Costa Rica Wellness Vacation: Yoga & Spa Retreat

San Jose is jovial and energetic. People are always moving. The mountains encircle the city and create a vibrant and powerful skyline. The shopping arcades brim with people throughout the day. Underneath the endless bustle of the city is the charm of Costa Rica’s combined cultures, collected from around the country, and settling in the metropolis. People smile and wave to one another. Historic neighborhoods continue to decorate the streets, from colorful Victorian homes to old colonial mansions. Your private transfer meets you at the airport and escorts you to your quaint and luxurious hotel. The tropical trees shade the lush and calm gardens. In the distance you can see the mountains rise and fall.

The Central Market is lined with stalls that offer fresh local organic produce. An entire city block was established as the market place in the late 19th century. The complex is divided by narrow alleys and creates a collection of over 200 shops, stalls, and restaurants. The scent of fresh ground and roasted coffee flows through the laneways. The pastel colors of the fruit beckon to you. Large watermelon and cantaloupe are heavy and ripe. Bunches of bananas hang from the stall’s top rafter. You can pull one down and pull back the vibrant yellow peel to reveal the creamy, perfect interior. San Jose welcomes you to Costa Rica with fresh aromas and a jovial outlook on life.

The city awakens with the sun. The mountains return from the nightly silhouette. The central market bustles with fresh fair. At breakfast you find the familiar tropical fruits decorating your table. Sweet passion fruit and juicy pineapple offer bright flavors to the morning. The indulgent and almost chocolaty taste of Costa Rican coffee accompanies the local flavors. Your private transfer will meet you at your preferred time to take you to the celebrated city of Tamarindo, located on shores of the Pacific Ocean. If you would like you can spend more time in San Jose or even venture to the exceptional Poas Volcano to see the captivating force of nature. The mist rises around the conical peak which towers 8,885 feet above sea level.

A crater lake in the center of the volcano steams against the cold air. The lunar landscape is hypnotic, casting shades of limestone and marble around the turquoise sulfuric water. Lake Botos is the southern lake and fills an inactive crater. The water is cold, clear, and encircled by lush forestry. The lake’s surface mirrors the sky and reflects the surrounding greenery. Continue onward to Tamarindo and settle into your luxurious boutique resort. You will find the landscape and seclusion of your resort mingled with the fabulous cosmopolitan life for which the city is known.

The sun casts an early light over the rainforest and stretches towards the sea. The soothing sound of crashing waves fills the air. The scent of Tamarindo in the morning is filled with the sweet salty ocean. The sand is soft and powdery. You begin your day with a private yoga session and let the tranquil city comfort you. You breathe in the graceful aromas of the day. Under the woven canopy you can still hear the sounds of the ocean but you are beginning to feel the sense of Costa Rican pura vida, pure life. The rainforest brightens as the sun rises higher into the sky. After your session you can indulge in a succulent traditional breakfast.

Later in the day you can treat yourself further in the soothing effects of Tamarindo with a full body massage. In the unique and award-winning tropical garden setting you feel a small, delightful breeze. The scent of coconut oil mixes with the sea air. You are never far from the water and its graceful song. Your muscles immediately give in to the massage and relax. The combination of tranquil yoga and a soothing massage brings a touch of paradise to your body and soul. Amidst the treasured landscape and vibrant wildlife you have certainly settled into a neighborhood in dreamland.

The morning sun rises over the rainforest first and showcases the jade canopy before anything else. Your private yoga session brings you back in reach of the sounds of the brushing waves. You feel your muscles stretching and relaxing as you once again breathe in and out with purposeful control. The remainder of the day is yours to indulge in Tamarindo as you please. Horseback ride on the shoreline and fulfill a lifelong fantasy, or kayak along a saltwater canal carved by sprawling mangrove trees.

The Pacific Ocean is calling your name and you want to witness its treasures above and below the surface. Venture out to sea on a catamaran excursion and feel the wind blow through your hair. The water changes from sapphire in color to diamond clarity. The watercraft drops anchor near the shores of Playa Conchal. The water glows against the white-shell beach. The rock reefs are luminous with fish. In the quiet lapping waves you find a world of clamorous color. The rocks shimmer purple, pink, and orange.

Stoplight parrotfish can grow up to one and a half feet long and they weave in and out of the reef. Their scales are a tropical florescent, like the plumage of a parakeet or macaw. Even with the spirited colors of the reef, the parrotfish stands out. In the evening you will have another private yoga session which helps you focus, not only on rejuvenating your body, but also on remembering the exceptional events of the day.

Your morning yoga session is filled with deep and comforting breaths. The waves stir a bittersweet feeling today. You savor the sound and the aroma of the sea but soon will wave goodbye to the translucent sapphire water and cosmopolitan streets around Tamarindo. After breakfast your private transfer meets you at the hotel. You travel along tropical highways. The trees run along the street as if they wanted to follow the road. The weather and sunlight shift, from the warm coastal landscape to rambling mountains and rainforest. Arenal Lake is the largest lake Costa Rica. It is over 33 square miles in surface area and reaches a depth of around 200 feet. Bass and machaca swim in its cool water.

Hummingbirds and woodpeckers nest in the canopy. Over the reflective blue lake you see the towering conical crater of the Arenal Volcano. The greenery rises up the foothills and the summit reaches 5,358 feet in height. The active volcano erupted daily from 1968 to 2012. The magma fell over the crater and streamed down the mountainside. In the evening it lit up the sky like an electric light show. Arrive at your hotel and indulge in a wonderful private yoga session surrounded by verdant gardens and energetic rainforest. Take a deep breath and listen to the quick flutter of a hummingbird as it sucks at the nectar of surrounding flowers. The rhythm echoes throughout the majestic landscape.

Rise in the early hours and make your way to the naturally heated river at your resort. The Tabacon River makes its way through the ground around the Arenal Volcano and filters through the springs. The gentle trickle of the flowing river is calming. Steam rises from the temperate water and you feel the warmth surround you. Your morning yoga session takes place on the riverbanks and mixes the naturally cool morning air with the rising heat of the hot spring water.

As you perform your usual stretches, from downward dog to chaturanga, howler monkeys call out in the encompassing canopy. Their gruff and raw calls are most energetic before the sun has a chance to envelop the day. The rainforest is filled with spirit, combining the grandeur of the fauna with the beauty of its flora. After breakfast you have the remainder of the morning to enjoy the exceptional activities that the natural landscape of Arenal offers. Bask in the hot springs or explore the foothills of the volcano in the Arenal Volcano National Park.

Over five hundred thousand acres of protected land sits beneath the shadow of the mountainous peak. The volcano’s active smoke rises into the clouds. Shy tapir meander through the underbrush. The herbivorous mammal can grow up to six and half feet long and weighs an average of 525 pounds. Their faces are cream colored and the fur is dark brown.  They zigzag as they walk through the undergrowth. In the afternoon you return to your hotel spa to indulge in a splendid hour-long treatment with volcanic mud.

The animated morning once again calls out to you as you participate in your private yoga session on the banks of the trickling hot springs. The sweet pleasurable colors of local fruits decorate breakfast, from guava to soursop, a fruit that combines the citrus of pineapple with the creaminess of a coconut. The remainder of the day is once again at your leisure to enjoy in the surrounding natural wonders of Arenal. Spend time drifting along Lake Arenal on a kayak or once again quietly soak in the hot pools of the indulgent springs. For an intriguing look at the skies you can tour the forest canopy.

Climb into the treetops on the sky tram and join the effervescent birds and vivacious monkeys. Stroll over 15 separate suspension bridges that bring you face to face with the forest canopy and the panoramic view of Arenal Volcano. Motmots flutter through the air and spider monkeys rustle the nearby branches. Nature maintains an unparalleled splendor which sweeps over the landscape, from the forest floor to canopy and beyond, and stares down at you from the volcanic summit. In the evening you will return to San Jose and settle into the underlying charm of the capital city.

San Jose maintains its animated character, winding through the streets and draping across neighborhoods. The gardens at your hotel provide you a spectacular view of the mountains and a charming tropical reminder of the spirited fauna that brought you serene morning yoga sessions. When you breathe in the cool morning air you are reminded of the remarkable landscapes that you discovered, from beachside to countryside. Each breath brings you another satisfied stretch. After breakfast your private transfer escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Your body and mind are relaxed, your spirit is refreshed, and the beauty of Costa Rica has left you rejuvenated.