Location, staff and cuisine

The people at Essence are beautiful souls. They are accommodating, kind, helpful, friendly, thoughtful. Although the tents were very rustic and worn, the location could not be beat!!! It was gorgeous and well loved everywhere. The owner, Nico, is mindful of his guests and their needs and available. I loved going to the hot springs and going on horseback to a waterfall. Although I was scared to death of the ziplining, it was well organized and safe. Visiting the farm and garden was a definite highlight! The food was delicious everyday. I can’t say enough about how kind and helpful every staff member was!

I have to say that I loved every minute I had spent there. Arenal Essence was exactly something I was looking for. I was looking for a quiet place surrounding by real nature. Yet, not boring as there are many outdoor activities to do around like hiking, horse riding, kayaking, hot springs, etc. The energy of the place was also indescribable. I was there on the 1st of January, so it was a major energy cleansing time and recharge for me, and I left the place with positive, fresh energy. It was how I wanted a new year with.

The food was amazing, on point. As I have a lactose intolerance, staff and chefs there manage to serve me food without lactose as I requested.

The yoga sessions were also good, the instructor was so friendly and easy going.

I wish I had more time to spend at Arenal Essence, apparently, 4 days is not enough!

Definitely will recommend to people and I would definitely go back again.

Ce séjour fût ma plus belle expérience au Costa Rica, le lieu dégage une énergie incroyable et les gens qui y travaillent encore plus (chef cuisinier, professeur de yoga, personnel d'accueil, les gens qui s'occupent de la ferme et du lieu en général) 🙃

Ces 5 jours m'ont parus beaucoup trop cours mais m'on permis de me recentrer sur moi elle et d'en apprendre d'avantage sur les autres!

Merci Nico pour ce lieu incroyable, merci Alejandro pour tes cours fabuleux, et merci a tous pour la folie et la passion je vous avez sur me transmettre d'une manière ou d'une autre 🙂

Too BUST to Leave a Review!

Loved it!

I really liked the yoga teacher, Alejandro. He has kind, helpful, and, when I was inevitably unable to make certain yoga classes, he arranged for me to trade a certain number of classes for spa treatments, which felt like really top notch care. Diego, the cook, among making delicious meals that I enjoyed and helped me feel good, took some of his free time to show me and a friend around the farm. Nico, the owner, takes genuine interest in the people that come and try to help them feel better from whatever they’re struggling with, and was able to recommend a specific additional treatment for me that really helped. Liliana would ask how I was doing every day and spend time chatting with me. Everyone I talked to was kind, caring and helpful. It attracted very interesting and caring people. It was just an excellent environment. The many spa treatments and self-care I was given were terrific and helped me truly reset before I returned to work. My favorite was the Sweat Lodge ceremony. I look forward to staying here again.

Essence Arenal was an incredible experience. Nico and the staff were helpful when I was booking the trip, recommending things to do, how to get there, etc. Upon arrival I was greeted and shown around the property. The rooms are clean and mine had a private bathroom which was very nice. The food is all vegetarian and most of it is either bought locally or grown on their organic farm and you can taste the quality. I did two yoga classes per day: a vinyasa in the morning and yin in the afternoon. The teacher was nice to cater the class to my level (I practice yoga nearly every day) and helped me learn new poses that once were difficult. It rained almost every day usually in the afternoon, so bring rain gear and the sun sets earlier than anticipated. Also, I should note that I traveled solo and felt surrounded by amazing company the whole time, from the staff to the farm volunteers, to the other guests, everyone was interested in having a conversation. The biggest thing I’d recommend is doing the horseback riding tour with Li, it was the highlight of the trip outside of the beauty of the environment.

I did the 7 day yoga retreat package. Everything was very well organized. Upon my arrival, they had an itinerary for me so I knew when my massage was, yoga class, etc..

The staff were so friendly & accommodating. If I had any question about my trip, they helped me. The place never felt super packed or busy so the staff were available.

I traveled alone as a female and always felt safe.

The nature there is unbelievable. There's the view of the Volcanoes and the lake, the rolling hills, the unbelievably diverse amount of birds, butterflies, plant-life etc... Essence Arenal has incredible jungle trails you can explore.

About a 5 minute walk away there's a Butterfly Conservation that cost about 17$ US to visit. There's also a reptile zoo an 8 minute walk away.

I loved the Permaculture and Cacoa tour (They have their own cacoa plants!). The yoga was great and personalized for my level.

The vegetarian food was AMAZING and always fresh. Much of the food comes straight from the permaculture farm.

Essence Arenal gave me a chance to truly feel peaceful. Starting your day with yoga, breathing in fresh air, drinking the water, eating fresh vegetarian food, & talking with compassionate people is such medicine for the soul.

Thank you Nico and the amazing Team!

Everything!

The Farm is just beautiful. Anything you can ask for from a place for a yoga retreat.

The Yoga Class is taking place on a hill with the view of the Arenal volcano.

Almost all the food is grown in the Farm.

You are in the middle of a jungle, beautiful, you can hear the birds and monkeys. Paradise!

Most important is the Staff - you feel it is like a family. All are nice and caring and guided by the great owner Nico.

I enjoyed the whole concept of Essence Arenal Boutique Hostel, as well as the warm and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone has been really helpful and open.

Mahela varied the concept of her classes which made every class unique. She is a very lovely and kind teacher and understands to address the needs of her students.I can highly recommend a Yoga reatreat at the Essence Arenal Boutique Hostel.