Costa Rica

There's a phrase used throughout Costa Rica as a greeting, farewell, and general expression of happiness: “Pura vida!” Translated as “pure life,” it means, loosely, “Life is good.”

And why not? “Ticos,” as Costa Ricans call themselves, enjoy Central America's highest standard of living, a higher literacy rate than the United Sates, and a lower infant mortality rate. The government pays for health care and does not maintain an army. Slightly smaller than West Virginia, Costa Rica spans a narrow stretch of Central America, bordered on the north by Nicaragua and by Panama on the south. More than 25 percent of its land is set aside for conservation, and eco tourism is a thriving industry. Among the natural features that draw visitors are the mountainous terrain rife with rainforests, cloud forests, volcanoes, raging rivers, exotic flora and fauna, and endless beaches suitable for gnarly surfers and lazy paddlers. And now Costa Rica's resorts are adding spas.

Upon arrival in San Jose, my husband, Kipp and I were whisked off to the smaller airport in Pavos for a Paradise Air charter flight to Tambor on the Nicoya Penninsula. Paradise Air is a fledgling enterprise, founded by a former corporate pilot for SKG Dreamworks who fell in love with Costa Rica. Soaring over mountains toward the Pacific Ocean, we understood why he had named it Paradise Air; the emerald landscape is enchanting.

Having traveled for over 15 hours when we arrived at Florblanca in Santa Teresa, we were overwhelmed by the lush landscape as we made our way down the winding path toward the open-air reception desk, with the sun setting over the beach beyond. Before we could put down our bags we were handed Florblanca's signature welcome drink, a refreshing blend of tamarind, ginger, and lime juice. 

Our weariness lifted when we entered our luxurious, spacious villa. Florblanca's villas have breezy, comfortable living rooms and open decks strung with inviting hammocks from which to enjoy the tropical plants, bird songs, resonant surf, and lulling sun. Air-conditioned bedrooms feature romantic canopy beds with soothing, cream-colored linens; thoughtful touches included a CD player and selection of tranquil music, and two sarongs for use at the beach, pool, or lounging around the villa. But the biggest surprise is the bathroom, enclosed in its own walled-in garden, with an open-air shower and sunken tub. 

The following morning, I joined the Ashtanga-based vinyasa yoga class. The classroom walls are open to nature on three sides, allowing the breeze to cool the space and the waves to provide a tranquil soundtrack.

Florblanca offers a variety of activities, including zip-line adventures, hiking tours, surfing lessons, and horseback riding. When I met back up with Kipp, I was eager to sign up for a zip-line tour through the waterfalls of nearby Montezuma, but he convinced me to slow down and enjoy being in the moment at Florblanca. He was right; we would have many zip-line opportunities, but Florblanca was the perfect spot to decompress after our journey. We took a long walk along the white sand beach, watched the surfers, bodysurfed, and had a brief siesta on one of the hotel's beachfront poster-bed palapas.

To further my relaxation, I had an Integral Massage with Stephano. In a candle-lit thatched-roof cabana, he banished my remaining travel aches. For now, Florblanca has just one spa cabana, but new facilities to accommodate a full range of spa and salon services are in the works. “It is going to be very intimate and romantic,” says Susan Money, Florblanca's founder. “The plan is to build separate little bamboo buildings with air conditioning and waterfalls. Each building will provide a different spa service. These buildings will be connected by stone paths, well planted so that one feels deep in the jungle. We will have a main reception building with bathrooms, tubs, and a juice bar. It will be first class and extraordinarily beautiful.”

After my massage, I floated back to my villa to rest before dinner. Florblanca's open-air restaurant, Nectar, radiates romance, with generously spaced tables on multiple levels and a cushioned private dining platform across the pool. The creative menu borrows from several cultures (sushi mingles with risotto) and has many vegetarian options as well as fresh fish. Staphano's morning Ashtanga class gave me the opportunity to burn some of the calories from my vegetable, noodles, and tofu dinner before we caught the Paradise Air flight back to Pavos.

Our next flight, aboard the also aptly named Nature Air, brought us south to the Osa Peninsula, which National Geographic described as “the most biologically intense place on earth.” We were greeted at the Puerto Jimenez airstrip and driven in a Range Rover to Lapa Rios. The rugged vehicle proved necessary as we crossed several rivers along the rutted road into the rainforest. Lapa Rios was founded by a Minnesota couple who purchased 1,000 acres of Central America's last-remaining lowland tropical rainforest, adjacent to Corcovado National Park, intent on preserving this crucial buffer zone. This eco lodge is all about conservation and sustainability, without stinting on gracious hospitality.

Upon arrival, we were handed cool, wet face cloths along with a welcome drink of mora (local mountain blackberry), cas (sour guava), maracuya (passion fruit) and mango. At check-in, guests receive flashlights for navigating the grounds after dark and a refillable water bottle—part of the lodge's green initiatives. The impressive thatched-roof main lodge features a dramatic spiral staircase to a third-story observation deck with breathtaking views of the ocean and forest canopy. Those reluctant to climb can still see plenty from the treetop-level deck adjoining the dining area.

Lapa Rios is not for anyone averse to climbing. Bungalows are set into a steep mountainside, strategically positioned so that each screened-in chamber and open-air deck affords both privacy and a sweeping view over the forest to the ocean. Decks feature lounge chairs, hammocks, and garden showers; the large indoor showers have two heads and under one of them, a pebble base provides natural reflexology. Accommodations are “luxurustic”—basic, comfortable furniture combined with dramatic elements, such as ultramodern bathroom sinks and faucets. Our bungalow was among the furthest from the lodge—an ascent of more than 200 steps before every meal. We considered it incidental exercise, which we needed because the meals were great and the portions were huge.

Eating local is part of sustainability, and the restaurant highlights a local plant each day:  for example, taro or yucca chips with salsa. The waitstaff is also local; our waiter Ivan had recently chosen to advance from a mechanical repair position to the restaurant, which required him to learn English, a valuable skill that Lapa Rios teaches employees. There's no fancy foreign chef, instead a team of locals, who have learned culinary skills, prepare the meals. The staff contributes “green” ideas—such as tabletop salsa holders and placemats made of durable, biodegradable, prolific bamboo. The bartender developed the concept, and the local craftsman who created them now has a successful business selling these and other bamboo products. Lapa Rios also funds the local school as part of its sustainability program.

These policies as well as recycling and energy-efficiency practices; a low-impact salt-water system to keep the pool water clean; a pig farm to transform kitchen food waste into methane gas that powers the staff kitchen; and passive solar systems that provide hot water to the bungalows, are highlighted on Lapa Rios's “Green Living” tour. We also took a waterfall hike with Ifi, one of three staff naturalists. Hiking through the rainforest, she pointed out nature's wonders: young trees with spikes that protect them until they grow strong; a “monkey ladder” vine growing upward from the ground, which contains a natural form of acetaminophen; a tiny, brilliant poison dart frog. Coatimundis (mammals similar to raccoons) scampered across the forest floor and spider monkeys swung through the treetops. We splashed through the Carbonera River from one waterfall to another, where we swam, before hiking back to our lodge.

While Lapa Rios offers many eco tours, there's little reason to leave the premises to seek out wildlife—it comes to you; just slow down and open your senses. We awoke to the cacophony of howler monkeys, followed by a concert of bird songs. A rustling noise alerted us to the treetop transit of a pack of squirrel monkeys, followed by the howlers. Giant blue Morpho butterflies and iridescent hummingbirds visited our garden, and toucans perched on the thatched roof. Scarlet macaws—Lapa Rios's namesake bird—flew along the shoreline. While Lapa Rios has a massage room and a yoga platform with breathtaking ocean views, our yoga practice was simply to look and listen with appreciation.

From Lapa Rios, a Range Rover delivered us to Crocodile Bay Resort, where we were to stay for a night. Crocodile Bay's pride and joy is their 5,000-square-foot spa, a Colonial-style refuge from the sultry sun, with cool tile floors, ten treatment rooms, a gleaming dressing area, and a spacious lounge.

The year-old spa has an extensive list of services, including treatments with such indigenous elements as Costa Rican coffee, bamboo, and Selva de Osa, a local mineral-rich mud. I booked the Deep Facial Spa treatment, which includes a masque of Costa Rican volcanic mud to regenerate cells and remove impurities—perfect for my sun-drenched skin. As the mud dried on my face, my esthetician administered a hand massage, then moved on to massage my upper chest, shoulders, and neck. After removing the masque, she ended with a facial massage.

The spa at Crocodile Bay caters to a species common to environments rich in marine life: “fishermen's widows” left ashore when their men depart early in the morning for sport fishing, the resort's primary draw. Many fishermen also avail themselves of the spa to soothe their muscles after a long day on the water. Most are up at sunrise to enjoy the seemingly endless breakfast buffet before heading out on the Gulfo Dolce, which opens into the Pacific Ocean, with a private captain on one of the resort's 39 boats. The Gulf is a fisherman's dream, a thriving habitat for many prized species, including tuna, marlin, dorado, sailfish, and grouper. Dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays, and several species of whales are commonly sighted on the water.

Kipp and I scanned the twenty-two eco tours offered by Crocodile Bay, selecting a serene sunset kayak tour through the mangrove estuary. Our guide Danilo identified birds by sight and song, pointing out lizards and crabs as we paddled. When the sun dipped toward the horizon, we carried our kayaks over a sand dune, jumped into the ocean, and then paddled back along the sheltered bay to the resort, just in time for the dinner buffet.

The next day we finally had our zip-line tour; a steep and narrow dirt road took us to the hilltop starting point, where we donned climbing harnesses and learned how to safely soar through the treetops on a wire. One-by-one we stepped off the platform and zipped through the canopy, traveling nearly a mile through virgin forest over seven exhilarating glides.

We arrived at nearby Black Turtle Lodge a few hours too late to watch the last of several hundred newborn sea turtles scramble from the black sands of Playa Preciosa into the gentle ocean waves. The Lodge is right on the beach; dense jungle obstructs the view, but the lulling sound of waves permeates. Nestled within dense native plantings, Black Turtle's two treehouse cabinas, each feature a screened bedroom fifteen feet in the air with cozy covered decks plus a ground-level bedroom and enclosed, open-air bathroom. Two “cabin-ettas” are tucked within the lush gardens, each of which is assigned private facilities in a central bathhouse. Rooms feature simple, comfortable bamboo furnishings; stylish touches include voluptuous tropical flower arrangements and luxurious linens. Owner Nico Zimmerman explained that reclaimed wood accounts for 95 percent of the lodge's construction materials and solar power provides electricity. The Lodge has a large screened yoga studio and a covered hammock platform, the perfect size for my yoga mat.

While Nico would have arranged any number of activities—bodywork, yoga classes, and eco adventures—we chose to stay put. Midway through our trip, it was time to recharge, lying in a sheltered hammock, watching hummingbirds and butterflies, bodysurfing at the beach, or chatting with Nico, who left a high-powered career in luxury hotel and spa management to purchase this piece of paradise. Awakened before dawn by the now-familiar cry of the scarlet macaw, we headed to the beach; accompanied by Nico's dogs and bright yellow songbirds, we strolled along, enjoying the sunrise over Panama, across the water. With no trace of other people, we threw off our clothes and ran into the ocean's embrace, bobbing blissfully in the gentle waves. Later, a tropical storm gave us an excuse to nestle in our rustic jungle aerie, relishing the rain's rat-a-tat on the roof. At night, we wandered winding paths illuminated by candlelight, to enjoy a simple meal of local vegetables, tofu, and fish, at Nico's communal table.

Nature Air transported us to our next airstrip: Nosara, on the Pacific coast. We felt no environmental guilt about flying to avoid the notoriously bad roads, since Nature Air offsets its emissions by funding Costa Rican tree-planting programs and provides free flights to national park system employees. Such sustainable policies are also the norm at Harmony Hotel, a former surfer's dive that has been lovingly reborn as a swank, low-key, high-style getaway under the same environmentally conscious management company as Lapa Rios, Cayuga.

Harmony offers two types of accommodations—large, detached Bungalows with a sitting area, deck, sunken tubs, and massive showers; or poolside Cocos Rooms featuring private garden patios with hammocks and outdoor showers. We missed a taste-test of the hotel's newest feature—a raw foods and juice bar—but arrived just in time for the opening of “The Healing Centre of Radiant Awakening.” Rather than tear down the owners' former house, the hotel took the environmentally responsible route of adaptive re-use, remodeling it as a stylish spa and meditation/yoga studio. Their pool is now a water-lily pond, providing habitat for fish, turtles, and wading birds, and attracting lizards and other creatures grateful for a drink in the dry season. The spa currently offers massage, body treatments, manicures, and pedicures as well as ear coning. When new plantings grow in, guests will be able to sit on a garden bench by the foot-rinse faucets and pluck loofas or bananas from the trees for use in their treatments. I enjoyed a shiatsu-accented massage and a rebalancing treatment combining craniosacral, Trager release therapy, deep-tissue work, and other techniques from Tammy, the spa director.

Harmony's grounds feature mostly native plants, which require less upkeep and provide a fauna-friendly environment. Rooms are stocked with luxe, biodegradable Red Flower amenities. As at Lapa Rios, the pool utilizes environmentally friendly salt instead of harsh chlorine. Covered walkways and ceiling fans keep the open dining area cool, while contributions to tree-planting programs offset carbon emissions from the in-room air conditioning. Harmony also hires and trains local workers; some were still learning English but all radiated friendliness and hospitality. Since the owners are vegetarian, the menu had plenty of vegan options, including tofu and seitan dishes.

When we learned that Olive Ridley Sea Turtles were nesting at nearby Playa Ostional, the hotel booked us an evening tour. Our guide described the turtles' plight as he led us along the moonlit beach with a flashlight covered in red cellophane so as not to disturb the “arribada.” We watched hundreds of turtles struggling ashore; digging nests in the sand; dropping, then burying their eggs; and scurrying to meet their mates back in the ocean. Of the thousands of eggs laid that night, very few baby turtles will survive. Later we learned that Harmony is trying to help make its own beach, Playa Guiones, hospitable to turtles once again through a guest tree-planting program.

Our final destination took us to a mountaintop high above San Jose. Pura Vida Wellness Retreat & Spa proved a perfect place to end our journey. Since it was a quiet time of year, I was able to partake in intimate twice-daily yoga classes. Pura Vida has five yoga studios, but we remained in the largest hall, which is dramatically cantilevered over the hillside; two walls of windows provide stunning views.

Though I had never tried Watsu, the circular, open-air Watsu pool at Pura Vida, perched on a hillside and sheltered from the sun was irresistibly inviting. In the warm water Nati, the therapist, explained that she would use techniques that took me underwater if I wanted, and I agreed to put myself in her hands. It proved a wise choice; from the start, I closed my eyes and felt comfortable as she worked with me on the water's surface. All tension released as Nati maintained gentle back and forth flowing movements; with my legs supported by small flotation rings, I felt like sea grass swaying in the ocean current as my joints released. Nati gave me a nose plug to signal the start of immersions. I followed nonverbal signals to hold my breath, and she gently took me under. I felt as flexible as an otter while Nati methodically guided me underwater and back to the surface. Some describe Watsu as a feeling of rebirth, but my sensations were of freedom of movement and nurturing care.

On our last day, we took a hike through one of Costa Rica's largest coffee plantations, which shares the mountaintop with Pura Vida, relishing the view of several volcanoes along the way. We picked and tasted a few red berries from the coffee bushes as our guide explained the significance of this agricultural product and the coffee production process. Afterward, hikers enjoyed a whipped-cream-topped coffee confection at Pura Vida's dining hall.

The hall had an outdoor deck where Kipp and I enjoyed our buffet-style meals, though most guests stayed inside since the high elevation made for cooler temperatures. Indeed, it was actually cold at night; we appreciated the cozy comforter in our spartan A-frame accommodations, as we looked out over the twinkling city lights below. The cold did not disturb the vibrant tropical flowers that beautified the landscape. It did, however, prepare us for our return to winter in New England.

If You Go:

Where to Stay

Black Turtle Lodge
Playa Plantanares, Osa Peninsula
011 (506) 735-5005
www.blackturtlelodge.com

Crocodile Bay Resort
Puerto Jimenez, Osa Peninsula
(800) 733-1115
www.crocodilebay.com

Florblanca
Santa Teresa, Nicoya Penninsula
011 (506) 640-0232
www.florblanca.com

The Harmony Hotel
Nosara, Nicoya Penninsula
011 (506) 682-4114
www.harmonynosara.com

Lapa Rios
Carbonera, Osa Penninsula
011 (506) 735-5130 or 011 (506) 735-5281
www.laparios.com

Pura Vida Wellness Retreat & Spa
Alajuela
(888) 767-7375
www.puravidaspa.com

Getting Around

Nature Air
Scheduled flights within Cost Rica and to Panama and Nicargua; charter flights, specialty tours and other travel services.
“The world's first and only zero-emissions airline.”
(800) 235-9272, www.natureair.com

Paradise Air
Charter flights within Costa Rica and to Panama and Nicaragua on brand new planes; air safari tours and other travel services.
The only U.S. F.A.A. Part 129 approved commercial operator
011 (506) 231-0938 or (506) 296-3600;
U.S. toll free: 011 (877) 412-0877
www.flywithparadise.com

Tourism Information

For general information about Costa Rica: www.visitcostarica.com

—Bess Hochstein

For more Eco-Properties in Central America, go to the Next Page