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Unfortunately, our experience closely mirrored what others have previously reported, will never return.
It’s clear that this resort—founded by the businessman behind Omega Institute—was built with profit in mind. There’s nothing wrong with making a profit, but here, the balance between commerce and spirituality feels off. The heavy promotion of rejuvenation services and promises of youth clashes with the core values of yoga—simplicity, mindfulness, and health without material attachment. The proliferation of upsells and expensive add-ons undermines the retreat’s supposed ethos.
The only on-site café has no visible pricing and charges everything to your room. Once you see the prices, they’re comparable to high-end resorts—except Blue Spirit doesn’t deliver that level of quality.
From the very first evening’s orientation, the sales pitches were aggressive—emphasizing youth, wellness, and eco-consciousness. Then came the surprise: despite the $2,000 per person per week rate (even in shared rooms), guests were told that a mandatory $90 gratuity per person would be added. For a shared room, that’s over $4,000 total for 7 days for basic meals (with subpar coffee and tea) and pool access only. All programs cost extra. Again, this is reflective of the owner's ethos to nickel-and-dime the guest at every opportunity.
A gratuity should be voluntary—and ideally covered by the high room rates. It felt exploitative, and we declined to pay it.
During our stay, temperatures were in the high 90s with humidity over 100%. The main activity hall—which hosted around 80 guests—was NOT air-conditioned. Attempts to request cooling were met with vague responses about energy efficiency and high costs. Yet activities occurred in this space for six hours daily. Framing this discomfort as “eco-consciousness” felt like a cheap excuse.
Cooling off was only possible in your room or the small on-site store. We took 3-4 showers a day to stay cool.
Food was mediocre. Protein was limited—fish or other sources served only twice a week, and eggs were served three times in one day. There were no desserts except for inedible vegan cupcakes on the final day. Sweets could only be purchased at the café or store.
I wouldn’t mind all this if the pricing were fair—more in line with what’s being offered. But this is Costa Rica, not Monaco or Antibes, and the surroundings are largely undeveloped jungle. Prices should reflect that.
Lastly, the transportation was a nightmare. Our private taxi ride from the airport took 3 hours, with a full hour on unpaved, rock-strewn roads at 5 MPH—resulting in relentless jostling. For our return, we opted for the local 12-seat plane. Unless you're a pilot, brace yourself: the turbulence was intense, far worse than any commercial flight.
In short, if you’re into overpaying for low quality and are willing to pay a premium for them, this may be your place. But if you have more discerning tastes, I’d recommend seeing Deva and Miten anywhere else but here.
