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Reviewed 11 March 2012

Stayed at Anamaya during August 2011 for a one week Yoga & Adventure/Zumba retreat. It was beautiful and I'd definitely stay here again. Flew into San Jose and were told by Lia at Anamaya we wouldn't have enough time to catch flight to Tambo, although we would have. Waited several hours at the airport for a bus to ferry to Punta Arenas. That bus ride to the coast was one of the most terrifying adventures of my life. We were all convinced our bus driver was on a suicide mission and it was pouring rain to boot.
Bottom line: Lia the "reservations specialist" is a sweetheart but can be a ditz, you need to double check all travel arrangements made through the resort. It is not an easy place to get to but once you do, omg it is so worth it. We stayed in the Bali Cabina and it was stunningly beautiful. Too much to summarize so here are the big pluses and minuses:
Minus: For the prices they are charging, they can be just a little too laid back. You get the sense sometimes the staff is having way more fun that the guests and that you are an inconvenience to their chillaxin'. The casual atmosphere is fantastic but since people arrive different days of the week you can feel like a real outsider your first couple of days. Not all of their yoga teachers are up to par. The in-house teachers are great (Mandy, and the blonde who was pregnant at the time (Natalie?), wow) are outstanding. More modifications need to be given for beginners & various levels of issues like bad knees, etc. , it felt like little bit of an ego driven class at times. Also, dinner should be self serve family/buffet style like breakfast & lunch are. It was terrible to see food wasted with people who weren't hungry but were still served full plate of food. Need to concertedly accommodate non-seafood eaters with better protein options other than just the same vegetarian meals w/o protein, it's not like the price of the meal is being discounted. Overall food quality was very good and it's a great place to open your taste buds to new fresh local options, the cooks are wonderful.
Plusses:
Setting is STUNNING, there is not a bad cabin to stay in. Truly private and quiet. Staff works hard to make sure you are having a nice time. They are truly accommodating. Overall the plusses far outweigh the minuses and I'd stay here again in a heartbeat. Enjoy yourself at Anamaya!!

Room tip: Bali Cabina overlooks ocean, Jungle Cabina is green paradise and quiet
Date of stay: July 2011
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
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8  Thank TodoElMundo71
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 2 March 2012

From the moment we arrived we were treated like family. We arrived quite early in the day, but we were told where we could change for using the infinity pool and outside spa. We were offered something to eat; and we were even offered a choice of various available accommodations. The room we ended up choosing was the Jungle Room. With glass walls on three sides, we could lie in bed and look into the forest and watch monkeys frolicking in the trees. The outdoor shower was also a special and romantic treat. Our room was serviced early each day, while we were having breakfast. The food served was all very healthy and tasty. I left the table satisfied at each meal; and when I got home I hadn't gained a pound.

Be sure to check out the local Farmers Market on Saturday mornings in Montezuma, do the Montezuma Canopy Tour, and check out the local beaches. Great food at Ylang Ylang Restaurant right on the beach.

Room tip: Really enjoyed the Jungle Room.
Date of stay: February 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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2  Thank CarolCincinnati
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 16 February 2012

I travel to costa rica every year, at least once. Costa Rica has gorgeous beaches, mountains, people and energy. There are a few stinkers here and there, but overall, you really can't go wrong. We just returned from a week long retreat at Anamaya and loved it. The views from the pool and yoga platform are incredible. We enjoyed the monkeys, birds, sunrises and gardens. The location in montezuma is prime, although not on the beach. You will see miles of coast line and endless bue seas from you porch. I loved the food....but i am part rabbit and love vegie meals. We also had some great sea food meals. Breakfast was awesome...and that costa rican coffee can't be beat. Anamaya serves it with coconut milk.
The Staff at anamaya are great. The on site office folks really worked hard to please us...not easy. We suggest the private boat to isle de tortuga, hiking to the falls, going on the beach, bakery and cemetary island tour - visit the marmalade lady! You will love Montezuma and Anamaya.

Room tip: everything except the temple and the casita was awesome - a few flairs could make those rooms better.
Date of stay: January 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
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2  Thank creampuffery
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 30 January 2012

I've been to several yoga retreats, but this one doesn't even come close to any of the ones I've been to. Their idea of vegetarian food is to serve rice and beans everymeal. Hardly ever saw any real vegetables that weren't cooked so you couldn't tell what they were. They had good soups but always seemed to be squash. Portions were meger and I always seemed hungry. I really like sweets but didn't eat any of their deserts. Not tasty at all.

The person available when we checked in had absoluetely no customer service training and was very abrupt and impersonal. The room we were given had two bunk beds and was the size of a walk-in closet and was as how as a steam room. She said it shouldn't matter since we wouldn't be in out rooms very much. The person who did all the reservations wasn't there when we arrived and wasn't reachable by phone. When we get to talk with her she actied as she didn't care in t he least if we were happy or not. Almost all of the people who worked there acted that way; as if they didn't care what we thought.

There was no place to read at night as all the lighting was indirect and if you wanted to stay up past your roommates bedtime and went to the main building it was stifling hot. We didn't have water for showers the first morning and coffee was never available until right before our yoga class and it would run out before breakfast and not be available until a fter breakfast some days.

One excursion that was planned for us ($50.00) was snorkeling and the beach. The operators said no one from Anamaya told them what drinks we wanted so really all that was available cold was beer (I don't drink) and juice. No bottles of cold water were available. When we got to the beach we were told it cost $7.00 to sit on a beach chair and a dollar to use the most awful, dirty bathroom I've ever seen. We were not told to bring a towel to Anamaya and were not allowed to take the ones at Anamaya off the premises although they would be happy to sell you one. What a rip off.

I would leave my bottle of water in the freezer so I could at lest have some cold water available when I wanted it and they had the habit of "cleaning out the freezer" and throwing out the water bottles.

This vacation started off on a bad note with the accomodations not being what was expected and overpriced for what we got and ended on a bad note with Anamaya charging me for amounts that were not due and once again the person responsible for the reservations was again not available.

Their photos on the web show these beautiful rooms, but be careful- they only show one side of the room and don't let you know that there may be no closet or shelves or even much floor space. You'll have to live out of a suitcase.

The photos don't show you that the yoga space, outside sitting area, pools and the main building are crammed right next to each other so you have no privacy at all. There are not any other sitting areas to find any privacy. They make sure that you can't tell this from the web photos.

My overall opinion is very low. Absolutely no customer service. They're just out to make a buck and take advantage of the fact that we can't see what we are getting beforehand. All in all this was supposed to be relaxing and ended up being pretty stressful.

Room tip: Ask for the actual dimensions of the rooms, what a typical mean plan is like, if there is mold on the shower curtains, when coffee will be ready in the morning, how many people you will be sharing a tiny bathroom with, if you will be hearing the generator turn off and on, if the staff will be fixing meals right out side your room, if there will be people talking below your room in the massage area what additional costs you will be charged.
Date of stay: January 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
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18  Thank YogaGirl99
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joseph-Anamaya, Owner at Anamaya Resort & Retreat Center, responded to this reviewResponded 26 March 2012

Hello TripAdvisor community. I’m Joseph Mikrut, founder, co-owner and president of Anamaya. Thanks for reading our reviews. This one in particular really came as quite a shock because it’s so contrary to the perspective and experience of our guests normally. For example, I get asked by the guests about 4 times a week if we will create a cook book because they love our food so much. Also, I hear time and time again that the website photos are nice but don’t even come close to the real beauty of the place. I see tears in people’s eyes every Saturday when their retreat is over and they are leaving their new family and friends at Anamaya.

I would like to sincerely apologize to you “YogaGirl99.” For whatever reason, despite our efforts we were unable to offer you the positive transformative experience that our guests usually have. I am especially saddened that your perspective is that we are “just out to make a buck” because that is far from the truth.

I know there is always room for growth, so we have taken all your points into consideration and will make any improvements possible so that these issues will not cause any problems in the future. We are committed to going the extra mile to accommodate every single one of our guests and provide the best experience possible.

Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 26 January 2012

Words and pictures can't begin to describe what an amazing overall experience this vacation was! I travelled with a friend of mine, but many other vacationers at the resort were travelling solo. Within about 24 hours all 18 of us, from Canada the US and Brazil, all felt as though we were travelling together! I am typically a lazy traveller, I enjoy spending my days laying in the sun and frolicking in the pool or ocean. Anamaya had a schedule ready, but it was all really 'suggestions', you could do what you wanted. So if you wanted to laze around by the pool all day and sleep in the many nap spots that were around, you could. If you wanted to remain busy all day with excursions and adventures, you could. If you wanted a bit of both, that was also an option. The resort let you pick how busy you wanted to be.

FOOD:
The food was amazing! If you are a picky eater though, this may not be the place for you. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style, but not buffet like at an all-inclusive, the buffet consisted of a few options. Dinner was a three course meal. So if you aren't an adventurous eater then you may not enjoy the food as much as I did-not to say that you'll be eating crazy weird stuff, but you don't get much choice. They were great at catering to any allergies or food preferences, two of the guests were gluten-free and the cooks made sure that every meal was either gluten-free or had a gluten-free option. The meals were insanely flavourful and all of us couldn't get over how great the food was! We suggested that they sell cookbooks with their recipes in them on site-we all would've bought one!

ACCOMODATIONS:
Beauty! Clean, cute little cabanas (I think that's what you'd call them). The grounds themselves were gorgeous! Spread out but close enough, all the cabanas had some sort of foliage around them so they were slightly private. The view is to die for-yoga will never be the same again, my studio at home can't beat that view! Of course there were insects and geckos-can't really avoid these things since you are in the middle of a jungle and all! But remember-where there are geckos there are less bugs!

YOGA:
Leah taught our morning classes and I enjoyed them so much I wanted to pack her little body in my suitcase and bring her home with me! I wouldn't say that I'm a hardcore yogi, I'd categorize myself as intermediate I practice a couple times a week. Her instruction was perfect, we never felt lost or confused. The classes were challanging but not impossible, they flowed well. She was really great at observing the class and gearing it towards all of our capabilities. Mandy taught our evening workshops and she was also a great instructor! I learned alot from her workshops, some stuff I had never had a chance to learn about before.

EXCURSIONS:
We booked the yoga/adventure retreat-we assumed that it covered all our adventures, but it turns out that one excursion is covered in the cost of the retreat and any others you pay extra for. There were also many other excursions that were free; waterfall hike, river and bakery tour, town and beach excursion. I did the Tortuga Island snorkelling tour and the horseback riding on the beach (paid for one) then for the free tours I did the river and bakery tour and the town and beach. I enjoyed them all! They were a great way to see some of the area. On the Thursday night we headed into the town (Montezuma) for their reggae night and got to do some dancing and see some locals put on a fire dancing show in the street.

THE POOL:
You've seen it on the website and it really is that amazing. Take a dip at night and check out the stars-loved it!

THE STAFF:
Friendly, helpful, courteous. No complaints with any of them!

COST:
This trip cost quite a bit but it was totally worth every penny. I would not say that it was overpriced at all!

If you are looking to hang out in paradise for a week, maybe do some yoga, eat some good food and have a little fun or relaxation-this place is perfect!

Date of stay: January 2012
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
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5  Thank 13travel_bug
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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