‘My Lottery Dream Home’ in Costa Rica: A Massive Budget and a Major Twist

Perched between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea like a skillfully set jewel, Costa Rica is known for its spectacular coastlines, kaleidoscopic biodiversity and national commitment to pura vida (“pure life”), a sense of optimism and gratitude for simple pleasures. We have a sneaking suspicion that David Bromstad’s first visits — as host of My Lottery Dream Home and his newly flush clients’ guide to extremely rarefied pleasures — won’t be his last.

“Even though it’s international travel, Costa Rica is just a three-and-a-half-hour flight from Florida. It’s quicker for me to get here than California!” he gushed. “It’s totally giving secluded beach vibes meets tropical rain forest, and it’s so much closer for us East Coasters to get to.” (Stay tuned for David’s Costa Rican Dream Home, coming your way in a few years, maybe.)

Over the course of 40 years, Floridians Tracey and Tim Kerin have gone from dragging buckets and vacuums around in support of their fledgling business — and selling Tracey’s engagement ring to keep it afloat — to helming a successful fleet of commercial cleaning franchises.

That hard work plus the windfall of two inheritances has given them and their son, Jason, the means to put down permanent roots in their favorite vacation destination. Their budget? $4 to $5 million.

“Oh my God!” David gasped. “That’s one of our biggest ever!”

“I know!” Tracey replied. “Look at us! The housekeepers! Who would have figured?”

The Kerins wanted a property with at least five bed-and-bath suites. Tim set his sights on a showstopping view, while Tracey envisioned a magnificent kitchen with plenty of room for her guests to gather and gossip. Jason rounded out their wish list with a request for extravagant entertaining spaces that would accommodate a crowd in style. “This family has spent decades cleaning for people, and now I get to help them clean up into a $5 million home,” David said.

-Five bedrooms and six baths
-6,500 square feet
-Located in Playas del Coco, a booming, tourist-centric neighborhood
-Resort-style aesthetic and amenities
-Two well-appointed main suites
Price: $2,950,000

With expert assistance from longtime local realtor Becky Clower, David focused the Kerins’ search on the ultra-desirable Papagayo Peninsula in Guanacaste Province, a northwestern portion of Costa Rica bordering the Pacific. This area has experienced a major real-estate surge since 2020, where home prices have jumped over 400% to an average of $1.5 million. That’s well below what Tracey and Tim could spend, mind you, and this palatial, open-plan contemporary home rang in at more than $2 million under the top end of their budget.

Costa Verde’s clean lines and sleek outdoor spaces transitioned seamlessly to a commanding Pacific panorama, thanks to its location on the hillside beyond the beach. The property's architectural infinity pool seemed to be suspended in the sky.

“You can see the glisten of the water,” David noted.

“This is the view I’m talking about! Thank you,” Tim said with satisfaction.

Wall-spanning windows on the second-floor breezeway bathed the combined kitchen and dining area and its adjoining living room in natural light. Costa Verde’s minimalistic, organic style foregrounded creamy stone slabs and pale wood; it also boasted top-of-the-line appliances like a truly massive refrigerator. “I want to go in it,” David confessed.

“Very nice, David!” Jason said. “You delivered; you checked everything off our list.” The hunt, of course, had only just begun.

-Nine bedrooms and nine-and-a-half baths
-9,500 square feet
-Located above Playa Flamingo, one of Costa Rica’s most popular white-sand beaches
-Rich exposed-wood ceilings
-Wing of intimate suites with retreat-like baths
-Expansive outdoor activity areas
Price: $4,450,000

“You guys always wanted this! You wanted to see big properties with big price tags with big views and big amenities? Welcome to Costa Rica!” David said. “We are looking at one of the most spectacular houses, one of the biggest houses we’ve ever seen,” he explained. “Let’s go see how bougie we can be. Here we go! Come on in, gorgies!”

Soaring two stories to a magnificent tropical-wood-paneled ceiling, the open-plan first floor featured a wide bank of sliders that offered seamless connection to the well-appointed covered patio. “When you bring wood into any environment, it just makes it feel really warm and yummy, and that’s what I love about the Costa Rican vibe,” David said. "It’s big, open, delicious, bright — like me!”

Though the kitchen did feature the ovens Tracey craved, “You can tell most of these homes are second homes because the kitchens are not what we consider a $4.5 million kitchen,” David explained. “But you guys are here for very short periods of time. Where we’re going to spend most of the time is the outdoor kitchen; that’s where they’ve done a nice job.” Speaking of the outdoor amenities…

…This view left Tim nearly speechless. Tracey spoke for him as he gazed at the ocean: “Oh my God, Tim! Oh gosh, look at that view!”

“Can I give you a hug for that?” Tim asked David.

“Aw, you can give me a hug anytime!” David replied. “I got a hug for the view! Isn’t it great? Take it in!”

Beyond this spectacular patio and pool deck, the property featured additional sunken seating areas and beautifully manicured lawns. "David, you killed it with all this outdoor living space," Jason said. In lieu of Costa Verde’s comparatively exposed bath suites, this home tucked its most desirable private spaces into a separate wing that created breathing room between entertainment zones and individual retreats.

-Five bedrooms and five-and-a-half baths
-11,000 square feet
-Located just down the mountain from Playa de Luz
-Indoor wing devoted to entertainment
-Full of color and textures
Price: $3,500,000

Built in 2014, Vista Belmer was David’s favorite of the three properties he presented to the Kerins. Its arresting architecture made it a standout on the mansion-spangled mountain: “It’s so masculine I can’t even take it!” he exclaimed.

Gathering with friends and family around a massive kitchen island like this one was Tracey’s idea of paradise, and she knew just what she’d do there: “Gossip, gossip, gossip, gossip,” she declared.

As David explained, this space went above and beyond what one would typically find in a vacation home. “The kitchen is big; it’s got good finishes, and I like the dark — because we do have so much happening here that the room can handle a darker kitchen,” he said. Tracey wasn’t as wild about the open shelving flanking the window as she was about the oversized island, but swapping in closed uppers to match the existing cabinetry would be a breeze.

“Can I get another hug [for this view]?” Tim asked David.

“You can have a hug; I think I deserve a hug,” David declared. “I mean, look at this!”

True to its name, Vista Belmer offered stunning Pacific views from the minimalistic pool patio. Its elegant breezeway led from shared spaces like a fully equipped gym to a two-story bedroom wing with a whimsical bunk room for younger guests, well-appointed suites and cozy, colorful details. The massive estate suited Tim and Tracey’s vision of themselves as Peter Pan and Wendy: “This place is magical, just like Neverland,” David observed. Would they run away there for good?

With three versions of paradise on offer, Tim, Tracey and Jason had an enviable dilemma on their hands. Tim appreciated that Costa Verde was close to the beach. “It was, it really was,” David agreed. “You could see the sparkles on the water!”

Playa de Luz, in turn, had a “great entertaining space,” as Jason noted. “All the pool, all the seating, grill, everything!”

Last but not least, Vista Belmer had a kitchen that could accommodate Tracey’s culinary and social ambitions. So, where could the Kerins see themselves?

“Well, we were going back and forth about it,” Tim told David. “These homes are great, and they’re going to be somebody else’s [dreams]. But I think our dream is to do this one time right, and to build our own home.”

David couldn’t have been more pleased. “To building! I get to come back!”

The Kerins spent nearly two years and a pretty penny building their own home in Costa Rica. They purchased a lot in a gated community for $600,000, then “we were a little over budget,” Tim confessed. “Like, a half a million over budget — so the house came in total at $5.6 million.”

“It’s been a minute; I mean, construction was crazy,” he continued. “It took 20 months, but we finished it, and we really can’t wait to show David.”

David knew Tim was quite the scenery connoisseur, but the new build’s panoramas were still overwhelming. “You’re ridiculous!” he exclaimed. “Look at this place, oh my gosh! I’m going to have to give you a hug for this view!”

“We have 360-degree views here,” Tim said with pride.

“You couldn’t handle just one view?! You asked for big views — you can’t get bigger,” David observed.

“Welcome to Essence of Dreams,” Tim continued.

Like the mountainside homes David showed the Kerins, Essence of Dreams has a priceless view of the Pacific. Unlike those homes, of course, this vantage point is surrounded by idealized versions of every last item on their wish list — and that was well worth the work and wait.

Vista Belmer’s once-palatial-seeming 11,000 square feet of interior space was downright diminutive in comparison to the Kerins’ creation. “This is 15,500 square feet total,” Tim told David.

“Ho-ly shh … you guys are so naughty!” David exclaimed.

“It has seven bedrooms and seven baths,” Tim added.

The Essence of Dreams build drew inspiration from the Kerins’ explorations with David, especially in the kitchen; here, Tracey combined the ample island and moody cabinetry she admired with customizations of her own. “It’s an extension of me,” she told David.

“Gorgeous! Very like Vista Belmer,” David observed. “I like it; I really, really like it.”

“It’s a very different feel [at this property], it’s a very modern feel and it’s very big; there’s much more entertainment space,” Jason explained. Vista Belmer also had nothing like the solarium-slash-dining-room the Kerins created. How's that for contemporary construction?

“Oh my gosh,” David gasped. “This is insane!”

"Essence of Dreams" isn’t the only nomenclature at the property; a silver plaque outside this space announces it as The David Suite, a detail that dissolved its namesake in laughter. “Stop it; that’s hilarious,” David said. “So you named the suite after me? So basically you’re sleeping in me every night?”

“Yes,” Tracey deadpanned.

The Kerins’ iteration of indoor-outdoor living features an expansive, fully equipped outdoor kitchen and bar constructed to serve sectionals on the covered patio. This second open-plan living room is every bit as comfortable as the interior one behind its sliders.