7 Day Fun Activities and Yoga Holiday in Malpais, Puntarenas

Facilities

Each morning before breakfast (except on arrival and departure days), you will practice yoga and meditation from 07:45 to 09:00 and some afternoons on a 64-square-meter teak platform with the sounds of birds and monkeys as a symphonic backdrop.

The lodge is a truly spiritual haven and the location is a serene and secluded environment in which to relax and renew, in an extraordinary slice of the lush Costa Rican dry tropical rain forest.

Included in your yoga holiday is a free guided walk on Sunday.

The retreat will be held in Star Mountain, an intimate and peaceful jungle lodge set in flowering gardens within a 90-hectare private reserve next to Costa Rica's oldest nature reserve, Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve. With its wide diversity of plants, trees, and wildlife, the extensive property forms a continuous stretch of forest connecting to Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve.

Discover the fascinating jungle wildlife and nature within the resort's private mile-and-a-half long jungle trail on foot or on horseback. You will find a mosaic of jungle, rolling hills, mountains, and creeks, with some lookout points from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and beaches of Malpais.

The location is very convenient. The village and scenic beaches of Malpais are just a mile away downhill while buzzing Santa Teresa, with some of Costa Rica's most coveted surf points, restaurants, and shops which are a fifteen-minute drive from the lodge. The location is also close to Montezuma where you can swim and bathe in the beautiful ocean and enjoy wonderful beaches.

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A delicious breakfast of local fruit (papaya, mangos, and pineapples), fresh yogurt, cereal, coffee or tea, and toast with jam and honey is served after yoga practice each day and in the morning of the departure day.

You also have included 4 dinners which will serve vegetarian and some fish dishes.

Sunflower Retreats also organizes trips to experience delicious cuisine in authentic local restaurants in the seaside towns of Mal Pais or Santa Teresa in evenings where there is no buffet dinner. A small fee, per person, is charged for transport to and from the town.

The lodge has also a maid service for when you want a snack or drink, or if you decide not to join the visits to local restaurants.

As well as the opportunity to practice yoga with an experienced teacher and enjoy Ayurvedic and holistic therapies, there's a fantastic program of optional activities to help you experience the best of Costa Rica and build great bonds with other yoginis and fellow international travelers.

Beaches, surfing, paddleboarding, and diving

Nearby San Teresa is a popular beach location and the area has some of the best surfing beaches in Costa Rica and the lodge is just four miles from the famous Playa Carmen surfing beaches. Surf and paddle board rentals, as well as surf and paddleboarding lessons suitable for beginners, can be arranged at breakfast each morning and the lessons cost from 50 USD for two hours. Scuba diving is also possible.

Boat trips

Enjoy a wonderful boat tour on the Pacific Coast where you can snorkel and scout for turtles, dolphins, manta rays, whales, and a variety of seabirds.

Holistic treatments

Holistic treatments are a major feature of Sunflower Retreats' path to wellness and complement the yoga you practice. There is a wide range of treatments, as in a spa, but the difference is that Sunflower Retreats uses only natural and organic products and take a holistic approach in every session.

A brochure describing these relaxing, healing, and rejuvenating therapies will be given to you when you arrive and you can book them each day at breakfast time. You can discuss each treatment with Sunflower Retreats’ practitioners and they will help you choose the perfect one for your own requirements.

The treatments are conducted in a warm, safe, and healing environment in a purpose-built treatment shala on the resort surrounded by the sounds and beauty of nature. The range of holistic therapies includes:

• Aromatherapy using pure essential oils
• Facials
• Holistic and Ayurvedic massage
• Hopi ear candles
• Reflexology
• Sunflower Retreats' ultimate healing treatment
• Sunflower's original freshly picked organic aloe vera skin treatments
• The bars

The prices range from 30 to 100 USD per session, depending on your choice of treatment and duration. They are available every day except the arrival and departure day.

Horseback riding

The lodge has its own stables so horse riding can be booked at any time. Let the horses be your gentle guides through mountains, jungle, and beaches for a sunset ride. Depending on the rider's level, various tours are offered. Riding can be booked at daily at breakfast time and costs from 35 USD for a two-hour ride.

Nature tours and bird watching

The lodge is adjacent to Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve but has significantly less foot traffic. The lodge's 225-acre private reserve affords an opportunity to learn about the jungle's medicinal plants and exotic animals and is a wonderful launching point for bird tours. Local nature guides can be booked on an hourly basis each day at breakfast time.

Shopping and dining

Nearby San Teresa is a great place to shop with a range of boutiques and restaurants serving a range of Costa Rican and international cuisine from local dishes to sushi. Sunflower Retreats will organize trips to experience delicious cuisine in authentic local restaurants in the seaside towns of Mal Pais or Santa Teresa on evenings where there is no buffet dinner. A small fee, per person, is charged for transport to and from the town.

• 6 nights accommodation in an en-suite bedroom
• Fresh linen and towels
• Room clean every other day and change of towels
• Five ninety-minute morning yoga classes (Friday through Tuesday)
• Three-afternoon yoga and meditation classes of one hour per six-night holiday
• Use of yoga mats
• Breakfast each day
• Four dinners, serving vegetarian cuisine and some local fish
• Free use of bicycles
• Unlimited use of the pool and Wi-Fi

• Flights to Costa Rica
• Transfers to and from the lodge in Cabuya
• Transport to local restaurants and nearby towns
• Holistic treatments
• Any extra optional activities and tours

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• A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.