Wellness Weeks

A Wellness Week in Costa Rica
Pura Vida

costa rica

The School of Wellness-hosted experience in Western Costa Rica is a celebration of relaxed Costa Rican culture set near the rugged Pacific coastline in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The week offers a small group intimate experience of Costa Rica with morning sessions focused on YOUR wellbeing. The afternoons can be filled with included activities to do whatever calls to you and all arranged for you …zip lining, ATV tours, horseback riding, massages, mountain biking, cocktails or mocktails as the sun sets, or some time in solitude relaxing by the pool or beach. You will experience why Costa Rica is renowned for its stunning and diverse nature and relaxed people. A private chef will prepare local Costa Rican meals and once you get off the plane, everything will be taken care of. Eileen’s School of Wellness has designed a program that will leave you refreshed and charged up to make any needed changes back home. Pura Vida.

 


Here is what other travelers have said about their experience with Eileen in Costa Rica

“A Wellness Week at least once, twice, thrice … in your lifetime to stop and think, to stop and breathe, to stop and reflect on what is really essential for you, for the ones you love is so worth it! This week was one of those for me, I got a chance to stop, to think, and to remember what the important things are. Moreover, the wonderful people I met and will keep in touch with!     Thank you, Eileen”

“This was a great week to learn more about myself and what really matters.  I saw how I  was getting in the way of success.  I loved connecting with others desiring more wellness in their lives and the tools to grow wise.”

“Such a well-organized week that combined fun and unique experiences with engaging and interesting wellness seminars, culminating in a realistic strategy to deal with challenging life situations.”

“Come ready to be open because this experience will open you in the best way possible!”

“This was a perfectly balanced experience of wellness topics, fun activities and community.  This will benefit me for years to come.”

“I am now able  to seize the opportunity to take the steps to live better.”

“The venue and week were perfect, and it was everything I hoped for and more. The meals were exquisite and the small group work Eileen designed really helped me evaluate and change some of how I am living back home.”

“I left Costa Rica a better version of myself!”

“The morning sessions on wellbeing were fun and interesting and each day I was surprised and completely engaged in what we were doing.”

“Eileen designed a week that was so thoughtful – a great mix of free time self-reflection, small group work and adventure. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to explore a part of Costa Rica and grow personally.”

“There was a very strong sense of being cared for and that created a sense aliveness and vibrancy when we left.”

“My experience at Wellness Week left me recharged and the sessions led to such lively and deep discussions. There was plenty of laughter. The house was so immaculately clean and comfortable. The sunsets were like no other and beaches pristine.”


Cost

The cost of the trip is $3000 per person. The price includes double
accommodation for 7 nights ( 2 people to a room with en suite bathrooms), airport transfers in Costa Rica, and travel in Costa
Rica, all breakfasts and dinners and a raft of other services (see below).  Each house has a fully equipped kitchen.  It does not include
airfare to Liberia Airport (LIR- Daniel Oduber Int’l Airport) in western Costa Rica
(Pacific coast).
NOT Included: Airfare. Lunches.

Application Process

We do not accept participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead, we collect applications.

If you are accepted on the trip, the first payment of $600 per person is due within 7 days of being accepted to secure your place.

We  will notify you of the status of your application within 2 weeks.

The final payment of $2400 per person is due 60 days before the trip departure.

If the final payment has not been received within 10 days of the due date, it is assumed a default, the reservation is assumed canceled, and there is no refund.

Once we receive your deposit, we will notify you of its receipt and confirm your reservation.

We will not accept your deposit until and unless we are able to guarantee a room. You can pay by ACH, Venmo, or check.


 

Application and Payment Schedule

Make Payment via ACH, Venmo or Check

December 1-8, 2024        Accepting applications, filling fast

February 23- March 2, 2025         Accepting Applications 

December 7-14,  2025       Applications open January 2025

First non-refundable payment of $600 due after acceptance 

Final Payment 60 days before departure

Cancellation Policy:

The School of Wellness does not refund for inclement weather and other issues out of our control. For additional protection, consider trip cancellation insurance from https://travel.nationwide.com/plans/single – note offerings of both the Essential Plan and Prime Plan (Prime includes ‘cancel for any reason’). We are not affiliated with this company, only making our guests aware of its availability and suggest purchasing travel insurance. If you withdraw, any refund will be contingent upon whether we can find someone to take your place, but in any case, will be subject to a cancellation fee of 10% of the trip price, $300. If we can fill the spot, The School of Wellness will refund 50% of your deposit.

FAQs

Costs: The total Cost of the trip is $3000. per person. We don’t accommodate singles.

What does the trip Include?

All Inclusive
● 7-night luxury accommodations at The Pura Vida House with swimming pool. All rooms are doubles and we do not accept singles.
● Daily interactive discussions on personal /professional wellbeing led by Eileen
● 2 meals per day by private chef (breakfast/dinner)
● Private round trip airport transfers (Liberia International Airport)
● 1 Group Excursion: Sunset Sail & Snorkeling Cruise
● 2 Additional Excursions/Activities (choice of 2): horseback riding, zip lines, mountain biking tour, ATV riding, 60-minute massage (can upgrade to 90)
● Private ground transportation for all activities/excursions
● FREE Unlimited Daily Access to Exclusive Beach Club: 1 restaurant, 2 bars, 160 foot oceanfront infinity pool, Spa, Fully equipped glass- enclosed gym overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Water activities
● Access to the JW Marriott (8 restaurants/bars)
● Private access to 3 pristine beaches (Avellanas, Mansita, Langosta)
● Access to 2 Spas (Altos de Eros & JW Marriott)
● Golf carts to get around resort (two 6-seater carts + one 4 seater)
● Private concierge services (coordinate transportation, tours, activities)
● High Speed Wi-Fi (200/mbps)- the best internet service in Costa Rica
● 18 Hole Championship golf course (signature ocean views) with discounted golf green fees
● Daily Access to Tennis/Pickleball Courts (open play, court time) *instruction not included.
● Daily Housekeeping
● Laundry service
● Daily Costa Rican coffee
● Equestrian center
● Mini Market
● Beach chairs/umbrellas
● Mountain bikes w/ access to 20+ miles of ocean view trails

Not Included: Airfare and lunches

Who are the participants?
An eclectic small group of mostly Americans who are interested in promoting their own wellbeing and exploring the beauty and rugged wildness of Costa Rica. Almost everyone has previous experience seeing Eileen talk about Wellbeing in some capacity as this invitation is only open to her monthly blog, A Wellness Pearl subscribers.

What are the accommodations? The Pura Vida House Eileen has procured, which she is calling The School of Wellness Costa Rican campus, is owned by the magnificent hosts Mani and Sindy Garcia. It is located nestled in a 4500-acre forested area teeming with wildlife and boasts 3 of Costa Rica’s most beautiful beaches. Mani and Sindy own a beautiful home designed for groups, are solely in the business to provide hospitality to groups, and have partnered with Eileen over many seasons. The house is modern with hotel-like amenities, the best high-speed internet available in Costa Rica, filtered water, unlimited Costa Rican coffee, soap, shampoo, bath and beach towels, a blow dryer, etc. with daily housekeeping. Each bedroom accommodates two people, and the beds can be single or king. Each room has an en-suite bathroom. Meals are prepared by a talented chef and are served family-style at a large outdoor table. The housekeeper will do any laundry on Wednesday of each week for anyone that wants it- folded and returned to their room by the end of the day.

What can we expect on a Costa Rican trip with Eileen?
The moment you step off the plane and outside of the airport, you will be taken care of. You can do as much or as little as you want. There is a physician available to us 24 hours should one be needed. Much thought has been put into the Wellbeing Program and we hope you find it deeply insightful and at times lighthearted. Here are a few typical days of our schedule:

Arrival and Departure:
Most airlines do not post their schedules until 6 months before travel dates.  We suggest making air travel plans as SOON as you can as the airline industry has been wonky across the globe. Please make round-trip air travel reservations to Liberia International Airport-LIR (AKA Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport) in western Costa Rica. Plan to arrive between 10 and 2 PM and depart after 12 noon. Once you get your flights, please send them on to Gayle, The School of Wellness Administrator, so we can arrange ground transportation. If you arrive or depart outside of these hours, we can arrange safe ground transportation for you, but it will be at your expense (approximately $150 US dollars each way). Check-in time at the villa is 3 pm and check-out is 10 am. It’s a one-hour 15-minute van ride to the house. Check your passport expiration date!

On Arrival:
You will be met by a van outside of the airport with a sign that says ” Eileen’s Group” . On the way to the house, we will stop at a full grocery store where you can pick up anything such as snacks, fruits, alcohol, and fluids. The house has Costa Rican coffee and fresh cold filtered water, but you can purchase items you want in your coffee and/or alcohol for the week. The trip will include breakfast and dinner and there are beautiful affordable places to get lunch on the beach.

Trip extensions:
Costa Rica is wildly different across the country. It is a fascinating place and you may want to see other parts of the country before or after the Wellness Week. If you are interested in ideas on places to visit, feel free to contact Eileen for recommendations. Be sure to book your travel so that you arrive and depart Libera airport with the trip so you are not charged for private transport to/from the airport.

Cash/Money:
There is no need to bring Costa Rican Colones. At the time of this writing, $563 Colones = 1$ US Dollar. All establishments take US Dollars. It is helpful to bring around $100 US cash in $1 or $5 bills for tipping drivers, etc. Most establishments take credit cards. The only money you will need is for any extra excursions/spa treatments you wish to take, lunches or souvenirs.

What to bring:
Once you are accepted, we will send suggestions for packing as we get closer. It is a very casual place- think clean T-shirt for dinner and flip-flops vibe.
Communication. We make every effort to ensure our group emails make it around increasingly vigilant spam filtering, however, this is not foolproof. Please add Gayle@eileenogrady.net and eileen@eileenogrady.net to your contacts, and check your spam filters regularly. If you have not heard from us in a while, please contact us to make sure you haven’t missed any important communication.

I know you are all busy and will try not to ask for too much info before we go but will need flight info for ground transport.