Ziplining through a lush canopy of jungle green, plowing through a mud puddle on an ATV, backflipping from a catamaran into an aquamarine lagoon. Now that’s Pura Vida! Lounging in a hammock with ocean breezes whispering through your suite, lazing about poolside—sun kissing your skin, making that birdie on the back nine. Also Pura Vida! Our 2019 Costa Rica Retreat embodied that Pure-Life vibe Costa Rica is known for. And between our unforgettable adventures, sweet gifting experiences, amazing meals, and incredible accommodations, there were plenty of WOW moments as we showcased for our V.I.P. guests the incentive and group event possibilities of this prize destination. Here are just a few.
Picking Up Hitchhikers
We wanted to demonstrate for our guests the power of valuing the journey as well as the destination, so we orchestrated some enroute experiences. One of my favorite WOW experiences happened as we were traveling to the Westin W Beach Club. Now normally we wouldn’t recommend picking up a hitchhiker, but sometimes it really pays off…especially when he is a plant who has been paid off! We hired incredible musician Darin Talbot to be our fake hitchhiker and serenade our guests on his guitar that evening. We arrived at Tamarindo and explored this charming surf village. Then waded into knee-deep waters to board our catamaran waiting just offshore. As Darin played and we sailed toward the W Beach Club, our guide pulled out some fishing poles, and we snagged some exquisite dorado (a.k.a. mahi-mahi). We dove into the clear water from the deck of the catamaran, ate tasty snacks, and relaxed to the sway of the waves as the sun set a gentle pink. We disembarked, toes in the sand, and walked along the beach where our beautiful dinner awaited. What a perfect night!
Endless Adventure
Along these same lines, during our journey to Los Sueños Resort, we made an unforgettable stop at the Llanos del Cortez Waterfall. It’s not every day you get a chance to take a short walk through beautiful scenery and dive into a “posa escondida” or hidden pool beneath a waterfall. These are just two examples of the type of incredible experiences that our tried-and-true partners at CRT help us orchestrate whenever we host large groups or smaller familiarization trips like this retreat in Costa Rica. Crocodile safari? Check. Ziplining through a rainforest to a chorus of chittering monkeys and scarlet macaws? Check. We love the synergy we have with this amazing travel management company to make sure our trips are unique, smooth, and drop some jaws!
Custom Nikes & WOW Gifts
Beyond the many WOW moments we experienced both enroute and at our destinations, we wanted to showcase for our clients the power of a WOW custom gifting experience. We teamed up with Cultivate to craft a creative experience for our guests to design their own Nike shoes. It was awesome to see our V.I.P.’s playing around with colors and styles, to watch them connect with their fellow travelers as they asked for each other’s opinions and praised each other’s designs, to feel their excitement about their custom shoes arriving at their homes after the trip. Though we had some cool pillow-drop gifts, there is something special about a personalized gift to make a guest or team member feel appreciated.
¡Que Delicioso!
As for my favorite WOW meal, it’s hard to beat the simple elegance of the La Castilla Terrace at the Costa Rica Marriott San Jose. The Spanish hacienda feel, the glow of string lights, the excellent live music in the background. And then the food! They have a focus on farm-to-table cuisine, drawing from local granjas and gardens to create incredibly fresh, creative, and delicious dishes. They had funky pickled vegetables, amazing charcuterie, tender steaks, and an enormous array of desserts for every palette. We had incredible meals throughout our trip, but this one stood out to me as a great example of the ambiance and class these V.I.P. guests could recreate for their companies.
Beautiful Resorts & Exquisite Stays
And how can I not mention the incredible hotels and resorts whose beautiful grounds, limitless amenities, stunning locations, and unbelievable suites embody the WOW we try to deliver. We’ve been guiding incentive and group trips to Costa Rica for decades. We’ve explored many resorts and know those whose venues, level of service, and focus are perfect for clients’ groups: The Westin Playa Conchal with its 2,400 acres of heavenly pools, golf course, and beach; Los Sueños Marriott with its incredible ocean views and breathtaking location so close to Carara National Park; and the Spanish-style jewel of Costa Rica, the Marriott San José Hacienda Bélen. The partnerships we’ve formed with these resorts over the years as we’ve hosted group events together are powerful—We share the vision of creating remarkable experiences.
Leaving Paradise ?
We had an incredible time with these V.I.P. guests on our 2019 Costa Rica Retreat. So many laughs, connections, and memorable moments with some truly inspiring people. We loved showing some of the surprising options Costa Rica offers. And let’s face it, Costa Rica is a paradise that sells itself. On top of all the carefully orchestrated experiences, we hope our value was most apparent when things went sideways at the beginning of the trip. When major thunderstorms caused damage at the Costa Rica airport, our flights were diverted elsewhere. Though we hate it when things out of our control go awry, we’re always so glad to use our years of expertise to accommodate our guests as quickly and painlessly as possible. When one of our guests mentioned that they never felt worried because they knew they were in good hands, that was a stellar compliment. We want our clients to trust us not just to make their group event amazing but also to rely on us to make the best of the unexpected. And isn’t that what Pura Vida is really all about? Enjoying the essence of life no matter what the world throws at you!
