Pura Vida Retreat & Spa — Hotel in Carrizal

This was my first visit to Costa Rica and was surprisingly disappointed with my stay at this retreat. I didn’t do my research and was expecting more from my visit. ||My recommendation: Don’t Go, unless you are into Glorified Girl Scout Camping. This reminded me of when I took my daughter to girl scout camp in Central Florida. If you don’t mind, more or less, roughing it for a week, then by all means, this is the place for you. Don’t bring good clothes, you don’t need them. Yoga clothes, bathing suit and maybe a couple of pair of good shorts/tops is all you’ll need.||The retreat does send a shuttle to pick you up and bring you back to the airport. The driver, Rodrigo, is terrific!! We were welcomed by the staff with smiles and a drink. Our bags were brought to our rooms. Was glad for that, as the property is in the mountains and quite treacherous to holding your luggage while going downhill on stone walkways which were slippery at best. Some of the walkways had railings and lighting. Most of the walkways going downhill did not have adequate lighting (the vegetation was quite overgrown hiding the lighting and there were may exposed wires) and the railings were quite scarce. The walkways are made of stone and concrete, so you should be wearing gripped sneakers, not sandals to maneuver your way up the hill.||Rooms were just that, a room with two beds and a bathroom. One bath towel, hand towel and wash cloth per person. I guess you could ask for more, but why should you have to. An extra set per person would have been adequate per day. You can put all of the used towels on the floor each day and the cleaning staff, will replace them daily. No AC, but I’m guessing that must be the way it is in this country, unless you are staying at a luxury hotel or resort. Nothing Luxury about this place.||I will say that the staff was friendly and accommodating. Good hardworking and pleasant people. The food was good, was expecting better because I had heard about these amazing meals. They were just ok. Bread was left over many times from the day before. The fruits and salads were outstanding! Not much imagination with the meals. Chicken and Fish were served for lunch and dinner, alternating. Fish wasn’t labeled, so you didn’t know what you were eating. Everyone eats in the Dining Hall, breakfast, lunch and dinner.||Yoga classes were great. Totally enjoyed them. Instructor was knowledgeable, informative, and helpful. Not crazy about having to carry the mat to and from my room. Only a few times we were able to leave it in a yoga hall. For a yoga retreat, my thought would have been there would be ample mats in each of the yoga halls to accommodate all, so you wouldn’t have to carry the mat, plus water bottle, towel, etc…||The Wellness Center could be brought up to the 21st century. Visiting the area several times a day to write your name on a list with a pencil, then using white out to make a correction is so old school. It certainly would be more efficient if you had access to a computer (maybe in the main lobby) or app on your phone to review the schedule and availability for the different therapists. The therapists have to check several times a day to see who they have on their lists. I’m sure there must be a better way to update this process for the guests as well as the therapists. ||We only got to experience two therapists, Rodrigo and Kattya. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! AMAZING! ||Our travel companion, who had been visiting this establishment for the past 12 years, was confronted by the Property Manager (who he has known for all of these years as well). He was so unprofessional, rude and just plain, not nice. Whatever the issues were between the two, I’m sure could have been resolved professionally and privately for the week that we were there. Instead, he called the Costa Rican Police (7+ showed up) and stayed on the property until he was packed and asked to leave before our week was up. We went with him, as why would we have stayed at a retreat who treats their guests (and staff) so poorly and we certainly weren’t going to allow our friend to leave alone in a foreign country. So, we (4 of us) left 3 ½ days before our end date. Imagine, being in a foreign country and having their police show up and stay until you leave. Quite Scary! ||Hope this review helps any of you make an informed decision. My bad for not thoroughly researching the property and reading reviews so i had a bit more knowledge of what to expect, i probably wouldn't have been so disappointed. Do...

This was my first visit to Costa Rica and was surprisingly disappointed with my stay at this retreat. I didn’t do my research and was expecting more from my visit. ||My recommendation: Don’t Go, unless you are into Glorified Girl Scout Camping. This reminded me of when I took my daughter to girl scout camp in Central Florida. If you don’t mind, more or less, roughing it for a week, then by all means, this is the place for you. Don’t bring good clothes, you don’t need them. Yoga clothes, bathing suit and maybe a couple of pair of good shorts/tops is all you’ll need.||The retreat does send a shuttle to pick you up and bring you back to the airport. The driver, Rodrigo, is terrific!! We were welcomed by the staff with smiles and a drink. Our bags were brought to our rooms. Was glad for that, as the property is in the mountains and quite treacherous to holding your luggage while going downhill on stone walkways which were slippery at best. Some of the walkways had railings and lighting. Most of the walkways going downhill did not have adequate lighting (the vegetation was quite overgrown hiding the lighting and there were may exposed wires) and the railings were quite scarce. The walkways are made of stone and concrete, so you should be wearing gripped sneakers, not sandals to maneuver your way up the hill.||Rooms were just that, a room with two beds and a bathroom. One bath towel, hand towel and wash cloth per person. I guess you could ask for more, but why should you have to. An extra set per person would have been adequate per day. You can put all of the used towels on the floor each day and the cleaning staff, will replace them daily. No AC, but I’m guessing that must be the way it is in this country, unless you are staying at a luxury hotel or resort. Nothing Luxury about this place.||I will say that the staff was friendly and accommodating. Good hardworking and pleasant people. The food was good, was expecting better because I had heard about these amazing meals. They were just ok. Bread was left over many times from the day before. The fruits and salads were outstanding! Not much imagination with the meals. Chicken and Fish were served for lunch and dinner, alternating. Fish wasn’t labeled, so you didn’t know what you were eating. Everyone eats in the Dining Hall, breakfast, lunch and dinner.||Yoga classes were great. Totally enjoyed them. Instructor was knowledgeable, informative, and helpful. Not crazy about having to carry the mat to and from my room. Only a few times we were able to leave it in a yoga hall. For a yoga retreat, my thought would have been there would be ample mats in each of the yoga halls to accommodate all, so you wouldn’t have to carry the mat, plus water bottle, towel, etc…||The Wellness Center could be brought up to the 21st century. Visiting the area several times a day to write your name on a list with a pencil, then using white out to make a correction is so old school. It certainly would be more efficient if you had access to a computer (maybe in the main lobby) or app on your phone to review the schedule and availability for the different therapists. The therapists have to check several times a day to see who they have on their lists. I’m sure there must be a better way to update this process for the guests as well as the therapists. ||We only got to experience two therapists, Rodrigo and Kattya. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! AMAZING! ||Our travel companion, who had been visiting this establishment for the past 12 years, was confronted by the Property Manager (who he has known for all of these years as well). He was so unprofessional, rude and just plain, not nice. Whatever the issues were between the two, I’m sure could have been resolved professionally and privately for the week that we were there. Instead, he called the Costa Rican Police (7+ showed up) and stayed on the property until he was packed and asked to leave before our week was up. We went with him, as why would we have stayed at a retreat who treats their guests (and staff) so poorly and we certainly weren’t going to allow our friend to leave alone in a foreign country. So, we (4 of us) left 3 ½ days before our end date. Imagine, being in a foreign country and having their police show up and stay until you leave. Quite Scary! ||Hope this review helps any of you make an informed decision. My bad for not thoroughly researching the property and reading reviews so i had a bit more knowledge of what to expect, i probably wouldn't have been so disappointed. Do...

Surprisingly, my recent experience at Pura Vida was quite distressing.| |The guest rooms and facilities are nothing like photos on the website! With no a/c lots of rain, rooms are humid and damp. The one daily bath towel provided never dried.||Everyone must carry yoga mats, water bottles, towels, wallets, room key and umbrellas back and forth, up and down the hills for every class.|This makes for dangerous conditions during lighting and thunderstorms. The paths are dirty, muddy, slippery, moss covered and uneven with inadequate lighting in several areas. ||Behind Ananda Hall, indoor wiring on the ground,held with electrical tape provides makeshift lighting on steep dark hillside steps. Some areas do not have hand rails.||During the night you can hear motorcycles, car engines and dogs barking. The property is right off the main road. Not at all quiet, peaceful or serene. ||Food was very good, but repetitive.| |The kitchen staff, drivers, maids, landscapers and therapists were extremely hard working, pleasant and performed their jobs well. They were only positive part of the experience.||The manager is rude, unfriendly, and nasty to his staff as well as guests. His attitude is completely unprofessional and unacceptable.| |We received no warm welcome, no introduction to staff, no written communications in rooms, no maps of the premises, no daily schedules, no written instructions, no written emergency or medical info.||To book spa treatments. A pencil on a string is provided to write guests names, treatment times and room numbers. A bottle of white out is available for corrections. Guests and therapists must walk to the board several times a day for updates.| |Cats freely roam the facility and are allowed to go anywhere they choose.|This includes, guests rooms, yoga classes, meditation classes, even on guests mats during yoga practice. ||I personally had to have a cat removed from my bed during a thunder storm before I could go to sleep.|| Lila Hall, a heated yoga room had a huge bubble in the ceiling on the front right side near the heating elements. It looked as if it would burst any minute. | |Save your money, do your homework...