By Deidre Norman

I had just finished a week at the beautiful Blue Spirit in Nosara, Costa Rica and was heading to Playa Guiones to stay at The Buena Vibra Collective (BVC). I just loved being at Blue Spirit, so I was thinking there was no way I would love the next place as much.

Wow, was I wrong! The BVC is actually two hotels in one. Both far exceeded my expectations. I walked up to the reception and was greeted by two amazing women. They were so kind and welcoming, I felt as if I had known them forever. The gave me a full tour. Walking in, I immediately felt at home, and I just wanted to sit down, relax by the beautiful pool and order a smoothie. The BVC has not only been serving it’s guests over the years, but it has also become an integral part of the local Nosara community, offering a wide range of classes from meditation and yoga to breath work, sound journey's and dance for both the beginner and seasoned practitioner. And all of this is offered for the hotel guests, as well as the locals. I felt like I was really experiencing a part of the Nosara community, just by being in the space.

The BVC has been around for many years, and they recently acquired some luxury beachfront suites, which are literally just across the street from the original Kaya Sol. What is beautiful, is that the BVC still holds that local, cool vibe that is very community focused. However, they now also have a more high end Yoga retreat center, where you immediately drop into a calm, quiet space as you walk onto the property.

My room was in one of the luxury beachfront suites, and when they took me to my room, I was blown away by the lush gardens, with places to meditate all around. Each room had a private patio with a beautiful seating area and the best part - a hammock. The room was perfect, complete with an outdoor shower, a swinging bed, a queen size bed, Costa Rican coffee waiting to be brewed and there was even a blender! I could bring fresh fruit/veggies back to my room and make my own smoothies any time I wanted – pure heaven. It was not until later I realized, I could hear the ocean and in the morning I could hear the Howler Monkeys. I loved that feeling of being one with the jungle and the ocean.

The Cafe: Connected to the BVC, is Naked Foods, their incredible cafe, that was serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is a plant based restaurant, with a huge offering of organic juices, smoothies, kombucha and the most delicious vegan + gluten free meals. Oh and the desserts — so good! I loved that I was able to buy a little jar of almond butter too.

Yoga Studio: This quickly became my favorite part of the place! It was a beautiful open-aired circular pavilion, named the Rancho Luz. You were one with nature, as you sat in the space. You could hear and smell the ocean, feel her breeze and also hear the sounds of the jungle. It was complete magic! To be surrounded by nature while practicing yoga, what more could you ask for…

I learned later that Rancho Luz was intentionally constructed above a crystal grid map planted into the earth to support the Yoga journeys with clarity and positive vibrations. No wonder it was such a powerful experience every time I sat in that studio.

Each day, there are a variety of Yoga classes scheduled, so there are plenty of options to take a class. They also have all of the props one could want in a Yoga class.

Private Jungle Walk To The Beach: My second favorite part was the beautiful nature path that took us to the beach. The thing about Nosara, is that no buildings/hotels are allowed on the beach. This means that the beach is completely lined by the jungle. When you are on the beach, you feel like you are on some deserted, private island. The beach was so pristine. This also means that no hotel is right on the beach, the BVC is super close by and to get to the beach, we had our own private pathway through the lush jungle. It was a quick 3-5 minute walk, and every time I went to the beach, I was taking a quiet, meditative walk. It was a very special experience each and every time I walked to the beach, and what was also very cool: No Shoes Required! BVC is one of the few hotels that has this private beach access, and is one of the few places that is so close to the beach.

Surfing: I was able to rent a surf board just down the street (walking distance) for $15/day. The BVC has a few safe places to store your boards, so I could just keep my board with me for my entire stay. I was super stoked to find an outdoor shower, right next to the surf board storage. After each surf sesh, I’d put my board away, hop in the outdoor shower and then go lie in my hammock. Living the dream!

If I wanted a surf lesson, the front desk could have arranged it for me. Truly, the best customer service!

I loved BVC’s killer location next to the beach, and what was also amazing was that it was a 3 minute walk to shops, restaurants, smoothie bars, and a coffee shop! It was super easy to pop into the little town to get groceries, and meet up with people for dinners. I felt completely safe the entire time, even when I was walking back alone to my room at night. There were taxis always around too, when I wanted to head to other parts of Nosara.

Thank you BVC for having SF Yoga stay at your beautiful resort. The sense of community, the healthy food, the heavenly pool, the Yoga studio, the nature walks, the garden meditations, and the cool vibe will stay with us for awhile.

You can stay at this magical little oasis and soak in the beach life, the surfing, and the Yoga. Or, if you are a Yoga teacher, you can also lead a retreat here. Learn more about The Buena Vibra Collective HERE, and if you do book a stay - make sure you mention SF Yoga. The SF Yoga community gets 10% OFF all rates!

**Included in each daily stay at the BVC is an organic plant-based breakfast, unlimited classes, complimentary filtered water, a swimming pool, inspirational conversations and so much more.