8 of the best places for wellness in Costa Rica

Wellness comes in all forms in Costa Rica, where you can visit world-class yoga retreats, relax in spas that mix modern methodologies with ancient traditions, and experience a spectacular surf scene.

All of this comes with a stunning backdrop of tropical rainforests, palm-fringed beaches, and volcanic national parks. No wonder the Ticos watchword is pura vida (literally, "pure life").

Take a cue from the long-living Blue Zone dwellers – disconnect from your devices, reconnect with nature, and nourish your mind, body and soul.

Whether you’ve got two days or two weeks, there’s a wellness retreat in Costa Rica for you. Here are our top picks.

1. Nantipa

Best for getting in the Blue Zone

Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world’s five Blue Zones, famed for their healthiest, longest-living populations.

Now beachfront Nantipa, in Nicoya’s laid-back boho surf town of Santa Teresa, has tapped into the locals’ healthy habits and added concepts of Blue Mind – the therapeutic effects of being in and around water – to create Blue Wellness journeys.

What Blue Zones around the globe have in common are a predominantly plant-based diet (expect lots of beans), daily exercise, socializing, and spending time in nature.

At Nantipa, your personalized wellness journey could include yoga, volunteering at a turtle hatchery, and a rainforest hike or horseback-ride along the beach, before indulging in seasonal local produce. The Numu spa uses superfoods in its treatments, too – avocado wrap, anyone?

2. Finca Luna Nueva Lodge

Best for going back to nature

Embrace the pura vida at Finca Luna Nueva. Close to La Fortuna – the gateway to Volcán Arenal – this sprawling biodynamic farm is a pioneer of regenerative agriculture, with rooms and suites handcrafted from fallen trees and bamboo, and a wellness program that mixes yoga retreats, holistic workshops and nature-based activities.

Explore the rainforest trails, discover the potential healing properties of herbs, and take the farm tour to see – and taste – the results of the biodynamic process.

Then head to the spa for some chocolate therapy, wallow in the solar-heated hot tub or ozonated pool, and salute the sun from the bamboo yoga platform before a farm-to-table feast.

3. Bodhi Surf + Yoga

Best for laid-back beach yogis

Yoga and surfing are a wellness match made in heaven, from boosting balance and core strength to lowering stress hormones.

And you can catch a wave year-round at certified B-Corp, Bodhi (meaning "awakening" in Sanskrit) in Bahia Ballena, close to the under-the-radar beach town of Uvita.

The seven- or 14-night surf-and-yoga camps are limited to 10 guests and, as well as improving your asanas and wave-riding skills (beginners welcome) it’s big on experiences.

Take a stroll to the Parque Nacional Marino Ballena, famed for its migrating pods of humpback whales and linger on its whale’s tail-shaped sweep of deserted beach. Expect to leave rejuvenated with a renewed commitment to the environment and sustainability.

Planning tip: Non-guests can book beginners and intermediate surfing and body surfing lessons, group, one-to-one and two-day clinics.

4. Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa

Best for balneotherapy

In the shadow of Volcán Arenal’s perfect cone, Tabacón’s rainforest reserve shelters naturally flowing hot springs that feed its 20-or-so foliage-fringed pools.

Guests can dip in and out of the mineral-rich water, ranging in temperature from 22 to 40ºC (72 to 105ºF), or follow a thermal circuit to boost the benefits of contrast balneotherapy.

This age-old therapy is said to improve circulation and ease joint and muscle pain – ideal if you’ve signed up for the resort's hiking, biking, white-water rafting, canyoning and horseback riding tours – while the heat and humidity is believed to relieve respiratory problems and boost the immune system.

Head to the spa for coffee and coconut exfoliators or a detoxifying volcanic mud massage followed by a thermal mineral shower amid the rainforest.

Planning tip: Non-guests can buy a day pass (from US$89) to access the natural pools and cascades from 10am to 10pm.

5. The Retreat Costa Rica

Best for holistic healing

Enveloped in greenery, the Retreat sits high atop a quartz mountain believed to emit healing energy.

It may be just 45 minutes from San José airport, but you’re never far from wild nature here, whether on a hike, on the yoga terrace or taking in the Pacific valley views through your floor-to-ceiling windows.

This luxe boutique incorporates the five elements of feng shui: wood, fire, earth, metal and water, and personalized wellness programs – from detoxing to dealing with burnout and rebooting your fitness – take a holistic approach.

Expect everything from ayurvedic massage to infrared sauna therapies, spa treatments infused with crystal energy and organic farm-to-table dishes focusing on anti-inflammatory ingredients.

6. Rio Perdido Hotel and Thermal River

Best for immersion in nature

Tucked away in a rare ecosystem in Guanacaste – dwarf forest and volcanic canyons – this hideaway attracts eco-conscious wellness seekers who want to rejuvenate in nature without the intense workouts or restrictive diets.

There are few barriers to the acres of wild nature here; rustic structures are open to the elements or come with wraparound jungle views.

Start the day with peaceful yoga by the riverbank, or if you're feeling more energetic, hike or mountain-bike the 30km (20 miles) of trails, take on the river rapids and whizz Tarzan-style through ravines and over waterfalls on a zipline.

Splashing around in the geothermal Río Perdido (Lost River) and soothing mineral-filled springs is a must – don’t forget to slather yourself in volcanic mud.

7. ONDA Spa

Best for nature-inspired spa sessions

Spread over a hillside on a jungle-covered finger of land, the Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo overlooks the deep blues of Culebra Bay, and has just played host to the first official Blue Zones-sponsored retreat.

And its rustic-chic ONDA Spa has borrowed from nature and channeled the Chorotega (indigenous Costa Ricans) for its organic treatments.

Be scrubbed smooth with purple corn or gallo pinto (rice and beans), bathe in local herbs, or soothe sun-frazzled skin with an aloe and tropical fruit wrap.

You can even try sound healing while suspended in an anti-gravity hammock. A birdsong soundtrack comes as standard at the spa rooms, wrapped in tropical forest and open to the Pacific breeze – you might even be spied on by a curious capuchin monkey.

Planning tip: The Peninsula Papagayo is just 45 minutes from the Liberia Guanacaste international airport.

8. Hacienda AltaGracia

Best for a rebalancing retreat

Get off the beaten track at this luxe wellness resort, with 50 secluded casitas tucked among the gorgeous greenery of Pérez Zeledón’s mountains.

A four-day retreat at THE WELL means a personalized plan blending Eastern and Western philosophies with Blue Zone elements.

Think Maderoterapia, a local massage technique that balances energy and reduces stress, craniosacral therapy to relieve emotional stress, and a herbal bath on the banks of the Calientillo River.

Away from the spa, guests are encouraged to be mindful and get active outside. Saddle up one of the resident horses to explore the vast estate, scale a lofty ficus tree for a bird’s eye view of the forest or indulge in some mindful forest bathing followed by a rebalancing sound bath.