Pura Vida in Costa Rica

 

2004 was a remarkable year for me!  I moved to Atlanta with my son for the pursuit of new experiences, new relationships, new opportunities and new adventures.  (Of course, I was also looking for a new man too in the ATL but I will discuss that topic in a later blog post.)  Fortunately, in '04 God blessed me with most of the desires of my heart and everything I needed!! 

As a gift to myself for having such a productive and prosperous year, I decided to take a trip to anywhere I wanted to travel in the world.  I made my decision by going to a local Borders book store where I found a travel book that included a world map, closed my eyes and then vowed that wherever my finger landed on the map THAT's where I would take my Christmas vacation (alone).  Well, fortunately for me my finger landed right dab in the middle of the map that featured a small country in South America known as Costa Rica. Just imagine if I had wound up in Antarctica or in the Congo somewhere?!??

Nevertheless my choice was made and three weeks later I was off to Costa Rica. I landed in San Jose' but decided to stay the night in the nearby town of Alejuela. The next morning I traveled to a beautiful mountainous retreat center on the outskirts of San Jose' near Alejuela called the Pura Vida Yoga Retreat Center.  (Pura Vida means the good life)

If you need a life break, I highly recommend going to this wonderful place.  At Pura Vida I was fed three delicious and healthy vegan dishes daily.  I know what you meat-eaters must be thinking.... so let me be quite clear, I am a bonafide carnivore. But trust me; the food at Pura Vida was simply divine. Every time I would head towards the eating area my little stomach and taste buds would jump for joy and gear up for the healthy meals.

However, the biggest draw for this particular retreat center is Yoga.  Yoga lovers and practitioners from all over the world travel to the Pura Vida Yoga Retreat center for the yoga classes and sessions taught by world renowned yoga masters.  The classes are held at the Yoga Center which is a small glass building that sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking San Jose and the town of Alejuela.  If you want to practice yoga in one of the most beautiful settings on earth then Pura Vida Yoga Retreat Center is your place!

My personal favorite at Pura Vida Yoga Retreat Center is the spas services and amazing pool area.  The pool and jacuzzi are located outside on the property overlooking the cliff.  It was so incredibly romantic that one night I thought about taking a cab to the city and finding me a sexy Costa Rican to accompany me back to the property. But I subdued my flesh and enjoyed all seven of my nights at the pool area drinkng pomegranate and aloe vera juice in an eco-friendly  cup on the rocks. Pura Vida is definitely the good life!