Category Archives: coffee tour

Pura Vida Luxury Wellness Retreat

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Costa Rica

Have you been longing to escape daily stress and treat yourself to a special trip that will enrich your mind, body, and soul? We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new wellness retreat program, designed with our partners at The Shorter Approach.

The inaugural retreat will take place in Costa Rica Oct 8-15, 2016 – a week-long adventure hosted by wellness expert Michele Shorter. Michele is a wellness advocate and has 18 years of experience training clients from all fitness levels and backgrounds.A brown throated three toed sloth spotted by Valerie on the _ManuelAntonio national park tour. _arenasdelma

We worked with Michele to craft a special itinerary focused on health and wellness, for men and women of all fitness levels. Throughout the retreat, you’ll have the chance to stay in two enchanting eco-lodges, eat local, healthy cuisine and participate in a fun, action-packed agenda that will help you get flexible, strong and energized.

And what better destination to host the retreat than Costa Rica? Renowned for being one of the world’s five Blue Zones, Costa Rica is not only a longevity hotspot because of the clean air and lush setting which encourages outdoor activity, but for the laid-back ‘pura vida’ lifestyle that rubs off on all who visit.

We invite you to have a look at the itinerary below and contact us if you are interested in signing up or have any questions. Pre and post-extensions are also available for those who would like to explore more of the country.

Day 1 – Arrival at Finca Rosa Blanca Resort

Arrive from home or from your pre-extension and transfer to Finca Rosa Blanca. This coffee farm plantation and luxurious inn lies in the central valley highlands of Costa Rica, a short distance from the San Jose International Airport.

We’ll kick off our wellness retreat with introductions and goal-setting conversation. Throughout the evening we’ll enjoy tapas and beverages and get to know each other and build a foundation of support for a rejuvenating week in gorgeous Costa Rica!

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Day 2 – Yoga, Fitness & Exploration

Wake up to a morning of yoga, as well as the opportunity to explore Finca Rosa Blanca’s beautiful grounds. We’ll also spend time thinking about the food and beverage that we nourish our bodies with. Today we’ll work up a sweat by exploring the beautiful resort and we’ll work on strength and spend time enjoying the amazing environment.

Wellness retreat Costa RicaWe’ll also dive into our fitness & wellness goal-setting session and take part in a coffee tasting tour at Finca Rosa Blanca. There will also be a cooking demo, where we’ll talk nutrition while harvesting fresh vegetables and herbs from the resort’s organic greenhouse. Prepare a fresh salad with the chef in a personalized cooking class. Plus, this evening’s dinner will feature an innovative coffee-themed experience, utilizing coffee from the hotel’s plantation in creative ways throughout each course, including wine pairings. Overnight at Finca Rosa Blanca [BLD]

Day 3 – Hiking, Salsa Dancing & Planning for Nourishment

Today we’ll focus on a various components of our holistic approach to wellness – staying active, nourishing ourselves with healthy food in our lives, while we enjoy nature. We’ll get our bodies moving with a hike to one of Costa Rica’s magnificent volcanoes where we’ll get a chance to observe some fantastic wildlife, including the red spider monkey and the Fabulous Quetzal. Later, we’ll take time to dive deeper into our goal-setting efforts and begin thinking about (and trying a few of) the activities that help us to maximize our best selves. In the evening we’ll continue moving with early evening salsa lessons. Overnight at Finca Rosa Blanca [BLD]

Day 4 – Bootcamp & Yoga at Manuel Antonio National Park

We’ll wake up this morning and say farewell to our hosts at Finca Rosa Blanca, before heading to Manuel Antonio National Park, with its expansive white sand beaches backed by evergreen forest. Here we’ll stay at the five-star luxury resort, Arenas del Mar, where we’ll workout in a picturesque setting and dig into creating your personalized wellness action plan. Enjoy a nourishing dinner and sunset yoga session. Overnight at Arenas del Mar Resort [BLD]

Arenas del Mar - Photo Cayuga Collection

Photo Cayuga Collection

Day 5 – Ocean Fun & Nutrition

It’s time to play at the ocean! You may choose a kayak tour through protected inland waterways, which allow you to combine adventure with education, as you learn about the Mangrove Forest and its inhabitants, including the white-face capuchin monkey and a vast array of birds. Alternatively, you might decide to try stand-up paddle boarding (SUP). There is free time to savor the beach or have an optional spa appointment to nourish your body. We’ll also continue our discussions around planning nourishment for wellness. Overnight at Arenas del Mar Resort [BLD]

Day 6 – Wellness Action Planning 

Today we’ll explore the national park with a morning hike on a coastal and tropical forest trail. You’ll solidify your action plan to guide you towards achieving your fitness and wellness goals once our Costa Rica retreat wraps up. We’ll take part in an informative “Easy Being Green” tour where we’ll learn about Costa Rica history, nature and sustainable practices. You will learn strategies for reducing waste, saving energy, and having a positive impact on the environment, which you can apply in your own home as a component of a healthy lifestyle. We will reserve some free time to spend at the beach or an optional spa treatment. Overnight at Arenas del Mar Resort [BLD]

Day 7 – Departure or Begin Post-extension

Today, return to San Jose on a local flight or continue your adventure in Costa Rica with a post-extension.  [B]IMG_0850

Details:

Price of the trip: $3,295 USD per person based on double occupancy, not including airfare. Package price will be higher for guests requesting a single room and slightly lower for groups of three sharing a room.

Pre and post extensions are available — please contact GreenSpot for help designing your perfect trip. Extension ideas include:

  • Silencio Lodge Cloud Forest
  • Copa de Arbol / Osa Peninsula
  • Harmony / Nosara area
  • Dominical area / Kura

Note: for guests traveling on pre or post extensions, transfers may require additional cost.

Contact us today to secure your space!

kayak costa Rica

Costa Rica's Coffee Culture

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Today we took a winding drive up out of the valley through the mountains and over into the valley of Santa Maria de Dota, part of the region of “Los Santos.”  90% of the population here makes their living from growing coffee. Even people’s backyards and sideyards are coffee plants. From the distance you can see the slopes covered in coffee plants, steep slopes as far as the eye can see. The coffee producers all belong to a cooperative, Coopedota (Dota is the name of the region) that was started in the 1950s by 9 farmers and has grown to over 700 members.  The cooperative helps the farmers earn a better price for their coffee by centralizing production and marketing to large buyers such as Starbucks, which purchases only high elevation, high quality coffee and pays a premium for it.

Coffee tour through the processing plant Storage of coffee at 11% humidity
While the coffee in this region is not all shade-grown (which has a host of benefits for the environment and the quality of the coffee), the representative from Coopedota, Adriana, said that they have begun to promote shade-grown coffee and have the goal of becoming organic in five years. Already they utilize all wastes from the process by using the pulp and skins of the coffee cherries as fuel for the big drying ovens, they create ethanol for fuels, and have biodigestors that create methane to be used for fuel as well. They have a new organic fertilizer program which will help the farmers to use agricultural wastes to create fertilizer, which is not only natural but much less expensive than the synthetic fertilizers, allowing for a chance at better profits. Water used in the process of cleaning the coffee cherries is reused several times before being returned to farms for watering, rather than being used once and wasted.

drying machines The peel and outer skins used for fuel

We learned about the interesting process at the “Beneficio,” or processing plant, and while it is not coffee harvesting season so we could not see the process in action it was still really interesting.

In the afternoon we took a little hike on the private reserve at Savegre Lodge along the river through the forest to some beautiful waterfalls, which ended off the day nicely.

Jack and Charlies souvenirshiking to the waterfall

Tomorrow we’re off to the Alexander Skutch Biological Corridor, where I used to live so I’m really excited about seeing everyone again. James and Usha are really looking forward to spending a couple of days with Luis Angel and his family in their cabin at “La Finca Escondida” (The Hidden Farm) where we will be treated to lots of tasty home-cooked meals and a great wealth of knowledge about the birds and nature of this lowland rainforest and farming area. There’s no internet in the rural community so I’ll see you in a few days when we’re on the coast at La Cusinga Ecolodge!

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