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 Media Reviews
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Montauk Sun
April 2008
Excerpt from "Living the Pure Life in Costa Rica " by Debra Rose
Mother Nature spilled her paint-box on this land. The literal translation of Pura Vida is "Pure Life," a common greeting and response to polite inquires in Costa Rica, as in, "Como Esta" (How are you? "Pura Vida" (Well). The Latin American Aloha.
Taking a trip to Costa Rica is now synonymous with a jaunt to any island in the Caribbean, no longer unknown or undiscovered, and now a predictable destination for even novice travelers. Well-traveled surf spots such as Tamarindo and Nosara on the Western Coast of the country that border the Pacific Ocean are a hub for American tourist, overflowing with English-speaking restaurants, hotels, establishments and surf schools. Until recently, Costa Rica was still being touted as an exotic, newly uncovered hidden gem in the frequently unstable string of countries it is flanked by. A democratic nation without an Army that enjoys a high literacy rate, "The Switzerland" of Latin America has noble intentions.
full article | Montauk Sun |
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Healing Lifestyles & Spas
March/April 2008
Excerpt from "Tropical Reprieve" by Debra Bokur
Surrounded by a lush, mountainous landscape in Costa Rica’s Alajuela province, Pura Vida Retreat and Spa offers a healthy respite from daily cares with natural foods, yoga, workshops, and lifestyle seminars. The resort’s Mind-Body-Spirit programs include a choice of such eco adventure activities as wildlife excursions, white water rafting, and day trips to Arenal Volcano, beaches, and exotic gardens.
Translated, Pura Vida means “pure life,” and this definition carries over into all aspects of the property. Tranquil spaces for meditation, contemplation, and simple relaxation can be found throughout the seven-acre grounds, set amidst sweet-scented orchid gardens, bubbling fountains, and quiet pools. Costa Rica is home to over 800 species of birds, and many of them can be seen and heard throughout the resort. Lodging choices range from shared-bathroom tentalows, to pagodas, suites, and deluxe kivas. Meals are served buffet style, and include ample vegetarian selections, along with vegan and high-protein choices featuring chicken and local fish. Food is prepared and served with great care by three local Costa Rican women—Mayela, her elder sister Hilda, and her niece Magaly—who incorporate Central American fruits, grains, and vegetables into their own recipes. Together, they use their years of experience to infuse each dish offered with a sense of local flavor and flair. Can’t get to Costa Rica?
There are two other Pura Vida properties: Maya Tulum Resort in Mexico and the Pura Vida Wellness and Yoga Retreat Bed & Breakfast in the foothills of Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
full article | Healing Lifestyles & Spas Online © JLD Publications
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Healing Lifestyles & Spas
January/February 2008
Excerpt from "Costa Rican Clarity" -B.H
A winding road from Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose, brings you endlessly upward to the Pura Vida spa, a mind/body retreat center perched on a mountaintop. Choose from luxe suites to A-frames to tentalows, scattered throughout tropical gardens bursting with vibrant, exotic flowers, butterflies, and birds. Five yoga halls, some with breathtaking views or indoor jungles, make it difficult to focus inward, but talented instructors guide the way. Fresh, healthful, buffet-style meals nourish you for eco-tours, including white-water rafting, a zip-line canopy adventure, or a cloud forest hike to the crater of the semi-active Poas volcano. Afterward, recover in healing hands at the Wellness Center...
full article | Healing Lifestyles & Spas Online © JLD Publications Inc.,
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Spa Finder Readers' Choice Award!
Votes were cast for over 500 different spas and Pura Vida Costa Rica was the winner of favorite spa in Central America.
Oct 25, 2005
Our magazine and online readers weigh in on their favorite spas in these countries.
Brazil: Kurotel Longevity Center and Spa, Gramado
Canada: Willow Stream the spa at The Fairmont Banff Springs, Alberta
The Caribbean: The BodyHoliday at LeSport, St. Lucia
Central America: Pura Vida Wellness Retreat and Spa, Costa Rica
China: Banyan Tree Spa Shanghai at the Westin Shanghai
Czech Republic: Spa Hotel Imperial, Karlovy Vary
France: Evian Royal Resort (formerly the Royal Parc Evian), Evian
Germany: Brenner's Park Hotel & Spa, Baden-Baden
Hungary: The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest
India: Ananda in the Himalayas, Uttaranchal
Ireland: Sámas at the Park Hotel Kenmare, Kenmare
Italy: Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort, Tuscany
Maldives Islands: Six Senses Spa at Soneva Fushi Resort, Baa Atoll
Mexico: Rancho La Puerta
Middle East: Six Senses Spa at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, U.A.E.
Southeast Asia: Banyan Tree Phuket at Laguna Resort, Thailand
South Pacific: Le Manea Spa at Le Taha'a Private Island, French Polynesia
United Kingdom: Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, London, and
The Spa at Chewton Glen, Hampshire (tie vote)
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New York Times
March 2003
Excerpt from "A Flexible Plan in Costa Rica" by Ted Rose
….While planning this trip, I had heard about Pura Vida Spa from a number of experienced yoga students. "You are doing yoga overlooking an incredible valley," gushed Lori, another of our travel companions and a yoga teacher who lobbied hard for Pura Vida, which she had visited the year before. "I, for one, never felt more peaceful in my life."
…..Pura Vida Spa is on 12 acres of mountaintop, surrounded by coffee plantations. It overlooks Costa Rica's central valley, which is dominated by the sprawling capital, San Jose. As we tumbled out of Emilio's car, I noticed that the grounds appeared spacious and well manicured.
…. We had come for a few days, but I learned that most guests spent a week at Pura Vida, arriving and departing on Saturday. The vast majority were Americans, who flew directly from home to attend a particular retreat, led by their local yoga instructor or a nationally recognized teacher.
Each retreat set its own schedule, some having as many as five yoga sessions a day. We would participate in Pura Vida's house brand of yoga, under the title "Mind/Body/Spirit Adventure," which offered morning and afternoon classes on a drop-in basis.
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Yoga Journal
March/April 2003
Excerpt from "Let's Go Yogis" by Jennifer Barrett
Costa Rica "A vision she once had in a traditional Native American ceremony perplexed Ana Forrest for years. At the time, she didn't know what it meant, but shortly thereafter, her health started to deteriorate. 'I got sicker and sicker, until finally I started teaching yoga on the road. My health problems and anxiety lifted, and I understood the vision: I need to cover the planet and teach.' Because of this, it's no surprise that Forrest's favorite place to conduct classes is, quite simply, planet Earth. 'I teach there 360 days a year.' She says of her travels to India and Nepal, the Yucatan, Europe, and beyond.
When pressed to name names, however, Forrest picks Pura Vida and Samasati in Costa Rica, where she has twice led private tours and hopes to return in the very near future. 'At Pura Vida, it's all about the great staff-including a chef who's willing to cater to people's allergies and needs, which for me is important,' she says. The staff leads guests out on adventures in the jungle, making sure no damage is done by, say, someone drowning, breaking a leg, or falling out of a tree. Indeed, swinging through the trees is always a big hit with her students outside class. 'You climb up to a tree platform where they hook you up in complex harnesses with big clips. Then you travel along a network of cables to the next platform. It's incredible under the tree canopy-that is, unless you're afraid of heights." |
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Sports Illustrated
October 2002
Excerpt from "Of Zen and Zeppelin" by Jessica Shaw
"When looking for a yoga retreat Jessica Shaw wanted to avoid anything too touchy-feely. That wasn't a problem at Pura Vida, where New Age attitude coexists comfortably with classic rock.
I had been to yoga retreats before that were more of the northern California let's-sit-in-a-circle-and-sing-Kumbaya sort, which drove me to sleep.When choosing this retreat I was looking for pretty much the opposite.
In Costa Rica Pura Vida means 'Pure Life.' It makes sense that a country with no army, with 25% of its land protected and with some of the most beautiful black-and-white sand beaches in the world would have such a chipper national salutation. When you land in this Central American oasis for a weeklong yoga retreat, 5200 feet up in the mountains of the Alajuela region (at a resort called, of course, Pura Vida), the good life starts to sink in." |
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American Spa
March 2002
Excerpt from "Pura Vida Spa and Retreat Center" by Heather Mikesell
"The last three years have seen most of the best-known yoga teachers in the United States pass through Pura Vida on weekly teaching programs."
"Located in Alajuela, Costa Rica, near the capital city of San Jose, Pura Vida Spa & Retreat Center is a mecca for the spiritually minded. With a focus on yoga, meditation, movement, and conscious living, the spa attracts those looking for a more fulfilling and enriching experience.
A highlight of the spa is its open-air garden yoga hall. Built and designed by the staff at Pura Vida in 1986, the project took approximately six months to complete. While it may have been the first of the four yoga halls to be built, it's also the most impressive with stunning views of the spa's private 12-acre estate and the surrounding Central Valley." |
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Spa finder
Fall 2001
Excerpt from "Lush Life-Costa Rica's Enchanted Spas" by Fred Setterberg
"At Pura Vida, on a small, sublime mountaintop overlooking Costa Rica's central highlands, we found the world bursting into bloom. My wife, Ann, and I had risen with the sun at this resort spa. We had slept like slabs of granite following a circuitous flight to Central America's most peaceful, prosperous, and aesthetically pleasing country.
For years, Ann and I had wanted to visit Costa Rica, and we now found Pura Vida to be the perfect springboard for plunging into the region's biotic riches. On that first morning's stroll, we discovered that the spa could easily accommodate 50 or 60 guests without sacrificing its garden sensibilities. The grounds were dotted with small A-frame bungalows subtly nested into the hillside and differentiated by slight, significant choices in construction and design-ours featured a sunken bedroom and handcrafted matting on the cabinet faces. A half dozen spacious tents covered the ground.
We spent three days at Pura Vida, stretching, lounging, meditating, and occasionally joining the yoga classes where flexible young people tied their limbs and torsos into happy knots. With our bodies, minds, and spirits suitably unpacked and becalmed, we were now prepared to set out on the next leg of our trip" |
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