Luxury Spa Healing and Beautifying is the most indulgent of The Retreat's programmes, focused on skin renewal, gentle detox and deep relaxation. Over a week you receive a run of facials, scrubs, massages and rituals, while keeping all the hotel's meals, yoga and activities. It is an anti-ageing spa holiday rather than a strict regime, aimed at guests who want to feel looked after and go home with a visible glow.

After a 30-minute welcome consultation you have eleven treatments at Vida Mía: a 50-minute restoring Ayurveda facial, a 60-minute Heaven on Earth massage, a 30-minute Maharani milk bath ritual, a 60-minute garden-fresh lemongrass herbal scrub, a 75-minute Royal facial using gold and silver, a 60-minute gentle release lymphatic drainage, a 60-minute Transformation and Acceptance crystal scrub, three 25-minute infrared sauna sessions and a 60-minute Reiki session. A 45-minute wellness cooking class is also included, along with three meals a day, twice-daily yoga, the daily activities and the pools and trails.

The hotel sits on top of a crystal-quartz mountain above the town of Atenas, with views across the rainforest towards the Nicoya Gulf and the Pacific. It is a small, adults-only property of 26 rooms, so the atmosphere stays quiet and personal. Treatments take place at Vida Mía, the hotel's 8,000 sq ft healing centre and spa, and the included meals are served at Sol Terrace, the open-air restaurant on a covered terrace. Between sessions there are three saltwater pools, organic gardens that supply part of the kitchen's produce, and trails across the mountain.

Every day there is a 7:00 yoga flow and a 4:00 pm restorative class, open to all levels with no need to book. Around these, the hotel runs a rotating calendar of activities such as sound healing, cooking classes, tea tastings, guided hikes and workshops, most of which are included (a few premium activities carry a charge).

There are no fixed group dates. You choose the day you arrive, check in from 3:00 pm, and stay for at least 7 nights; longer stays are welcome and the programme simply runs across the extra days. Your treatments are scheduled individually around your stay rather than to a set timetable.

What's included

- Accommodation in your chosen room type - Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily at Sol Terrace (chef's choice, anti-inflammatory, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free) - Yoga twice a day (7:00 flow and 4:00 pm restorative) - Access to the scheduled daily wellness activities - Use of the pools, grounds and trails - 30-minute welcome consultation - Restoring Ayurveda facial, 50 min (x1) - Heaven on Earth massage, 60 min (x1) - Maharani milk bath ritual, 30 min (x1) - Garden-fresh herbal scrub with lemongrass, 60 min (x1) - Royal facial with gold and silver, 75 min (x1) - Gentle release lymphatic drainage, 60 min (x1) - Transformation and Acceptance crystal scrub, 60 min (x1) - Infrared sauna therapy, 25 min (x3) - Reiki, 60 min (x1) - Wellness cooking class, 45 min (x1)

What's not included

- International flights - Airport transfers (arranged by the hotel on request, at extra cost) - 13% Costa Rica tax (the prices shown exclude it) - Gratuities - Spa treatments and therapies outside the programme - Dinner at Mystique and food or drinks at La Diosa - Premium activities that carry a separate charge

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