This is where you need to go when you need a New Year holiday to restart life relaxed and refreshed – Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge on a remote tropical beach in southern Costa Rica.
Article by Shannon Farley
Wouldn’t it be nice if life could have a restart button?
Like when you get overwhelmed by being too busy with work and life. Hit restart and it all resets to a calmer pace (and miraculously gets done). Or, when you’re developing bad habits – or “fill-in-the-blank” – and really want to start over. Restart.
What if I told you there is a place that can serve as a restart button? A place so full of peace and natural positive energy, very away from it all on a remote tropical beach, where you can pause and restart the New Year.
It’s called Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge and it’s located in southern Costa Rica.
It’s the kind of place where you can relax and breathe deeply in fresh air. Where there is nothing around you, nothing in your view, apart from emerald green rainforest, jungle-covered mountains and deep blue ocean. The sea is the tranquil, warm-water, Pacific gulf of Golfo Dulce, which means it is absolutely perfect for swimming, snorkeling, paddle boarding and kayaking – all of which are available to do at no charge.
You are definitely away from the rest of the world here. To get to Nicuesa Lodge, you travel by a 50-minute local flight (or a five-hour drive) from the capital of San Jose, and then take a scenic 35-minute boat ride across the calm gulf. There are no roads once you are at Nicuesa’s beach and 165-acre private rainforest reserve.
And while the hotel is award-winning for its sustainability and eco-friendly practices, that doesn’t mean you’ll be roughing it. Private cabins and guest rooms spoil you in simple luxury, resting amid the forest. A quick walk down a short gravel path takes you to the pebble and sand beach where there are lounge chairs, a shaded deck and a long pier – great for fishing or jumping off for a swim. You can take daily yoga classes or get a massage on the beach on a shaded beachfront platform.
Don’t worry, even though guests are encouraged to completely unplug, relax and enjoy their vacation, there is free Wi-Fi in the main lodge building, so you can stay connected. You will gather here in the treehouse-style main lodge building for family-style meals and a nightly happy hour – great ways to connect with other like-minded travelers from around the world.
Nature is everywhere. You can be as active as you want. Be adventurous on a multisport vacation, or just chill and relax by the beach. Take long walks in the reserve and see incredible wildlife face-to-face.
The new year is a good time to reflect on the past, live in the present, and make plans for the future. It is a new page in the book of our lives. Whether you want a wellness retreat, a digital detox vacation, or to just get away from it all to hit that restart button, a vacation in Costa Rica at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge is the perfect way to kick off the new year.
