The Entrance and Driveway at The Sanctuary Estate

The entrance to The Sanctuary Estate is two things at once: a working gate and a piece of history. It sets the tone for the 16.3-acre property in Nosara, and it is built the same way the rest of the estate is, from real materials with real provenance.

How many entrances does the estate have?

Two. There is a service gate and a main gate, each with its own job.

The service gate is discreet and practical. It keeps staff and deliveries moving without disturbing the main approach. The main gate is the one guests remember. Both run on automatic sliding mechanisms and open with a remote clicker or a phone, so access stays simple and secure.

What is the main gate made of?

The metalwork is cast iron from the British colonial period in India. The walls flanking it hold antique stone windows carved by hand in Rajasthan, and among those carvings are small stone birds, shaped by the same artisans who cut the screens.

Nothing here is reproduction. The gate is old material, given a second life at the head of the driveway. That is worth knowing if you care where the things around you come from.

What is the driveway like?

Beyond the gate the driveway runs 900 feet to the heart of the property. More than fifty Royal Poinciana trees line both sides.

For most of the year the trees form a green corridor. In April and May they bloom red and orange, and for two to four weeks the drive becomes a tunnel of color. The approach is long on purpose. It carries you through the estate’s greenery and holds the house out of sight until you are well inside the boundary, which is part of how the property keeps its privacy.

The gate is old material, given a second life at the head of the driveway.

At a glance

• Two gates: a discreet service gate and a main gate, both automatic
• Main gate metalwork: British colonial-era cast iron from India
• Stonework: hand-carved antique windows from Rajasthan, with carved stone birds
• Driveway: 900 feet, lined with more than fifty Royal Poinciana trees
• Bloom season: red and orange flowers for two to four weeks in April and May

The short version: the entrance is an antique cast iron gate set in carved Rajasthani stone, opening onto a 900-foot Poinciana-lined driveway that keeps the residence private.