7-Day Wellness Escape & Yoga Week in Uvita, Costa Rica

Days start early. There's usually a 75–90 minute yoga or movement session around 7:00am in the shala, then breakfast, then free time until the second class in the late afternoon. Teachers adjust sequences to who's in the room — most people are somewhere between beginner and intermediate, with a few regulars. Between sessions you can walk to the pool, head into Uvita for coffee, or book a surf lesson, a massage or a trip to the Nauyaca waterfalls.

The food is vegetarian and cooked on site: think gallo pinto with eggs and fruit at breakfast, grain bowls and beans at lunch, curries, soups and salads at dinner. Fish appears on some nights. Vegan and gluten-free guests are catered for if they tell the team in advance. Water, coffee and tea are always out.

Accommodation is in private or shared rooms and small bungalows on the property, all within a couple of minutes of the shala and the pool. Rooms have fans, hot water and wifi; a few have air conditioning. The site backs onto secondary rainforest, so you'll hear howler monkeys most mornings and see iguanas by the pool.

What separates this from a generic yoga week is the location and the range of add-ons: Marino Ballena National Park is 10 minutes away, there are surf breaks at Dominical and Playa Hermosa within half an hour, and the group usually does a waterfall or national park outing midweek. The teachers are Costa Rica-based and have run this same schedule for several seasons, so logistics are dialled in.

Groups are small — typically under a dozen — and a lot of guests are solo travellers between their late twenties and fifties, though couples and friends also book. Phones get used less by day three. It's a relaxed week rather than an intense training camp: come for the yoga, the food and the coast, not for a fitness test.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation on the retreat property - 3 vegetarian meals daily (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Daily yoga and movement classes (usually twice a day) - Workshops (alignment, pranayama, meditation) - Group excursion to Marino Ballena National Park - Use of the pool and property facilities - Yoga mats and props - Wifi

What's not included

- International and domestic flights - Airport transfers (can be arranged at extra cost) - Travel insurance - Optional spa treatments and massages - Optional surf lessons and extra excursions - Alcoholic drinks and personal expenses - Tips