A tiny coastal town with a 4 km long beach strip, Dominical is located on Costa Rica' beautiful Central Pacific coastline. Dominical offers shopping and local art and is only 2km from the ANIMAR retreat site. Tourists make up a large portion of the small town and there are also those who came as tourists but can't seem to leave, and have made Dominical home.

A welcoming quaint place where you are free to wander around and explore the small shops offering art, jewelry, and other handmade items such as hammocks. The small village is a surfer' paradise where waves can reach over 10 feet high. Dominical attracts surfers not only from across the country, but from all over the world. Kayaking, diving and snorkeling are also available. Dining is a fabulous experience in Dominical, especially if you love seafood. There are a number of local restaurants or 'odas' in the area, which serve everything from fresh lobsters and shrimps to delicious crabs and fish.

Dominical is located south-east of Playa Hermosa. Playa Hermosa is the most consistent beach for surfing in Costa Rica with fun, hollow surf, the peak south swell season being March through November. The certified surf instructors will ensure you are surfing the best spots in the local area based on swell direction and your ability level. If you are not traveling with your own board the surf company will also provide you with a board. And, if you are anxious to hit the surf a second time we would be delighted to assist you in getting ready for the waves for round 2.



Click on the image left for more detail.

No worries. All locations are selected based on their proximity to both gentler beginner beaches and more challenging surfing locations. We provide access to great instruction and gear rental too.

Not a problem. The format of all classes is all levels, all good. The yoga will be challenging enough for advanced yogis but still have plenty modifications for beginners.

The yoga classes will be geared towards all-levels. The instructor is a Yoga Alliance certified teacher with a background in Hatha training and Ashtanga. She will assess the participant’s level of fitness, flexibility and areas of tensions to design the class. Each class will begin slow with mediation, pranayama (breathing), followed by a warm up for all major muscle groups to prepare both body and mind. A well balanced class will follow consisting of sun salutations, standing poses, balancing poses, inverted poses, and finishing off with grounding postures(seated) to open the hips, release the hamstrings and unlock the spine. The final relaxation pose (shavasana) will complete each class with mediation to end for a blissful state of mind.

Our Outdoor Bootcamp classes are designed to challenge, tone, strenghten and trim the entire body. What a way to kick start a beautiful day in Costa Rica and get your motor running.
Details:

• Result-driven workouts
  
• motivated trainer to push you to the next level
  
• fun and beautiful group environment
  
• fresh exercises to break through fitness 'plateau'
  
• geared and designed for ALL fitness levels
  
• hear-pumping cardio drills to increase speed and endurance
  
• full-body muscle conditioning to tone and tighten using calistherics(exercise performed without weights or equipment)
  
• group exercises and partner work to motivate each other
  
• sports specific drills to remind you of your 'glory days' or present days
  
• increased core conditioning
  
• agility(balance and coordination)
  
• partner drills
  
• increased cardiovascular fitness for a healthy heart
  
• yoga/stretching
  

Best part......all this takes place in the outdoor beauty of Dominical, Costa rica

You must book your own individual flight to/from the San Jose airport.

From San Jose Animar will provide ground transportation for everyone to travel as a group from Out of Bounds Guesthouse in San Jose to Dominical and from Dominical back to Out of Bounds Guesthouse in San Jose.

The Out of Bounds, boutique hotel offers a traditional "Tico" welcoming, with very fine accomodations at a solid price. Check out their website at http://www.bedandbreakfastcr.com.

This is also the scheduled meeting place for us to embark on the retreat, as well as the closure after our weeks end, so it's a convenient and very recommendable spot with extremely gracious owners, who know all of Costa Rica very well.

Yes, all accommodation choices are shared in spacious rooms, but each individual has their own bed, unless requested otherwise.

Yes! Please inform us 30 days prior to your arrival with specific details.

The retreat is designed to challenge people at all levels of physical conditioning. It is left to the individual to decide what level you would like to go for in the individual activities.

All of our accommodations are equipped with refrigerators.

Due to the elevation, air conditioning is not necessary. All of our rooms are equipped with ceiling fans.

No, we don't have a lot of bugs at ANIMAR. Being in the tropics, there is a lot of insect life in general in Costa Rica. However, our elevation keeps this issue at a minimum and our guests find it remarkably bugfree here.

The meals offered at ANIMAR are largely vegetarian.

Yes we have! Please read the testimonials below or visit our testimonials page.

From Isabelle -

"My one week Animar retreat in Costa Rica definitely completed its promised enlivening effect. The energy that increasingly took hold of me as the week unfolded from one activity to the next was amazing. Instead of being wiped out by the physical challenges of daily yoga, hiking, surfing (and the occasional night out dancing!), I actually found myself revived, and felt great. With all that we experienced, it's hard to believe it was, after all, just one week.

Thanks to the spirit of the retreat, the intentions of the organizers, the way it flowed, the energy that was created, I felt the exquisite way time can slow down when one completely breaks from the routine and fully immerses oneself.

For me, Animar feels like a long, long deep breath in, filled with all the things that count the most for me when travelling and vacationing: novelty, learning and being challenged, a gorgeous, well-chosen location, unique and high quality activities with great people, and of course, lots of priceless moments such as catching a surf lesson's last waves as the sun is setting on the Pacific Ocean.

Thank you for making this wonderful experience possible!"

From Emily -


"My Animar experience was full of adventure, great people, delicious food, and wonderful relaxation. A very well organized retreat with much flexibility.

Aside from Yoga on the beach, surfing the waves, shopping around the town, falling asleep to the sound of a waterfall, and enjoying a massage while listening to the natural surroundings, I returned home with a new understanding of exercise and have been able to keep my motivation months later. A trip with the perfect balance of fun, exercise, and adventure."

Visit this link to learn more about the area that neighbors Dominicalito, where the Costa Paraiso Resort is located. Also, if you've always dreamed of the chance to fly high above the jungle canopy on a zip line, and to admire all the lush flora and fauna of this unique paradise from a birds eye view, then check this great tour out. Also, thiscompany offers an exceptionally unique and magical overnight trekking tour, as well as other incredible day treks.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of great eating establishments in this area, ranging in all sorts of price ranges and catering to many different tastes. Not far from the resort is an area called Ojochal, which has become increasingly notorious over the years, for being a "foody" famed area. In this region there is the unique Jardin de Tortuga ... or the very well reputed Exotica Restaurant ... and yet another well reviewed pick in Ojochal, Citrus Restaurant. Nearby Costa Paraiso Resort, in Dominical, there are numerous excellent establishments, and just at the other end of Dominicalito Beach is La Parcela. For yet another option, offering a slightly more upscale taste, is Cuna Del Angel.

Recommended items to pack:

• Beach towel – (though there are a lot of local vendors in the nearby town, selling sarongs & beach towels – so you may prefer to pick one up as a souvenir & leave yours at home.)
• Sunscreen and your usual toiletries. Though, keep in mind that 2km away there is a store that carries most necessities, as well as food items for you to be able to stock up on any desired snacks in your accommodations kitchenette, or to store any choice beverages in the chiller for an awaiting reward.
• As for the surfing, it’s not a bad idea to bring a “rash guard”. They can be purchased at most surf shops anywhere, and come in both short and long sleeved styles, and are a tightly fitted design, on purpose! It will help give you extra protection from the hot sun, as well as inhibit any irritation from the surface of the board on your bellies, and for the ladies – it helps to keep you from any indecencies 
• A headlamp or flashlight is a handy thing, to help you navigate your way back from the beach or any of the nearby walking paths.
• For horseback riding it’s a good idea to pack appropriate long pants so that the leather on the saddle won’t chafe your legs. Anything but lululemon type fabric is advisable, since it will cause rubbing to your lulu’s and make them look less than perfect. Closed toed shoes (running sneaks are fine) are also the order of the day!
• What ever you do, just remember the mantra “pack light” or rather, “less is more”. There are really no glitzy places to worry about going to. The theme is beachy, comfy, casual and fun attire. So you really needn’t burden yourself with a lot of “stuff” either.
• Bringing a suitable “day pack” is a good idea. When we go on the surf excursions and horseback trek. You’ll be glad you brought a lightweight over the shoulder sack or small backpack to stow away a few dry things to change into and any other key standbys you want to have on hand.
• Any required or prescribed medication or health supplements. It pretty well goes without saying that you’d be better off to entrust the pharmacies here at home to fill any prescriptions you need to have. It won’t become quite as accessible once we’re in C.R.
• Don’t dare arrive without your Yoga mat! Can you imagine?  .. tote along your usual yoga attire, which will also be used for the beach fitness session’s. Really, anything goes – just think “c o m f o r t a b l e” and lightweight. Running shoes are a must have as well.
• There are laundry services available at both Costa Paraiso Resort, as well as The Out of Bounds Guest House. So no worries about being stranded with dirty laundry issues. That said, it wouldn’t hurt to bring a small container or travel sized portion of detergent, so that you can hand wash the odd thing, as needed. There is also a sunny positioned clothesline on site too, for any air-drying.
• The electric outlets in Costa Rica are 110 V, with standard North American 2 prong plugs – so you will have no problem with compatibility of electronics there with the ones you choose to bring from home.

• It’s a good idea to notify your personal bank that you are planning to be traveling within Costa Rica, and to ask of their associated bank fees. Every bank is different, and some apply different charges to bank withdrawals, as well as varying their rates – so it’s not a bad idea to be certain of those matters before you arrive in the country.
• ATM’s are quite readily located. There is one only 2 km from our resort, however the allowance for maximum withdrawal amounts can vary between banks in C.R. The other thing to bare in mind is given that we’re traveling in a country with a different infrastructure than what we’re used here at home, its not unusual to go to a bank machine, and have it say “no funds available”. So for this reason, it’s a good idea to plan a way to SAFELY store away a little subsidized cash flow to draw upon if you need it. Credit Cards are generally widely accepted, so you can rely on the use of yours but also be forewarned that the rates applied to credit card transaction’s is often anywhere from 5-13%...so it does cost to use this convenience.
• The accepted currencies are the local “Colon” as well as the American Dollar, which is welcomed just about anywhere. You are likely going to get the fairer rate by paying with Colones, however. With our dollar being pretty close to par with the American dollar, it welcomes an even better time for travel in C.R.
• Upon departing Costa Rica, it is useful to know that the Country enforces a mandatory airport departure fee/tax. It is $26.00 and can be paid by cash or credit card at the departure gate.
• The Sales Tax in Costa Rica is 13%
• **Everyone is encouraged to purchase Personal Travel Health Protection** Look into any existing coverage you might have through your employer or even your credit card company. Be aware of the exact coverage and make note of any important phone numbers that you should take with you on the trip. PEACE of mind is invaluable.

You’re about to experience what “Pura Vida” is all about!!!! Looking forward to giving all of you a big Costa Rican welcome. See you soon!
Andrea & Meigan