All’s wellness at Nicaraguan luxury yoga retreat

From the shore nearby, nobody can see the hotel. Aqua Wellness Resort is built so congruously into a hillside above Playa Gigante on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast that the jungle cloaks it from outside observers.

A short walk from the beach toward the Nicaraguan jungle and the immense lodging reveals itself. Aqua’s extravagant design sends a message that the country can compete in the luxury ecotourism market.

“One of the big things is Nicaragua really has a lot of this natural beauty,” says Dan Rubano, Aqua’s owner. “So our big focus is really reintroducing people back to nature.”

After six years of planning and construction, the new resort opened in January, offering 34 rooms in 16 villas set in the thick of the jungle. Elaborate paths wind through the trees, leading visitors to the beach, their cabins, the hotel’s restaurant or a wooden yoga platform overlooking the ocean. The goal of Aqua, explains co-owner Trevor Barran, is to be a rare example of “luxury sustainable development” in Nicaragua.

Aqua’s location minutes away from a popular surf town lends itself to a bevy of outdoor activities. Yoga, however, earns the biggest emphasis. The resort markets itself as a yoga retreat, with onsite yoga and wellness instructors offering classes in a variety of yoga techniques, from beginner to experienced. Vacationers receive yoga lessons on a huge, rectangular platform lifted high above the forest floor, offering a magnificent view of jungle and ocean. The sound of crashing waves and feel of cool breezes amplify the relaxing effects of the yoga workout. Already, Barran says, Aqua has received reservations from dozens of yoga groups wanting to use the venue as a yoga retreat.

Not into yoga? More traditional beachside endeavors can be enjoyed on your own or arranged through a tour for an additional cost. Those activities include sportfishing, hiking, snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboating, horseback riding and surfing the popular waves at Playa Gigante. Longer day trips include volcano tours, boat trips to private islands and excursions to coffee plantations and Nicaraguan tobacco-rolling establishments.

Tags: CostaRica Wellness | Category: CostaRica Wellness