When you’ve got the chance to check out some new residential villas and experience a Blue Zones wellness program at the same time, there’s no decision to make. You pack your bags and yoga mat and head off to the Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo.
We flew JetBlue from New York’s JFK to Costa Rica’s Liberia International Airport nonstop; a convenient way to leave the familiar for the exotic. A short drive from the airport brought us to an area that seemed extremely remote and far away from the cares of the world, which was a good thing. We were immersed in the jungle and close to the sea in a luxury setting that blended in well with nature. Nice touch: Our immersion continued in the open-air lobby, where we were welcomed with local, cold drinks. The weather in late June was about 86 degrees Fahrenheit, with rain in and out throughout our stay.
And then it was on to our personal villa for the week. The resort in January opened 25 new one-, two- and three-bedroom residential villas that feel just like actual apartment penthouses, except that these also have their own plunge pools and a dedicated residences concierge whom you can text for just about anything, including transport via golf carts to the spa, restaurants and lobby. The villas, which have an ownership component, were sold out before they were even constructed, and are now available in the resort’s rental inventory.
There was much to love, including the incredible new kitchen with every appliance you’d ever want to own, and the washer and dryer, artfully hidden away but at the ready to launder our resort wear, should we be in that frame of mind.
The villas, linked together along a hilltop, have great views of the tree-scaped skyline and Culebra Bay and provide a sense of inner peace almost as soon as you enter. We loved sitting outside on our hilltop, enjoying the view of the water and the native plants that attract a beautiful array of butterflies and birds. Above the treetops we could hear howler monkeys roaring morning, noon and night; the sound became a part of the wonderful Central America experience we were enjoying. One morning, coffee in hand, we lounged in our outdoor area and spied a deer. A few moments later, her fawn was by her side and the two stood and pondered the landscape for some time; was it the butterflies or the howler monkeys they were tuning into? Either way, it was just another idyllic morning for the two of them.
The resort has hired Patrick Schori as its general manager. Prior to leading Andaz Papagayo; he was at Park Hyatt Tokyo. When we met Schori on our day of arrival, he told us that he fully intends to run the Andaz as he would a Park Hyatt, and that was evident in the high level of service we enjoyed throughout the resort. Anticipatory service, immediate acknowledgement of requests and just the general sense that nothing was going to go wrong in this place any time soon. The best part was the Andaz is still maintaining its lifestyle vibe. Nothing is too formal; everything is easy and natural and every encounter with a team member was pleasant and friendly.
Guests at the villas get special treatment in useful ways, including exclusive access to breakfast at the newly opened Ostra restaurant; they also get priority dinner reservations here, as well, which is led by Michelin-chef trained Executive Sous Chef Bruno Alves. He is fully present at the resort and available to chat about his menus and plans for the resort’s food and beverage outlets. His realm is most evident at Ostra, which serves Costa Rican cuisine in clever ways; think rice and bean croquettes and locally caught fish served ceviche-style. Alves also oversees Perla, a sushi bar that operates as a restaurant within a restaurant.
But back to those villas: Guests receive other perks, such as access to chef-curated, market-fresh baskets and an afternoon aperitivo delivered to one’s door. They can also take part in a “Becoming a Barista” program to learn all about Costa Rica’s famous coffee offerings and how to enjoy them best. The program, which tends to sell out, makes early booking essential and is led by Head Barista Luis Carlos Herrera, who studied coffee science at the university in San José, one of the few coffee science programs in the world.
As a villa guest we also got to partake in a program that arranges for visits to nearby villages, which we enjoyed on the morning after our arrival. We drove to a local home to enjoy a true Costa Rican breakfast of breads, fruits, queso and scrambled eggs. The family at the home served us a grand feast and then showed us their farm, which was developed as part of the Peninsula Papagayo’s community outreach program called Creciendo Juntos, which translates to “growing together." The 20-year-old program’s goal is to improve access to education, healthcare and employment opportunities for the 19 towns around Peninsula Papagayo.
The farming program was born out of COVID when tourism came to a standstill and everyone was out of work. Local families were trained to grow their own crops, which they can sell to other locals and to hotels on the peninsula. Now that tourism is alive and well again in Costa Rica, many of the women in these families continue to maintain the farms and handle all the responsibilities they carry.
The Andaz has still more new offerings for 2024, including Casa de Playa and Meso, the resort’s beach club and beachside restaurant. Getting there is an easy and quick adventure unto itself; we walked down a hill with a path to the beach and boarded a boat that sped us across Culebra Bay in a matter of moments. It felt very James Bond to us. The new, multimillion-dollar beach club itself is a huge addition to Andaz Papagayo. It’s set on Nacascolo Beach, considered to be one of the largest and most beautiful beaches on Culebra Bay. The experience is all about luxury, but on an authentic, natural level.
When you get off the boat, you’ll soon find yourself under a canopy of trees and a mangrove preserve. It’s easy to swim in the calm waters of the bay or to instead use the 25-meter pool in a lounger or cabana. Need to chill out? This might just be the place, as guests can sip on spritzes and sangria while trying out the gazpacho and boquerones. Yes, please.
At Meso, we once again ran into Chef Bruno; turns out that this new restaurant falls under his purview, as well. Meso serves “Meso-terranean” cuisine—Meso American and Mediterranean fusion cuisine. The menu included great finds such as surf-and-turf paella, Sicilian crudo and homemade pasta with sun-dried tomato sauce. The dining experience is Mediterranean family sharing style traditions of food shared among family and friends. Cocktails include the “Passionfruit Martini,” which artfully melds vodka, passoa, passionfruit juice and dry vermouth to create a smooth drink, but we fell in love with the “Zero Proof” menu items as well, including the “Watermelon-Mint,” which includes soda water to create a refreshing, non-alcoholic beverage.
We left before sunset but we hear that regular live DJs set the evening mood with a blend of electronic, jazz lounge and R&B music.
There’s so much to do at Andaz Costa Rica, from relaxing to water sports to zip lining to hiking, but there’s a spa, too, which was just fine with us. We opted for the "Papagayo Illuminating Facial," which delivered as promised. Other members of our group enjoyed the variety of massages available and raved about their results.
We were fortunate to engage in the Blue Zones retreat taking place at the resort in late June. Good to know: the resort will host two back-to-back Blue Zones retreats in a short three-day format in 2025. The dates are February 21-24 and 24-27, 2025. Want to do a Blue Zone retreat with your own people? That can be booked exclusively for small groups and we suggest it’s a great way to bond with others and to go home feeling a better version of yourself. Visit the resort’s website for specific information about the February dates at andazpuravida.com/blue-zones-retreat.
Our Blue Zones program was led by Celine Vadam, a retreats and hospitality expert from Blue Zones. Being with Vadam is calming enough, as her personality is ultra-pleasant but she’s extremely knowledgeable about all things Blue Zone—and well-being in general.
Blue Zones is a program that researches the areas of the world where people tend to live beyond the age of 100. How do people eat and drink in these regions? What are their best practices? The retreat we experienced dug into the various principles that have been outlined through this research and hosted discussions on how you can align your values and actions to serve your purpose and nurture supportive relationships. You learn how to make healthy choices and are invited to really consider your lifestyle and how you can improve it.
Good to know: The Andaz is located just two hours from the Blue Zone in Nicoya.
On our first evening at the Andaz Papagayo, our small group of five gathered in one of the villa penthouses for our first session, which focused on “Tips to nurture your relationships and make friends as an adult.” It was a great topic as it immediately had us reflecting on our daily lives and who is in it that’s special. We also learned that we all have found that it’s not easy to make friends as an adult. This acknowledgement as a group made the concept of making new friends easier. We’re all human and human interaction is challenging, perhaps even more so as we get older.
The following evening was a much different experience. It was truly beautiful on the peninsula that night as it was pouring rain and ultra-tropical. You could hear the howler monkeys in the trees but not see too far into the distance from the yoga pavilion we’d gathered on. Celine, our leader, led us through a “Cacao and Breathwork Ceremony.” She first prepared a mug of hot water and cacao for each of us; cacao is a powder filled with flavonoids and antioxidants but it’s also believed to release stuck emotions and trauma by providing emotional healing and spiritual growth. We were all sold on the concept by the end of our three-hour session, where we were guided through intense breathing exercises while lying on yoga mats, listening to the tropical rain pouring down around us. Ceremonies of this nature affect everyone differently but the consensus was that we all felt more grounded and clearer in our thoughts than when we began.
Our final Blue Zones session taught us “how to successfully implement your new Blue Zones lifestyle” into our lives; how to be more mindful and how to implement the Power 9 principles into our everyday lives. The program provided us with plenty of take-away materials and worksheets so that we could further dig into the program when we returned home.
Val Inocencio, the senior manager for luxury and leisure sales ([email protected]; 646-775-0629), can assist with specific questions or if you’re sending a VIP client.
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