The Retreat Costa Rica - Wellness Resort & Spa — Hotel in Jesús

The check in/ check out ruined the luxury experience. Ive been wanting to stay here since 2019 when I was in law school. You can imagine my excitement when I finally had the opportunity to visit for my first solo international trip. I booked the wellness package for 3 days and that included roundtrip transportation and a dining credit. I provided my flight information as soon as I booked my reservation months prior and requested transportation because I had an early arrival. The horror and anxiety I felt when the resort emailed me a few hours before my flight that I had to pay an additional $310 to check in or I would have to wait at the airport for 5 hrs. I could have planned and explored San Jose had I known beforehand. My friend driving me to the airport felt so bad that he transferred me some money to cover it. the time difference and last minute change made it impossible to book alternative transportation and believe me I tried. The hotel never replied to my email agreeing to the fee. My entire flight I was uneasy and uncertain. When I called the hotel after I landed they did not know if the driver was there :/ AGAIN, I’m a solo woman in a foreign country unsure of how I’m getting to my hotel at 3-4 am. The receptionist told me to wait at a restaurant and she would call me back. I went looking for the drivers and luckily the driver was there. When I checked in the rep barely said hello to me and charged my card 2437.00 for the deposit. I told her the fine print said $1500, she said no but then requested my card and charged it again for 1500. No apology or anything.||Room|The room was ok. The door lock was beyond worn out and not secure which raised safety concerns. Luckily, I came prepared with door stops/alarms etc. The shower was fantastic and the bed was comfy. Housekeeping came every day and did a wonderful job. The products in the bathroom were awesome. They do turndown every night with a cookie and recipe and I got a schedule the next night. ||Food|The breakfast is consistent. Juices and eggs will def be on the menu. Fabio was so kind and helpful. The garden is gorgeous. The bugs are an issue despite the website claiming the elevation minimizes bugs. The new restaurant was BEAUTIFUL. The pizza was delicious. Mosquitoes are relentless and a cockroach flew on my plate during dinner my first night. ||Spa|Omg. The view was outstanding and the service was fantastic. I did the unlock your voice session and it was amazing. |Gym/yoga|The gym and new yoga studio are fabulous!! Unfortunately, if you plan other activities it conflicts with the yoga and you’ll miss it. |Activities|The farmers market with Chef Sergio was so fun. He was very kind and made me feel safe. The cooking class is more of a demonstration because Chef Lindsay prepares the food and you watch. The hikes are self guided except for one day when Carlos led a guided tour. I asked for water before we left because it was so hot and the receptionist told me he got it for us. He had ONE 16oz bottle in a huge cooler. I got overheated and threw up on the walk back. They had a van pick me up and treated me so well. I felt so cared for during that experience. We found a quartz on the hike that he promised to clean and return to me before I left. He never did- even when I reminded him at the gym.||Check out|Alejandro was very dry. No questions about my stay. When I realized lunch was not included I asked for an earlier shuttle and he brushed me off. Another couple offered me a ride but it was only 11. When it was my time to leave the shuttle drove me to the front of the property, that driver told me to get out and get in a different van with someone else. THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN STATED PRIOR. Again, I’m a woman traveling solo that doesn’t like surprises. Lastly, my billing was still incorrect after I had to remind them more than once that my package included transportation and the dining credit.||A tour of the entire property would be a nice touch. The welcome is at the spa and they only show you that area. A welcome drink/tea/water would be a beautiful touch. Theres a lot of room for improvement but the beautiful grounds and nature at the retreat is undeniable and...

just got back from a 5 night stay and i have serious withdrawal! i loved this place so much and am already planning to go back next year. ||first off, it's just a really beautiful resort. especially loved the santosha building which is a new construction with a brand new yoga room. by far this is the prettiest yoga room i've ever been in, and it was completely breathtaking. just inhabiting the space was therapeutic because i love being in pretty spaces. santosha also has new guest rooms, and i was able to take a peek-- they look absolutely divine. i'm totally staying here on my next trip. double sink bathrooms (the one complaint i had about my room was the bathroom size-- i stayed in a 2 queen bed unit called moringa which had a breathtaking view out the balcony but a small bathroom) plus really high ceilings. loved santosha and spent most of my lounging time here. ||secondly, loved the yoga classes! truly loved jen endicott and her soothing vibes. the resort has a rotation of yoga teachers throughout the year. please make sure you have jen back every year! i loved the 2x daily sessions with her and want to follow her around wherever she goes. i loved that the resort is able to find such high quality teachers like this which really speaks to their commitment to all aspects of wellness. taking jen's restorative class in the yoga room with the midday showers was truly cathartic and soothing. extra special. ||third, the food here is EXCELLENT. admittedly, i don't always eat super healthy, but this trip has made me want to experiment with some aspects of my eating (for example, i may cut out all dairy in my diet going forward inspired by my time here). we had a chance to do a small group session with the executive chef sergio (who by the way was really nice and seems very commanding / efficient in the kitchen) which was wonderful. i loved the portion / sizing for each meal, and the chocolate chip almond cookies that are laid out with turndown service. every meal during our stay was phenomenal. i've never known gluten free, vegan cooking to be this special and kudos to sergio and his staff for this. literally everything we ate was so well-seasoned and refined. my particular favorites included this squash / eggplant wrapped lentil with tomato sauce (a la italian) for lunch and the skirt steak at dinner (it's extra $$ and not the standard choice of protein you're given, but it's really completely worth it). also random, but i loved the hot sauce here and asked for it every meal. it's "homemade" and it is exquisite! ||we had rented a car, but didn't venture much outside the resort other than a brief excursion on our own to playa mantas (a beach nearby which was nice) and the coffee plantation El Toledo (also on our own, but the resort does these excursions if you request it for additional fees). also got the spa treatment here twice (heaven on earth), and both emilia and lucia were great! ||shoutouts to a few people who were extra warm and provided great service-- among the dining staff we loved JJ and jazmin. also special thanks to gilberto at the concierge desk-- a very pleasant staff member who actually went out of his way amid pouring rain to show us a guest room in santosha because we really wanted to take a peek (made us want to come back just to stay there which we will!!). monica and emerson were also great. thank you! ||can't recommend the resort enough and can't...

I have been going to Costa Rica for over 25 years (since I did study abroad there in college!) I've been back many times having stayed at all kinds of locations from the family's house where I lived in Heredia, hostels, all-inclusive hotels, retreat centers (having attended and hosted) and this is one of my absolute favorite places for many reasons!! I stayed there last year for the first time and will hopefully be going back later this year. Here are a few of my favorite things about this place"

1. Location. It is super easy and pretty quick to get to from SJO. While some of the other locations I've been to often require a second plane ride or a long bus ride, this is a quick and easy shot. Not to say the other locations don't have their own amazing draws, but if you're looking for easy off the plane and right to the resort, this is a great choice. It might not be on the beach, but the mountains are incredibly breathtaking and the whole space is so calming.
2. The food. As someone who can't eat gluten, dairy, soy, corn, peanuts (I know, YIKES!), The Retreat made it SO INCREDIBLY easy and delicious to enjoy every meal. I honestly would return for the food alone. It was always fresh, thoughtful, and they were very accommodating to all my issues. Also as a tea fan, the fact that there is a seemingly always open tea/coffee station was heaven to me.
3. The spa. It's beautiful and serene and there is a plethora of treatments available. I spoiled myself and got a treatment almost every day I was there. My favorite was the bamboo massage.
4. The service/people. This is pretty standard across Costa Rica for all I've ever experienced. The people are always so incredibly kind. The Retreat was no different. They were always very helpful, accommodating, friendly, and just genuinely seem very happy.
5. The room. The room I got was great, but the view was what really puts it over the top. Waking up to that view never gets old!!
6. The hikes. I took a non-guided short hike pretty much every day. There are options for longer hikes and options for guided ones too. The property is stunning. Go at least once.

*Note: I didn't do any of the excursions only bc I have been so many times, I've done a lot of the common ones many times.

The minimal drawbacks: If you are looking to stay somewhere where you can walk to a bunch of other stuff, this might not be the place. In all fairness, none of the retreat centers I've stayed at thus far really have been. The ability to hike various lengths was a great option here. Also, the place is so stunning, I didn't really want to leave.

The gym could use some help. Now, in all fairness, I am a fitness and yoga instructor and know my way around a gym, so my standards are pretty high. I also realize most people aren't coming here for the gym, but I like to have access to one to keep up my training. This gym isn't terrible at all. They just could update the equipment a bit more. It feels like a random assortment of things kind of thrown in there. The treadmills were working, but some of the other equipment seemed to be down.

**second note: I didn't take any of the yoga classes since I can practice on my own. I heard others talk about them and they seemed very...