Villa las Rocas - Altos del Maria - A unique Tropical Home in Altos del Maria

The unique and distinctive Villa las Rocas was designed by Arq. Delfin del Busto de Roux from 8Grados Arquitectura. The concept behind the design and architecture was to emphasize a “living-outside” and "close-to-nature" tropical lifestyle. The house itself is built on a sloped lot that emphasizes the beautiful views while giving a feeling of living in a botanical garden. The main house is made up of three different modules linked by covered walkways. This means that all the rooms in the house can take advantage of the views while enabling flow-through air circulation.

Those three modules include the living module which hosts both the living-room and kitchen, the bedroom module, and the bohio module which features the BBQ and outdoor dining-room. A fourth module is actually a complete 66 m2 (711 ft2) guest house. The four modules are arranged around a stunning infinity pool and covered terrace that ties everything into a coherent design while enhancing the views and helping keep the living module cool.

The Living Module:

The living module is where you will likely be spending most of your time. This module is approximately 62 m2 (667 sq. ft.) and includes a large living/media room, a beautiful kitchen, a half-bathroom, and a large walk-in pantry. The front wall of this module features large sliding glass doors that enable us to completely open up this module to the pool and the mountain views. Combined with three large windows on the back-side and the 16' vaulted ceiling of this module, the sliding doors let the cool evening breezes flow right through so that you will likely never have to use the air conditioner.

The Bedroom Module:

A few steps up from the main module, you will find the very distinctive bedroom module. This two story building features a large master suite on the lower level and a smaller suite on the second level. The 63 m2 (790 sq.ft.) master suite features a large bedroom with plenty of room for a king-size bed and a sitting area as well as three sets of glass doors laid-out in a half-octagon pattern and opening up to the canopy of the trees below and to a wonderful view of Mount Picacho. When the glass doors are opened, you can enjoy the flow-through breezes and the sounds of the birds in the nearby trees. On either side of the bedroom you will find steps leading to his and hers walk-through closets and to the spacious bathroom in the back. This bathroom features a large shower, a soaking tub surrounded by windows and double glass-bowl vanities set on top of a table made from solid “roble” wood. The bathroom also has a sliding glass door opening up to a private garden area in the back.

Just outside of the master suite you will find a covered stairway that leads to the upper bedroom suite. This 54 m2 (581 ft2) "junior" suite is identical to the master bedroom but features a single smaller closet and a smaller but still spacious bathroom with a glass vanity and a glass-block wall delimiting the large shower. Most of the bathroom fixtures are made by Delta and they are supplied with a commercial-grade Bosch tankless gas water heater that requires no electricity or batteries and can turn on with only half a gallon per minute of flow, so you will never run out of hot water!

Directly in front of the master-suite you will find a terrace covered in “laja” flat stones. This terrace offers plenty of shade and a wide-open view of Mount Picacho, perfect for setting up a hammock.

The Bohio Module:

On the other side of the main module, right next to the pool, you will find a 7m (22 ft) diameter bohio (palapa) that shelters a high-quality stainless-steel built-in Napoleon gas BBQ and gas cooktop. There is also plenty of room for some relaxing patio furniture and a teak dining-room set that sits 6 people comfortably. You can eat out here on most days and enjoy the views of the pool with its waterfall and of course, the ever-present Mount Picacho. You can also hear and see the nearby creek that flows along the west side of the lot, and during the height of the wet season, you can even hear the Rio Maria roaring down the valley below.

On the lower level of the bohio, you will find a carport, lockable storage space, laundry facilities and the pool systems.

The Pool and Terrace:

Without a doubt, the most stunning feature of Villa Las Rocas is the swimming pool. This very large swimming pool has an irregular shape that hugs the covered terrace as it links the various modules together. It has a total surface area of 70 m2 (760 sq. ft.) and a 5 meter wide infinity edge with sends water cascading down a 3 meter tall wall. This waterfall is flanked by stone walls covered with flowering vines and it overlooks the driveway and provides a stunning greeting to your guests as they walk up to the house.

There is also a whirlpool tub next to the pool and it sends its water cascading down into the main pool. When you walk out of the living room through the glass doors, you immediately come up to the 3 meter wide steps inviting you to enter the pool for a relaxing swim.

The Guest House:

This 66 m2 (711 sq. ft.) guest house is surprisingly spacious, bright and airy. It features a large bedroom that opens up to the living-room and kitchen below and has its own bathroom and patio doors leading to the pool terrace above. The living room with compact kitchen has a 16' vaulted ceiling with cupola and a wall of windows opening up to the mountain views in front.

It also has a very large set of double-sliding doors leading to a nice stone terrace with a parasol and surrounded by lots of flowers and trees.

The Gardens:

Villa las Rocas is nestled on a very large (for Altos del Maria) 1 acre (4,025 m2, 43,325 sq. ft.) lot that is sloped towards the south affording beautiful views of Mount Picacho. This lot is privileged to be surrounded by green space on all sides, there are no immediate neighbours. To the north is a large area of green-space sheltering the lot from the main road (Paseo Maria). To the west is a huge expanse of green-space that is too steep to be developed and it includes a nice ridge that shelters Villa las Rocas from about 90% of the crazy gusty winds that Altos del Maria is famous for during the months of January to March. To the south is our cul-de-sac (we're the only lot on this dead-end street) and on the other side of the street is green-space all they way to the Rio Maria (about 150 meters). On the east side you find a 15 meter (50 ft) band of green-space that protects the creek and on the other side of that are two lots, which we can barely see thanks to the lush greenery and the row of bamboo and banana trees that we planted along the creek We have been actively planting a large variety of tropical trees, including jasmine, pink roble, guayacán, flamboyant, jacaranda; an equally large variety of tropical fruit trees including four kinds of bananas, papayas, oranges, lemons, avocados, grapefruits, mangos, passion fruits, pineapples and coffee. We also have too many kinds of flowers and vines to keep track of and over a half-dozen different kinds of palm trees! While many of these trees and plants are still young, the lot is already beginning to look like a botanical garden. We use the area up behind the living module as a vegetable garden where we successfully grow green beans, cucumbers, watermelons, green onions, peppers, tomatoes and lettuce. We have also built a stone-covered trail that loops up and to the west of our lot, culminating at an observation platform up on the ridge that affords a commanding view of the valley.

Pricing:

This one-of-a-kind property is being offered directly from the owner at a price of $595,000, including over $20,000 worth of appliances, fans and air conditioners, as well as the guest house furniture and the exterior furniture.