Verified Solo-Female Yoga Traveler Finds a Magic Mountain Retreat
There are as many ways to review Essence as there are reasons that people come here.
First I want to give special recognition to few people in order of impact: Juan Carlos, Aurelio, and Coletane. Juan Carlos contracts through his brother to drive for the resort. I basically got a 3.5 hour priceless tour guide from the moment I hit Costa Rican soil until we got to the resort. I felt so at home immediately and his information was priceless. His English was unbelievable. You can ask for him, but there is no guarantee unfortunately. If I were the resort, I would hire him full time to ferry my guests and welcome them in – he sets the tone that well.
Aurelio works part-time a few days a week doing the Cacao-Jungle Tour, the morning bird-watching tour, and the night jungle tour. His knowledge, passion, mastery of English, and his complete total dedication to his work is something one should experience no matter what. He is the Indiana Jones of Arenal and you will want to find yourself swinging from the jungle vines with him, savoring the fruits of the lands, and shelling your fresh cacao seeds for your very own luscious chocolate. If you are heading to Essence, ask ahead to see if you can align with one of his tours and do not miss it for anything.
Coletane works part-time running the spa circuit, ionic cleanse, and will also invite people on jungle walks amongst other things. She is passionate about Essence, healing, and everything there is to do about making your stay memorable. Her hugs and shares were beautiful and she enriched my stay with her love.
I would like to also thank Jairo the manager, Lena the behind-the-scenes scheduler, Nicola and Jovanny front desk coverage, and Marvin and his engaged kitchen staff. They welcome you with open arms.
My purpose in going was a solo-female 10-day yoga retreat and cleanse and to check out the option for a leadership retreat for my business. A beautiful group vibe occurred wth other single female retreat travels and based on other repeat travelers, the magic of a beautiful cohort forming is very common. There are others that come there for touristic reasons and brief stays for the national park, termales, sloths, zip lines, and waterfalls in nearby La Fortuna. The area attracts Europeans and Canadians more than Americans but there is a mix.
This is not a great place for advanced yoga classes. Not that the teachers cannot teach them- they can. But because there is invariably a few first-timers passing through or some travelers new to their practice. They must safely accommodate and teach an all-levels class. Just be aware and do not blame them for serving the more common attendee.
Solo female travels – you can come here safely and be at peace. This is one of the few places that has managed to figure out a way to do a rolling yoga retreat successfully. I needed that flexibility of no exact date start and stop. I have my business to run and found I could work four hours a day in peace. The wifi is good but shared amongst all guests and some were doing video calls successfully. However, I feel if I had to zoom or teams I would be at the mercy of other remote workers that come here. Luckily, I did not need that but it is worth noting that video calls might be tough. We did good with electricity but after I left I was told there were some days it went out for five hours. One priceless thing I had was a travel fan. The strong prevailing breeze is helpful in the mid-day heat if you are outside but inside, if you are like me, I need a fan. Get one with a rechargeable battery backup and that will continue running with the electric out.
Another positive note. I got about as many mosquito bites as I would on a summer night outdoors with the Great Lakes. Totally doable and pleasant with light bug repellant
There were some powerful things that happened, deep soul-level engagement. Incredible stay.