See Before-and-After Photos of Hotel Amavi's Transformation from Crumbling Motel to Beach Resort

Luke Shantz and Steph Sitt, hosts of Betting on Paradise, bought a crumbling Costa Rican motel sight unseen and moved from Canada with their daughters, Mia and Luna, to oversee the renovation process and become full-time residents in the seaside town of Jacó. Throughout the months-long renovation, the duo combatted countless setbacks, frustrated investors and even a sink hole. Of course, to spice things up a little, Luke and Steph did it all while planning to finally get married on the beach.

The name, Hotel Amavi, fromes from a Costa Rican phrase, “Veni, viti, amavi,” which means “We came, we saw, we loved.”

Luke and Steph's story is mirrored in the phrase. Steph grew up in a Canadian city while Luke was from a more rural area. They are world travelers — they actually met while teaching English in Taiwan — but they had never even been to Costa Rica when they spent their life savings on a crumbling beachside hotel and a dream.

"We felt the universe was giving us a nudge," Luke explained.

Hotel Amavi's rooms were outdated and falling apart, but with Luke’s background in construction and Steph’s experience in design and hospitality, managing a renovation and ultimately running a hotel fit perfectly into their skillset as a couple as they reimagined each space.

They furnished the rooms to make the most of the space and new windows allowed sunlight to flood the rooms while also providing a view of the pool and patio outside.

Hotel Amavi had several rooms with kitchenettes and bathrooms, but they were drab, impersonal and in need of serious modernizaiton.

The rooms were brought up to date with remodeled kitchen areas, and Stephanie chose bold, bright colors for the linens to pop against the neutral finishes.

Prior to the renovation, the bathrooms at Hotel Amavi looked more like what you'd find in a college dorm than an oceanside retreat.

Funky tile, a glass shower and updated fixtures fit perfectly into Hotel Amavi's relaxed vibe.

Some of the rooms at Hotel Amavi looked out onto a bare yard backing up to the hill. Essentially, the outside was in just as much disrepair as the inside.

Now, the Garden rooms overlook a real garden with lush grass and outdoor seating. The warm, lively green continues inside with the wall and the linens.

In the green Garden room's bathroom, sunny yellow takes over with green used as an accent color.

When Steph and Luke first arrived at the property, they found a swimming pool with broken tiles surrounded by a series of sparsely furnished hotel rooms in disrepair.

The renovation process hit obstacle after obstacle as they dealt with a sinkhole in the courtyard, torrential rain, broken floor tiles, crumbling concrete and other budget-busting mishaps that landed them in hot water with their investors more than once.

“Building the hotel has been the farthest thing from easy.” Luke said. “It’s hard to describe how many things went wrong in this project."

Hotel Amavi already had a pool prior to renovations, but it had to be completely demolished and redone. One of the first setbacks Luke and Steph encountered was a small sink hole that had to be dealt with before building the new pool.

Despite the construction mishaps, Hotel Amavi's outdoor pool, patio and bar came together just in time to play host to Luke and Steph's wedding reception. Finally, after months of renovation, the hotel was was ready to show off to their wedding guests.

"I’m having to pinch myself because 12 hours ago I didn’t think this was gonna happen.” Luke said as he and Steph took a look at Hotel Amavi’s finished pool, patio and outdoor bar just hours before their wedding.

Steph and Luke married on January 31, 2024, on Jacó Beach, just steps from Hotel Amavi. It was a casual ceremony with groomsmen wearing green ties with white shirts and khaki shorts. Steph wore a white dress with flowers in her hair.

“Who would have thought a chance encounter in Taiwan would lead to this beautiful chaos?” Steph said as she began her vows.

“I love you. I can’t wait to grow old with you,” Luke told her through tears.