World-Class yoga instruction, acres of natural beauty, delicious healthy cuisine and spa services unrivaled in Costa Rica await inside the cloistered walls of this magical retreat. Tropical rain forest, active volcanoes, mountain cloud forests full of rainbows, breathtaking beaches and exhilarating white water rafting beckon the adventurer in you, all within a few hours drive of our eco-chic spa and wellness resort in the world's greenest country.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Calle Puente Negro, 800 Mts SW From CENCINAI, Carrizal, Alajuela 20103 Costa Rica
Nice an relaxing vistas of the San Jose valley just 20 minutes away from the airport. They have inclusive meals where you get fantastic breakfast, lunch and dinners that are home cooked organic. They have a great spa staff that provides many different combinations of massages to meet everyone's needs.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What an amazing experience at Pura Vida! It is an easy and quick ride from the airport. The property and the grounds are beautiful and the pool and hot tubs are quite special. My room was so comfortable and what a view! The food is healthy, delicious and plentiful and the resort staff is wonderful. Their hospitality is second to none and they can’t do enough for you. One of the staff actually took me on my own personal tour of the grounds as I have a challenged sense of direction. I stayed in my room alone and felt perfectly safe at all times whether walking around alone at night or in my room. The spa's staff are very talented and the treatments are incredible and healing. They really take the time to get to know the person they are treating. I went for a yoga retreat and the yoga rooms are great (both the hot and not hot)…the space is perfect for yoga and has incredible views. Everything is top notch and is a great place to relax and unwind. Don't miss the ginger lemon tea and the chips with guacamole from the smoothie bar. I will be coming back for sure!
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Date of stay: July 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We visited (my daughter and I )Pura Vida Spa and Hotel recently and was great!! What a magical place! If younare a nature lover and like to relax, connect with friends family this is the place for you!.. Pura Vida Spa and Hotel is surrounded by nature, the views are incredible walking in the the property its just so therapeutic. We did yoga with Tamara at sun set was one of the best yoga practice!! And we are not experts but like the benefits of the stretching, calm the mind, Etc
Food is healthy and tasty the ladies at the restaurant and the gentleman are very sweet they made us feel like home!!! Everyone is very helpful sweet and kind so is Eduardo and Jose!! We want to go back!! highly recommend it 🙂👍 Pura Vida!!
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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 before booking.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Eduardo Morera, General Manager at Pura Vida Retreat & Spa
Responded Aug 2, 2024
Rainy season in Costa Rica is definitely a very wet time of the year, usually nice and sunny mornings are followed by afternoon showers with your occasional rainier than usual days. When guests arrive to our property, they are all welcomed by the front desk staff who then gives some basic instructions, shows each participant the weekly schedule for their specific program and are advised to attend the orientation meeting that happens for each group who visits the property. The 45-minute orientation is an informative meeting where questions are answered and many topics are discussed such as property layout, emergency procedures, best practices for umbrellas, yoga mats, housekeeping, in-room towels, hot-yoga hall towels, common areas, personal safe boxes, scheduling spa appointments, tours, as well as some general information about Costa Rica and our property. Our Resident cat Julia is a beloved pet and a favorite of most of our guests. Our many repeat guests have seen her grow and enjoy her presence all around the property. We understand that there are a few who might be allergic or simply don’t like animals around them and that is why during the orientation meeting and during the week guests are encouraged to let us know if Julia is a problem for them so we can act accordingly. Running a property surrounded by nature has its challenges but fortunately we have a full-time team of people looking after our gardens, paths and installations in general, they make sure our property is safe for everybody who visits us. Every maintenance issue mentioned in this review has already been addressed. We work diligently to ensure our guests have a pleasant stay and they reward our efforts by coming back year after year.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
After attending dynamic Yoga Retreats at Pura Vida Retreat & Spa for over 12 years now with my teacher and co-teaching others, I have had to run (not walk, with my 9 month old total hip replacement) away from this shady and unsafe environment. If you are an all natural yogi, the Manager Eduardo may even tell you that he thinks you stink (and wanted to tell you for 4 years, lol) and offer you a stick of deodorant in the middle of the mountains ... He is too interactive with their guests, listening to you over hidden speakers and cameras on the property. I have asked to speak with the American Owner for over a week now, and nothing. We had to endure a week of the highest unprofessionalism and disrespect from them - a wellness center? - and the Owner will not even call me back upon numerous requests. We will never return to this property again with slippery moss walkways and exposed wet wires everywhere, awful lighting and attitude from Eduardo, all while being made to carry our yoga mats up and down their terrible conditions - no thank you! I travel all over the world ... Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT GO!!! - Corbin Stacy Owner/Operator yoga hOMe®
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Eduardo Morera, General Manager at Pura Vida Retreat & Spa
Responded Aug 2, 2024
At Pura Vida we highly value all our guests’ experiences equally. When a person’s behavior is disruptive to the other guests and staff members, management will step in. Mr. Stacy was asked to leave the property when his behavior became increasingly disruptive and explosive. He was fully refunded for his stay. The safety of our guests is very important to us. Like any other business we have security cameras set up in key locations of the property such as the front desk, entrances, exits, etc. Every guest who visits Pura Vida receives a high-quality Manduka yoga mat for personal use during their stay. We have a full-time team of people looking after our gardens, paths and installations in general, they make sure our property is safe for everybody who visits us. We work diligently to ensure our guests have a pleasant stay and they reward our efforts by coming back repeatedly.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I have heard about this place for many many years and have many friends who have been to this place numerous times. For me I was not so happy with the accommodations. The food was very good , but not a lot of variety. The staff was very very nice - however the manager was not nice at all , but his staff was wonderful as I said - go figure! The pool is beautiful and the excursions that they pick and the vehicles and the drivers are all very very good they pick top-notch excursions. So I was at a workshop I loved the workshop I was in. Other people that were there for the first time agreed with me that we don’t ever want go back there again but everyone has different opinions so for me I’ve been to many yoga retreats in the world and I will be checking out different ones the next time I go to Costa Rica .
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It's a lovely place, with gorgeous plantings. They've landscaped it very nicely, with little paved paths wending their way through the property. The food is good, but if you are on a restricted diet, your choices narrow quickly in that there is one meat option. Chicken for dinner, chicken for lunch the next day. Fish that night, then for lunch the day following (and they don't tell you what kind, the card at the buffet just says "fish"). The staff is very friendly. Nice pool. Some little things need more attention -- shower head, exposed sharp screw heads, louvers that don't open/close properly. The one negative surprise was nighttime noise in the A-frame. The public areas are quiet but at night there's a lot of road noise when you're trying to sleep, and the windows don't close (there's no A/C). Bring earplugs!
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is nothing less than perfect to describe my experience with Pura Vida Retreat & Spa! From the introductory email to the finals goodbyes, every moving part in organizing a retreat with 20 people, went smoothly and seamlessly. Even when there were slight disturbances and adjustments, everything was handled with ease and never a problem. The food was divine! The staff was always kind and accommodating. The Spa treatments were on point. And the transportation to and from left us all feeling well taken care of. From a quick weekend hop to a retreat made for Kings and Queens, use this retreat center. I'm a very particular person and proud to say, you will not regret your decision.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What a vacation!!! It was so relaxing and I’m still glowing a week after being home! The resort was beautifully situated in the mountains with nature everywhere while in the tropics. The accommodations were comfortable and the service there was impeccable. The staff educated us on the culture provided clean rooms & excellent food. My favorite was the beverages of fresh coconut, fruit smoothies and ginger lemon tea. They were always there if we ever needed anything but what would one need on a yoga retreat where all you need to do is be!
Jane and Brett, the owners of hot yoga, the organizers were amazing! They really made sure every detail was taken care of. It’s as If I jumped in my car and got to Costa Rica with a snap of my fingers. The teachers had amazing energy and they were excellent. I can’t wait to take their classes locally. The excursions provided by the resort were awesome and the transportation and guides were fantastic. I met so many lovely people there. Everyone was so nice and friendly. I went alone and came back with a new found family! I would recommend this resort and experience to anyone. Thank you everyone I met, thank you yoga teachers, thank you Jane and Brett and most of all Puravida spa and their amazing staff.
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have stayed at Pura Vida Retreat and Spa the summer of 2023 and summer of 2024 and I will continue to come back every summer if aligned! All the staff is so attentive & sweet; always a sweet greeting & help if ever needed! The tents are clean & spacious & the bathrooms are always tended to. The view from anywhere you are on the property is beautiful & the studio spaces that are available to practice in, look like photos in a magazine! Food is a yummy buffet that is fresh & kitchen is pretty accommodating to any needs! Love the general soft, quiet vibe to the retreat!
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Each of our instructors will help, adjust and individually give instructions as much as the group session allows however if you would prefer you can also book private sessions with them which will allow for much more individualized attention.
An other option would be to join one of the retreats in our calendar that are focused on what you are looking for.
There are more places to choose from in the Carrizal area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
pura vida spa & yoga retreat hotel alajuela, pura vida spa and yoga retreat, pura vida wellness retreat spa
LOCATION
Costa RicaProvince of AlajuelaAlajuelaCarrizal
NUMBER OF ROOMS
48
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Pura Vida Retreat & Spa
Which popular attractions are close to Pura Vida Retreat & Spa?
Nearby attractions include Hacienda Alsacia Starbucks Coffee Farm (1.6 miles), Azteca Tours (3.2 miles), and Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral (3.4 miles).
