Wow.. where do I start?
I traveled to Costa Rica near the end of May-June 2012 for a yoga retreat/self-discovery trip. Having done a lot of research on yoga retreats in the area I finally decided to choose Anamaya, and what an excellent choice!!
I'll start by saying that everything was very well organized, from the travel to-from the airport, to the activities, to the yoga classes! I chose to book the shuttle-ferry-shuttle route through Anamaya and it was efficient and professional. Upon arrival to the resort we were showed our rooms and fed the most delicious supper!
Now the food... as you have read in many other reviews... is to DIE FOR. Most of it was gluten-free, dairy free and all organic, and it was some of the most tasteful food I have ever had. Johanne (the head chef) did an absolutely amazing job creating the menu; mealtimes were parts of the day I looked forward to most! (and yoga, of course).
We had two yoga classes a day; in the morning and in the evening on the beautiful yoga deck overlooking the coast. Morning classes were energizing whereas evening classes were rejuvenating sessions, both an hour and a half each. Now I'm not sure if they switch this up at all but I really like how it was done! There really is a difference when you do yoga with a view... ahhhhhhh
As for the rooms; they were wonderful! I had asked to be paired up with a couple of roommates for frugal means and I'm super happy with the room they gave me! It was up above the lobby with a shared bathroom (you'd think it would be super noisy at night but I didn't ever hear a thing from downstairs!). We had a beautiful balcony where we could watch the sunrise. The rooms were clean, air-conditioned and cozy with big closets. My only complaints would be the shared bathroom as sometimes the occupants of the other room (or ourselves!) would forget to unlock the door, which meant we were locked out and had to ask the staff to rescue us. But that aside, everything was fabulous. Also, there is a safe in the room large enough for small items like passports, money, etc, but to be honest I never used it and never felt like my valuables were threatened.
The resort itself is amazingly beautiful. It is perched up on a hill, about a 15 minute walk from Montezuma center, and offers the most spectacular views (which i never got tired of!). A great addition was the infinity pool which overlooked the coast; we all loved to hang out for hours just looking out.. soooo good!
Aside from that it had very lush surroundings; beautiful flowers, healthy forests, etc. Of course, with these surroundings comes insects which is to be expected. At first it was a shock because I for one am not used to having insects crowd my floors at home but we quickly got used to it. Anamaya doesn't use insecticides in order to be green so yes, you will get the odd creepy crawler but it was never an issue (at least not in my room). Just make sure you keep your room lights turned off at night (inside and out) when you are not using your room and the insects will stay away. They also had cute little gecko-lizards everywhere, they also served as additional roommates (don't be alarmed by the random squeals in the middle of the night.. it's just a gecko! haha).
As for activities, there was something fun planned every day! It was optional so you could sign up for it at the beginning of the week and opt out if you changed your mind, but I definitely recommend joining in. It’s a great way to meet the other guests and make great bonds. Zip-lining, the waterfall hike, Tortuga island tour, cooking class, group outing to Monezuma, salsa dancing in Cobano (or was it Cabuya?), the bonfire night… every activity was well worth it and brings me back such good memories!
Basically, Anamaya offered such good value for the amount I paid. It definitely surpassed my expectations. I was blown away by the kindness of the staff, the dedication of the management and the friendliness of everyone I met at that retreat. I knew the first day that I arrived that I was going to come back one day, and I'm looking forwards to that!
Thank you so, so much for making this a trip of a lifetime. I was so fortunate to have experienced such a fulfilling week in Costa Rica.
I left with my heart full of gratitude, love, friendship and balance. Thank you!
Pura Vida!!