Events/Retreats
Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica February 5th-12th 2022
The yoga retreat takes place in the Dominical area of Costa Rica. Situated in the Puntarenas province, Dominical is a quiet town on the pacific coast. Miles of sandy beaches and strong waves meet the mountains at the coast. Dominical remains a bit of a hidden gem and retains more of the pura vida spirit compared to the larger tourist areas. We are running the retreat as Adult Only please.
The Villa:
The villa is a converted boutique hotel. All the rooms have their own in-suite bathrooms, air conditioning, and balconies. Included is laundry service, towels for the pool and cleaning daily.
It is nestled in the jungle, there are very good chances that you would not even need to leave the villa to see wildlife. On our previous travels in the area we have seen toucans, howler monkeys, and even a sloth from where we have stayed. The infinity pool opening onto ocean views will make for sunsets you won't forget!
Private Chef available for on site dinners as well as a private masseuse. We are planning to have two meals catered with the chef. You are welcome to book some pampering for yourself.
King rooms are $1450 for single occupancy, and $1575 for double occupancy
Double/Twin rooms are $880 2 beds, shared room
( This price does not include the flight or food, catered meals have been included.)
What are we getting up to?
Daily Yoga Classes with Nikki: Depending on the daily activity, classes will either be in the morning or the evening and are meant to complement the day. ie. A long hiking day will have a gentle stretching in the evening, whereas a relaxing beach day will start with an invigorating flow in the morning. Please bring your mat.
Rainmaker Hike: The rainmaker hike is a great representation of Costa Rica at it’s finest. It is a rainforest hike high in the mountain over rope bridges, streams, waterfalls and natural pools. It is a short and not too strenuous hike but has much to see along the way. The pools and falls are a great break in the trail and a way to cool off from the hike. The sights, the sounds of the experience are something to think back to for moments of calm.
Nauyaca Waterfalls Hike: A fairly strenuous 4km hike up to the falls along the Baru river. If you arrive early enough, you typically have the falls to yourself. You may be thinking to yourself, 8km of hiking just to see some falls? But it really is worth it! The most challenging part of the hike is the imminent heat and that’s taken care of as soon as we dip in at our destination.
Manual Antonio Park: Manual Antonio is one of Costa Rica’s most popular provincial parks. It has secluded beaches great for swimming as they are more protected from the large ocean waves. It is a fantastic way to see many of the native Costa Rican animals up close due to conservation efforts and being accustomed to the many people who visit the park daily. Aka your number one location to see abundant tropical animals in the wild!
Yoga Studio Visit: Danyasa is a yoga studio and eco-hotel, constructed out of bamboo and reused shipping containers, it is a lovely open air studio. ( I know Nikki is teaching everyday, but it's a must-see!)
Beach Stroll: There are many beautiful sandy beaches close by. We can boogie board in the waves, read, make sand castles, stroll, anything your heart desires as the waves cash on. We might make a day of it, eat some local ceviche for lunch, or just pop in briefly to see the sun set, we could be at the beach everyday!
The Town
Dominical is a rustic town with a good number of restaurants, souvenir shops, surf schools, hostels and a yoga studio. Situated right next to the beach, it is very walkable and a great place to spend a day exploring, sampling cafes, shops, smoothie bars, or getting a massage.
The Weather
February in Costa Rica is near the beginning of the dry season and you can expect largely rain free days. The southwest pacific coast does get some rain during the dry season and that helps the jungle to continue looking green and lush. Rain typically takes place at night but afternoon storms can be a great way to slow down the day. Temperature is typically around 28 degrees during the day and is consistently shorts/skirt weather even at night.
Travel and COVID-19
We will attempt to update this as much as possible but travel with Covid will continue to evolve as Costa Rica, federal and provincial governments change policies. For the benefit of all participants, we will be requiring everyone to be fully vaccinated to participate in the yoga retreat.
COVID-19 in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is currently in the midst of a COVID wave(Sept 2021), though not as high as it’s peak in May. 60% of the total population has received one vaccine dose and 24% are fully vaccinated. By January 2022 if they are able to keep their vaccine pace, they should have at least 60% fully vaccinated. The larger centers have higher numbers of new cases. As of Sept 4th the Osa canton which includes Dominical had 18 new cases. For all our experiences we plan on being outdoors (including dining) and will modify our plans as the situation evolves.
Entry Requirements for Costa Rica
As of August 1st all visitors must complete a Health Pass to enter the country but those who have received both doses of vaccine are not required to have a travel plan or additional health insurance. We would still recommend having some form of health coverage but it is not mandatory to take additional coverage for Covid19.
Re-entry requirements for Canada
As of September 4th fully vaccinated travelers are not required to quarantine upon arrival, nor are they required to have a Day 8 test but they do need to submit a negative PCR Antigen test before being cleared to travel home. A PCR test in Costa Rica can vary in price but a test in the Dominical area currently costs $147 (we will continue to look for cheaper options). A fully vaccinated traveler may be chosen at random to have a rapid test done at the airport and a positive result would result in quarantining and going for a PCR test.
Travel to Costa Rica
Travel for our guests will be dependent on their starting location. However, typical flight options from Toronto YYZ include Air Canada (direct), United and American (US connection through Houston, Dulles, Chicago or Charlotte) and Avianca (El Salvador Connection). We (the hosts) are scheduled to take an Air Canada flight Friday, February 4th afternoon and have chosen to do so because it is direct, leaves at a convenient time on both legs and avoids a connection in another country. However, it is currently the most expensive option out of YYZ. No matter which airline is chosen, we currently request that you arrive Friday Evening before the Saturday start of the retreat as travel from San Jose to Dominical is around 3 hours and most Saturday flights arrive after noon. Should you wish to travel on Saturday, it isn’t a problem but we will ask you arrange your own transportation. Return home we also recommend travel on Sunday but Saturday could be possible if you have an afternoon flight. However, please check in with us before booking so we can advise if the timing is appropriate for travel with the group or if you would be required to arrange separate transport.
In the past we have flown with all the above options except for Air Canada as that is a new route. United and American have a similar quantity of connections but flights have been redirected through other airports or delayed us in the past. Be mindful of short connections through United and American as weather delays in February can mean a missed flight. Try to avoid connections through Newark or Miami as their terminal connections are not pleasant. Avianca has been a pleasant experience for us in the past. They operate similar to an airline of old with complementary food and occasionally alcoholic beverages for economy class passengers. However, their hub in El Salvador and limited routes outside of Latin America can be a concern (it is not recommended to be stuck in El Salvador due to political unrest / violence) and our flights with them were delayed.
More Information
We're holding Zoom Meetings once a month for anyone interested and who might have questions.
We're holding our first Meeting Sunday, October 17th at 1:30pm
Please send a message in Contact to let us know you'd like to be included, we'd love to have you!