Category Archives: organic farming

Pura Vida Luxury Wellness Retreat

Share Button

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!

IMG_3196

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

Green Spot of The Day – South Korea

Share Button

Did you know that Korea is positioned to be on the front line of the movement promoting fermented foods throughout the world? Popular Korean dishes such as Kimchi, soybean paste, soy sauce, Korean chili paste, salted seafood and traditional rice liquors are some of the forerunners of fermented foods.

Back in July, 2011 when we had the pleasure to visit, we had the opportunity to visit historic temples, green tea plantations, interact with the locals, even to play hula hula in an organic farm, and to visit the  beautifulJeju Island, but kimchi seemed to be the most popular topic while on the trip! You know how in most countries, w

hen you have your group picture taken you say “cheese”?  In Korea, we were saying “kimchi”. We learned that its preparation process requires a lot of work from the women, who spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cutting cabbages in quarters, preparing the sauce (which is the main ingredient), soaking it in salt for hours, rinsing, filling and giving it the final touches. It sounds like a lot of work to me, but the result is delish.

This week, owner and founder at GreenSpot.travel, Richard Edwards, is back in Seoul where he will be speaking at the 2nd Annual Conference of Partners of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism. Topics like “Linking Tourism and Conservation” and “Tourism & Poverty Alleviation” will be presented and discussed.

 

Hopefully, Richard is savoring some kimchi and SK flavors.

Turquoise water and Ital Organic Farming

Share Button

When I was a teenager I used to have a picture of an island in the Bahamas posted up on my wall, the perfect Caribbean island, with palm trees, soft pinkish coral sand, and beautiful turquoise water. This was my dream, I had to see something like this in my lifetime. Finally in my 22nd year I got to Jamaica for the first time, and was lucky enough to see some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The water in Montego Bay, Port Antonio, and Negril left me speechless. My dream had come true.

Since then I’ve been to many tropical beaches in the Caribbean, Central America and South East Asia, and the turquoise water is still one of my favourite things in the world. Here in Providence, I have to say I have been privileged to witness a sea so beautiful I gasped and repeated over an over again, “This is incredible!”

A few pictures, while not quite doing it justice, at least give you an idea. They call it the “Sea of Seven Colours” here because there are so many levels to the blues, aquas and turquoises. At Crab Cay, just a short boat ride from Providence we went up a short path to a lookout point on some rocks and had a 360 degree view of what I think is definitely some of the most beautiful water in the world.  Then we snorkeled around the small island and from the pictures it looks like we were on top of the world.

Back on San Andres we get a lesson in Rastafarian-style living. The word “Ital” pronounced “Eye-tal” while it might remind you of Italian, has nothing to do with it. It means “Vital” and it is what describes the natural way of growing and cooking food in Rastafarianism. It is essentially organic methods of farming and preparing food without chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, the way our ancestors were doing it for centuries.

As I mentioned before there is a strong influence of Jamaican culture like other parts of coastal Latin America (Nicargua, Costa Rica and Panama) and we had the pleasure of visiting Job Saas’ natural farm where he showed us the different fruit trees he grows as well as the endangered species he helps to protect and procreate such as various iguanas, black crabs and turtles.

 
Job Saas made us fresh Tamarind and cane juice and coconut cookies, sweetened from the sugar cane hand-pressed on his farm. Below he is pressing the cane, some of which we chewed on straight from the stalk, it’s sweet and refreshing.

Job Saas really believes in his work and it was nice to be able to visit his place and show him support, as organic farming is not easy, but is so important. He knows nothing he produces pollutes the water or the air, and is naturally healthy for all who consume the fruits of his labors. So kind he is, he even gave me a book that was on display called How to Speak Caribbean English. The Creole they speak here is similar to Jamaican Patois (in fact I can’t really tell the difference). The main difference is that Spanish is mixed in somewhat here, they say especially with the younger generation, as being part of Colombia means their education is in Spanish. Being completely captivated by language, I love to listen and pick out the roots of words and figure out what people are saying. It’s a lot of fun!

This part of our trip is over now, and on we go to one of the most historic and culturally significant cities in the world, Cartagena.

Categories

Tweets

Facebook

Unable to display Facebook posts.
Show error

Error: Error validating application. Application has been deleted.
Type: OAuthException
Code: 190
Please refer to our Error Message Reference.