"Someday, I'll Travel Somewhere Warm in January"
An impossible dream until now!
After having most of my life revolve around the school year calendar, it’s been a longtime dream to travel somewhere warm mid-January, after my retirement. I’m feeling incredibly blessed to have been able to finally do this last week. Unfortunately, I packed and carried some guilt along with me due to the turmoil happening at home in the US, and especially in Minneapolis/St. Paul. This post isn’t about that, but I’ll say that reading Jeannine Ouellette’s post, linked here, allowed me to shift my perspective. It allowed me to relax into my vacation, to appreciate art and rest, and to be able to write and share about it now, home and ready to join the fight. Please read this when you get a chance:
I posted about my guilty feelings on Facebook, and friends chimed in, saying, “It’s ok, you deserve it.” Funny how you have to be able to see it from another perspective to allow it for yourself. There’s no question I’d tell someone else not to feel guilty, and I did. So why not the same grace for myself? Working on it!
I’m able to deeply appreciate this trip now for so many reasons. I’d visited this resort four times before, the last time for nine days, right after my retirement. I thought that would be the ultimate trip. Unfortunately, I had also suffered a huge loss right at the same time, so it hit different. I also came down with Covid (my only time) at the end of that visit, then went home to deal with even more unexpected problems. This post isn’t about that depressing time, but do look for it when I get around to writing “Someday, I’ll Retire.” Suffice to say I’ve felt the need for a “do-over” since then, but because I was in such a shitty place last winter, I wasn’t ready yet. Instead, I spent most of February and March researching options for moving out of the country.
The other big Someday Trip on my radar has been a fall trip up East during peak leaf-peeping season. I had it all planned this past fall, but cancelled for a number of reasons including more political bullshit and a very strong sense of dread that gave me chest pains. That one wasn’t meant to happen yet, but I’ll get there!
Now, to the beauty of this trip, to a magical place called The Retreat, 5000 feet above sea level on a crystal mountain in Costa Rica. It’s a luxury yoga and wellness spa that I discovered in 2019, just after they opened. This was the best of my five visits there so far. They treat me like family since I’ve been there so many times, and I got upgraded to their new, very luxurious rooms because of my status. With the new “Santosha” section came a whole schedule of extra included activities and amenities, a room that I think was close to the size of my house, which included a coffee station, a private balcony with my own bed outside, and a luxurious bathroom with a view from the bathtub that speaks for itself (scroll down). This addition also includes a third pool, separate hot tub, two more restaurants, a huge, gorgeous new yoga studio, large, well-equipped gym, and beautiful reception and seating areas, indoors and out.
If there’s a trade off for accessing this area of the resort, it’s that it’s at the bottom of a steep hill, which my watch counts as 12 flights of stairs, from the guest rooms up to the front desk and main restaurant area. They’ve included hourly shuttles, but aside from dinner, when I was in sandals, I enjoyed the crazy walks up and down the hill. A kind staff member clued me in on day one that the key is to zig-zag the whole way so you’re not feeling the angle quite as hard. A lot more steps, but easier overall, and nearly impossible to do without smiling, since it feels a bit silly. Because every inch of this road is meticulously landscaped and exploding with color, it’s a pleasure to get lost in the details as you make your way slowly up and down. No hurry, after all, it’s a vacation.
One of my favorite things about this place is the freshness and variety of foods, all dairy free (except for the occasional goat cheese), gluten free, and anti-inflammatory, and the fact that meals are when they are and what they are and I don’t have to make any decisions. I eat what is placed in front of me and I enjoy every bit of it! With the addition of Santosha and its two restaurants, there are other options, including dairy and other “naughty” foods. I stuck with the main restaurant until my final breakfast, when it was time to ease back into making choices.
I love having a loosely structured schedule, so having yoga every morning at seven, various other available activities between meals, and one spa service almost every day was perfect. I had enough discretionary time to lay in the sun by one of the pools (sparingly, of course), read in any number of gorgeous places, including my own room or balcony, or attend other activities. I read four books in six days, went on two gorgeous hikes, attended a sound bath, painted a picture during art therapy, went to yoga five of seven days, and once felt the need to walk on the treadmill and blast Taylor Swift in my headphones.
At the spa, I had a Travel Recovery Massage, a Heaven on Earth Massage, a Tropical Fruit Smoothie Facial, a Heart Opening Deep Tissue Massage, a Cranial/Facial Massage, and a Gentle Lymphatic Drainage Massage. Everything is done with great attention to detail and every little extra that you can imagine. There are bells, chimes, or singing bowls, along with the burning of palo santo and additional aromatherapy to begin and end each service, and in between: two hands massaging in pure bliss. It feels like you’re being poured out of the treatment room when it’s over.
One of the days that I skipped yoga, it was to have a leisurely morning and do some journaling. I made a list of all the things I was grateful for since arriving, which I updated later. Some of the things I wrote down:
—That everything ran on time, smoothly, and even what I forgot at home (my entire bag of chargers/cords) isn’t a tragedy, though I’ll do better next time.
—The driver holding my name up in the airport, the air conditioned drive with a bottle of cold water, the warm welcome at reception, then being ushered straight to lunch, where Sergio, my favorite chef, ran out to greet me. The staff here are the best!
—The nourishing food and the crystal-kissed water.
—Enjoying that first sunset at Santosha (the newly built section, more on that below) with Sergio, who shared some personal news because I’m “part of the family.” When he had to get back to work, he brought me a blanket since it was getting breezy. Perfect.
—Getting real milk for the coffee in my room—and only for me! Sergio made it happen.
—Enjoying my new Kindle and reading fiction, which feels like eating candy. And I don’t even know these authors, which feels crazy to me. Definitely a change from my usual: reading memoirs written by friends and acquaintances.
—Reading on my own private balcony bed.
—The gorgeous new yoga space.
—Victoria, the yoga teacher, was fantastic. She’s from Poland, but has been traveling around teaching yoga for years, including several in South Africa. We didn’t get enough of a chance to talk, but we’re keeping in touch. Here’s a link to her Instagram: victoriaherczek
—Art therapy with Victoria and one other guest, AK, sitting on the floor of the yoga studio. We talked a lot about letting go of judgment and expectation and trying to enjoy the process without worrying about the outcome. I made a painting representing how I feel when I’m at The Retreat, and I’m planning to give it to my mom!
—Watching the sunset from the bath/shower every night. Stunning.
—Wonderful fellow travelers and the freedom to have nice conversations at dinner, or to just relax in peace with my Kindle.
—Hiking with Jason and Susan (on Susan’s birthday) instead of with the large group. We got a little lost, but no big deal. We found the swings, took photos, and put our feet in the crystal river. P.S. Susan is a personal trainer and here’s a link to her Instagram: builtby.suzieq
—Jason subscribed to my Substack and I’m hoping Susan will make her own here!
—Meeting Carlos (a new staff member) and feeling his energy. Within ten minutes of meeting, he was giving me a crystal and hugging me. The most positive guy ever!
—The sound of the wind going through the bamboo.
—Buying crystals for my friends and myself.
—Going hiking again with Carlos and Esi.
—Finding my own crystal while hiking.
—Toucans in the trees outside of my room.
—Monkeys in the trees outside of my room.
—Delicious, healthy mocktails.
I had my last, very peaceful breakfast at one of the new restaurants. I was the only guest since it was only their second day to offer it in that space. It was exactly what I needed before thirteen hours of travel, airports, planes, a shuttle, and way too many people. They had real milk for the coffee (grown on site), cane sugar with cinnamon, and I ordered french toast with bacon. What a treat!
Just when I thought I was alone, I was visited by a Coati (raccoon-like cuties), who came to do his morning grooming by the pool. Adorable!
It was a perfect ending to a perfect visit. The travel home was 13 hours, but that’s what I expected. Everything was on time and pretty smooth. I know I keep saying it, but I’m so grateful to have had such an amazing time. This is the first time I’ve gone that I didn’t have to rush back to work, or, like last time, come home to illness, injury, loss, and months of uncertainty. Instead, I was able to enjoy The Retreat and the feeling of the warm sun on my skin while it snowed at home, and I didn’t feel guilty about that at all.
Now, I’m back home to help in the ways I can. Definitely thinking about how nice it would be to live in Costa Rica, but not ready to give up on US yet!
What’s on your travel bucket list and what’s standing in your way? I know the school calendar affects most people with kids too, so I bet a lot of my friends in the midwest would like to do something similar and get the heck out of here in January or February.
Tell me in the comments where, and/or when, you want to travel Someday.
What an incredible experience. Loved sharing some of it with you. Truly a special place. Can’t wait to go back
It sounds like heaven on earth…so happy you had an amazing time. I have never done a retreat/spa trip…it’s now on my Someday list! Your pictures are unbelievable—thanks for sharing ❤️