hospitality visionaries interested in creating an exclusive boutique destination, or someone just looking for a wonderful private family estate.”

El Castillo de Esparza is strategically located near Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast, with private marinas, golf and international access through Juan Santamaría International Airport. The lifestyle here balances privacy, culture, nature and convenience.

Where foreign adventurers once brought conflict to Costa Rica’s coast, a European countess left behind a sanctuary of profound peace. El Castillo stands as a rare, generational hideaway for those who value privacy and provenance. Modern-day Esparza’s bounty is boundless. The atmosphere and the legacy remain intact. Its next chapter is about to be written.

El Castillo de Esparza is represented by Yalí Alpízar at Luxury Living Costa Rica, on the market for $2,450,000. Luxury Living Costa Rica is a member of Forbes Global Properties, the invitation-only network of top-tier brokerages worldwide and the exclusive real estate partner of Forbes.