TRAVEL TO BLUE SPIRIT
Citizen of the US, Canada, and Panama may enter Costa Rica with a passport that remains valid at least 6 months after your travel date. Identification such as a driver’s license or birth certificate is no longer valid for travel to Costa Rica. A valid passport allows Canadian, American, as well as most Latin American, and European citizens to stay for up to 90 days or longer. Citizens of other countries may require a visa to enter Costa Rica. Before you go to Costa Rica, please make a copy of your passport, which you will need to carry with you at all times. You should leave your original passport in the safety box at Blue Spirit.
For further information please check the official site of the Costa Rican Tourism Board.
Flights to Costa Rica & Further Transport to Blue Spirit
Please view information by clicking here.
BLUE SPIRIT’S ADDRESS
If you are driving to Blue Spirit you can search our location on Google Maps writing “Blue Spirit Retreat Center”. Please note that there are no street addresses or street names in Nosara. We do not recommend sending any type of package nor is it guaranteed that we will receive mail or shipments made to this address.
Blue Spirit Costa Rica
Guiones sur, Playa Guiones
Nosara, Guanacaste
Costa Rica
CHECK IN & CHECK OUT TIMES
All retreats and programs at Blue Spirit usually run from Saturday starting with the Check In in the afternoon, and end the following Saturday with the Check Out in the morning.
General Check In time for all rooms is 4:00 p.m.
General Check Out time for all rooms is 10:00 a.m.
Guests’ luggage can be stored at the Front Desk at no charge before or after the indicated hours on arrival and departure days.
MEAL TIMES
All meals are served in the Dining Hall, starting with dinner on arrival day and breakfast on departure day. Lunch is not served on departure day.
Breakfast 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Lunch 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Dinner 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Complimentary tea available all day long.
SPECIAL MEAL REQUESTS
Upon request, Blue Spirit will do its best to provide for special meal needs (such as lactose intolerance, food allergies, …etc.). We require that these requests be communicated at least 2 weeks in advance. Please communicate your request to the organizer of your program. Please keep in mind that a huge variety of non-allergic products are not as easily available in Costa Rica (as for example in the U.S.).
An additional way of satisfying special meal needs is our PURE FOOD OPTION, which is part of our daily buffet style served lunch and dinner: offering of greens, grain, and legume (beans) without oils or seasoning.
Also, we have a refrigerator where guests can store their medications ONLY.
BLUE SPIRIT CAFÉ
The Café is open daily, with operating hours adapted to program’s schedule.
The Café offers fresh juices, smoothies, freshly baked good, raw food snacks, coffee specialties, and locally brewed kombucha. In the evening organic wines, and artisanal beers (that have recyclable bottles) are available.
Food and beverages at the Café are not included in the room & board rates of your program. All purchases will be charged individually and can be paid with cash or charged directly to the room.
WATER QUALITY
All the water at Blue Spirit is filtered and safe to drink. We suggest you bring your travel water bottle to reduce single-use plastic during your vacation. We sell glass bottles at the gift shop, in case you forgot yours at home.
SPA SERVICES
Spa services – such, as massages, bodywork, astrology, etc.- are available upon request. Guests can book all sessions at the front desk through an online application. Payment can be made in cash or charged to the room when the services are scheduled. Explore the Spa menu here.
NOSARA LONGEVITY CENTER
Add longevity treatments to your stay for an extra boost of vitality. Contact the Longevity Center here.
BLUE SPIRIT SIGNATURE DETOX CLEANSE PROGRAM
Add this detox program to any of our retreat weeks, click here to find out more.
MEDICAL SERVICES IN NOSARA
From a general health perspective, Costa Rica has high health standards in the entire country and is considered one of the safest destinations in the developing world. If you have a healthcare provider in the country of your origin, you may want to inquire before your travels about their coverage policy, when traveling to Costa Rica.
English-speaking doctors have offices located 15 minutes from Blue Spirit, along with dentists.
A hospital is located within a 45 minutes drive in Nicoya, or for serious conditions, an airlift is available to a hospital with excellent and Western standard medical care in the capital of San Jose within 45 minutes.
Typically travelers from the US, Canada or EU require no vaccinations. Please check Costa Rica’s requirements for your country.
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION, OFFICE NEEDS, AND ELECTRICITY
Phone: We have a phone to use for the guests for calls within Costa Rica (free of charge) and international calls (phone cards can be purchased at front desk). We also recommend the use of Skype or other Internet phone services. WiFi is available at no charge everywhere on the premises, and the use of voice over Internet is easy, inexpensive, and reliable.
If your loved ones at home would like to connect with you and leave messages during your stay at Blue Spirit they can call: +1 845-684-2007. This line connects with our offices in Costa Rica & the US at the US calling rates.
If you need to reach Blue Spirit from within Costa Rica, dial the following numbers: 2656.8300 / 2656.8228 (both numbers are only valid from within Costa Rica).
Cell Phone: There is cell phone service on the premises that support local Costa Rica cell phones and international phones (though this is expensive).
WiFi: Wireless Internet is available at no cost and can be accessed via personal laptops for use of E-mail, Skype, or any Internet-phone calls. Please, note that Blue Spirit does not guarantee connection to all types of laptop computers and does not have a technician on site for WiFi access.
Copy Machine: For limited use and faculty only: at the rate of 40 cents per copy. If you have large copy jobs, please prepare those in advanced and bring them with you; or they can be sent out locally and done at a rate per copy.
Electricity: The voltage throughout the country is 110, the same as in North America. Travelers with appliances set for 220 will need an adapter that changes the voltage and allows for use of a different plug. Costa Rica uses the A/B Type power outlet.
CANDLES & INCENSE
For reasons of fire safety, we don’t allow any candle or incense burning in any of the accommodations. We do allow the burning of candles and incense for ritual or teaching purposes in the classrooms, however, only if the flame is attended to at all times.
SAFETY BOX & PERSONAL BELONGINGS
Each room is provided with a safety box at no charge. The safety box is big enough to hold a laptop. Blue Spirit is not responsible for any stolen personal belongings on the premises. Tents do not come with a safety box – valuables can be stored in safety box at front desk.
LOST OR NON-RETURNED KEYS
Blue Spirit charges a $30 fee for lost or non-returned room keys.
MONEY
Extra spending while being at Blue Spirit (i.e. for Wellness services) and any consumption at our Café can be charged to your room and you can pay with cash or your credit card at the end of the week. Items you purchase at our Gift Shop can only be paid via credit card (Visa or Mastercard only) or in cash. In case you want to book any excursions they have to be paid directly to the tour provider, some of them only accept cash.
Please keep in mind that there are only 2 ATM machines and banks in town, one is a 20-minute drive and the other a 30-minute drive from Blue Spirit. The closest ATM and Bank only accept VISA Cards and disperse Costa Rica Colones. The second one takes other cards and disperses also US dollars.
The US Dollar is widely accepted in Costa Rica, especially in Nosara, so exchanging US Dollars to Costa Rica Colones is not necessary. Smaller denominations of $20 or less are easiest to cash. The exchange rate is approximately 600 Colones per US Dollar.
TIME ZONE
Costa Rica is on Central Standard Time, six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and one hour behind EST in the States. It does not use daylight saving time – which means that when there is daylight saving time in the US, then Costa Rica is on MST (2 hours behind EST).
WHAT TO-BRING-LIST
Don’t forget to pack: Beach towel (Blue Spirit only provides pool towels), camera/batteries/charger, alarm clock, sunscreen, sun hat, bathing suit, water bottle, natural bug repellent, mobile charger, your special medication, hiking sandals, and jeans for horseback riding, We recommend bringing a flashlight, if you are staying in an eco-cottage or a tent. In case you will travel around the Central Valley and San Jose, pack a light raincoat or rain-poncho. We have some hairdryers available at the Front Desk for guests to borrow.
BLUE SPIRIT STORE
Should you forget essential items at home or are looking for some snack foods, books to read, gift items, clothing, or souvenirs – the Blue Spirit Store offers a wide array of goods to purchase. You can pay cash (US dollar, Costa Rican Colones) or with a credit card (Visa or Mastercard only).
ACTIVITIES / EXCURSIONS
Our Front-Desk team can give you information about excursions like Surf Lessons, Horseback Riding, Turtle Nesting Tour, River Boat Tour (bird watching), River Kayaking, or Stand-Up-Paddle Surf. Please understand that the booking and payment are made directly to the tour provider.
ORIENTATION FOR GUESTS
To clear common questions and concerns from the beginning of your stay with us, we recommend to all of our group leaders and guests to come to our 30 minutes Orientation Talk on Sunday morning in the Sky Mind Hall – usually around 9.30 a.m. Exact times will be indicated at the Front Desk on Saturday’s.
WEATHER & CLIMATE
Don’t forget to check the weather conditions for your upcoming stay with us. You can check the weather here.
MOBILITY ISSUES
Please keep in mind Blue Spirit is located on top of a little hill overlooking the ocean. The beach can be reached via private access by walking down a pebbly road. The access to some of our rooms and classrooms is via a stone stairway. If you have any mobility issues, please contact us ahead of time at [email protected].
