Pura vida, meaning pure life, is a well-known Costa Rican saying, as well as the Costa Rican way of life. At the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, guests can experience the pura vida lifestyle, however that translates to them, whether it’s through a day of active adventure or a detox from everyday life.
The resort recently completed a multi-million dollar property enhancement, offering guests modern beachfront elegance with a “paradise-chic” design. The redesign, which took place on the heels of the property’s 10th anniversary, added a new luxury retail boutique featuring handcrafted Costa Rican handbags, a revamp to the spa, and an updated salon. New restaurant and lounge concepts including three new additions to its culinary offerings—Cena Sociale Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar, Sol y Sombra Latin Kitchen and Seafood Grill (offering nightly live music), and Tico’s Lounge—were also added.
“Whether in search of relaxation or adventure, Four Seasons has long been a beloved escape for travelers who appreciate the beauty, authentic culture and relaxed lifestyle that Costa Rica embodies. In staying true to the pura vida style, our enrichment project was designed to elevate the guest experience,” says Pascal Forotti, the resort’s general manager.
Accommodations
All 120 guestrooms face the ocean, as do the 34 suites and 26 villas. Guestrooms capture the essence of the destination with rattan and bamboo furnishings, local artwork, and indigenous wood and stone finishes. Rooms also offer an open-air furnished terrace or verandah, and complimentary WiFi. The Canopy Suites offer guests an experience as if they were staying in a hillside treehouse with views of the jungle canopy and the Pacific Ocean. The 3-bedroom Canopy Premier Plunge Pool Suite features three king beds or two king beds and two double beds, plus one bathroom per bedroom, making it a comfortable accommodation for six adults and two children. The 1-bedroom Canopy Suite option is equipped with a hammock. Guests looking for more space and a bit more privacy can opt for one of the private residence options, such as the 3-bedroom Residence Villa with Plunge Pool, which have three king beds and can accommodate eight adults or six adults and two children. Select Residence Villas with Plunge Pool, meanwhile, feature a custom-designed media room equipped with a TV and sofa bed.
Unwind
The Spa at Four Seasons Costa Rica features 18 treatment rooms offering signature treatments, massages, facials, salon services, and couples’ experiences. The couples’ option includes side-by-side massages and waterfall whirlpools, or guests can opt to have a therapist teach them how to give each other soothing neck, back, and leg massages.
Pura Vida Experiences
The resort offers such experiences as surf lessons, cooking and chocolate-making classes, a lesson with a local potter, and Spanish lessons. There’s even the option of meeting a local fisherman and choosing one’s dinner right off the boat with the help of the resort’s chef. Since the property is located about three hours from the forest, guests can plan half-day excursions to check out the volcanoes, go ziplining, or take a walk on the cloud bridge. Back at the resort, adventure-lovers can sign up for a nightly paddleboard excursion with LED lights attached to the board, or take part in one of the new wellness program offerings including hiking, beach yoga, or spinning outdoors with ocean views. Guests can also take part in daily complimentary activities—choose from 15—such as a sunset cruise on a yacht.
Golfing at the onsite course, which was named one of the “Top 100 Courses Outside the U.S.” by Golf Digest magazine, is an experience in itself as 14 of the 18 holes offer water views; significant trees along the course are labeled, providing guests somewhat of a botanical experience on their journey along the 18 holes. Monkeys are also easily viewed along the route.
Although this property has the ingredients for the perfect romantic getaway, it is a family-friendly resort and offers a kids’ club, as well as babysitting services to allow parents to enjoy a date night on the property. See, even family-friendly can be a romantic escape, too. We told you this had all the ingredients for a romantic trip.
If your clients are looking for a romantic getaway without the kids, recommend the Parents’ Day Out experience, a 6-day itinerary complete with sunrise hikes, various spa treatments (including one poolside in their private cabana), snorkeling, a mixology class, a romantic stargazing session, golfing, a chocolate-making class, and daily meals including nightly romantic dinners.
Digital Detox
To help guests get away from reality and get into the pura vida mindset, the resort has introduced a new program, Disconnect to Reconnect, to help guests step away from their mobile devices. The complimentary program rewards guests with an iPhone cover when they turn in their phones to be kept in a safe deposit for 24 hours or more. This digital detox keeps guests busy with a list of 24 technology-free activities they can enjoy, including a morning kayak adventure, a tennis match on the property’s (real grass) court, birdwatching, a Latin dance class and more.
Vacation with a Purpose
For clients looking for a more purposeful vacation, the property also offers the Growing Together program, giving guests the opportunity to spend the day at a local farm, paint houses, read to school children, or distribute backpacks at schools, among other options. The resort will custom-design a volunteer experience based on your clients’ goals, budget, and availability. Whether it’s a team-building exercise, or a family group who would like to give back, the experiences vary. If guests would like to give back, but not take time away from their vacation experience, they can bring a backpack filled with their favorite supplies and let the agent at check-in know they are a Backpack Buddy, they’ll then receive a card to fill out to attach to the backpack so the recipient knows where it came from (guests can also hand-deliver the backpack to the child in person if they choose).
The Agent Experience
Travel agents can experience all the Four Seasons Costa Rica has to offer with the Buy Two, Get Two offer for agents. When booking any two nights for themselves, agents get two more nights at the resort complimentary. In addition, you’ll receive 10 percent off on spa and golf experiences. This offer is valid now through Nov. 15, 2015. Room rates start at $435 for the Terrazza Standard room. For more information, visit fourseasons.com/costarica.
