NOSARA, COSTA RICA
March 3-10, 2018
The Costa Rica Couples Retreat is built to be the ultimate vacation for couples looking to have fun, try new things and build a stronger relationship in paradise. After all, it’s well established that trying new things and creating new experiences is one of the best ways to keep the spark alive, and help your relationship flourish.
Each day will be full of fun adventures with plenty of time to relax as well. Retreat activities include daily relationship exercises, horseback riding, canopy tour, ATV adventure, yoga, surf lessons, snorkeling, couples massage, romantic meals, sunset walks and more!
Of course, we will be right there with you, strengthening our relationship through the same great activities. The Costa Rica Couples Retreat is the perfect way to connect with your partner, meet other couples working to make their relationship amazing and enjoy a vacation in paradise.
SCIENCE HOLDS THE KEY…
Research suggests there’s one key way to maintain the spark: Try new things together.
Just like in most aspects of life, we get stuck in old habits in our relationships. When that happens, things start to get a bit boring.
Research suggests there’s one key way to maintain the spark: Try new things together.
Couples who try new things on a regular basis have happier and stronger relationships.
This also means just having fun together. Research from The University of Denver shows that couples who make time for fun activities tend to stay together longer.
We all know this, but here’s a reminder: Relationships take work. You have to make a deliberate effort to keep the rainbows and butterflies flowing after the honeymoon phase ends.
“The more you invest in fun and friendship and being there for your partner, the happier the relationship will get over time,” says Howard Markman, a psychologist who co-directs the university’s Center for Marital and Family Studies. “The correlation between fun and marital happiness is high and significant.”
Research has found that one reason couples struggle when it comes to maintaining the spark is men and women have different takes on fun and bonding.
“Intimacy and friendship for a man is built on shared activity, but for women, shared activity is a backdrop for a great conversation. What she wants on date night is a time of intimacy and friendship. He’s disappointed because she’ll never go to a game or golfing, and it’s during shared activities that his spirit is most likely to open up,” says Les Parrott, a psychology professor at Seattle Pacific University and co-author of relationship books.
So, that’s why we are doing plenty of both in Costa Rica!
ABOUT US
Hi! We are Chase and Sarah…
And we’re the owners of I Do Podcast. We are also newlyweds who face the everyday struggles of maintaining a happy, healthy relationship while raising our daughter, Stella.
We started I Do Podcast three years ago because we knew a happy, long lasting relationship would take work. For us, the podcast was a hobby — a way to learn more about each other and our relationship. Now, three years and over 140 therapist interviews later, I Do Podcast has become our passion. It has given us so many relationship tools and exercises, and has allowed us to share them with you. Each interview we do is now not only for us, but for you.
So as we embark on this new journey in Costa Rica, we invite you to come along. We know a week in paradise, exciting activities and relationship strengthening classes will make your relationship better than ever!
ITINERARY
A Week In Costa Rica
ITINERARY
Here’s What We’ll Be Doing In Costa Rica
Day 1
Arrive at The Olas Verdes Boutique Hotel. Get settled in and join us for the welcome dinner at the El Manglar located in the Olas Verdes hotel.
Dinner: Included – El Manglar at Olas Verdes Hotel
Day 2
Fuel up on a delicious breakfast, and get ready to hang ten! You’ll have your first surf lesson this morning. The surf lesson is a 3-1 student teacher ratio, which will allows for plenty of focus on learning or improving your skill. The lesson is 1.5 hours in length with a solid hour + in the h2O. All equipment including rash guards is included.
Eat some lunch, enjoy a little siesta by the pool and join us in the afternoon for our first relationship strengthening group session.
We’ll wrap up our first full day in paradise with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, rainforest and mangroves for sunset cocktails and dinner at the Lagarta Lodge. We will enjoy cocktails as a group, but couples will have their own individual tables for date night!
Breakfast: Included
Morning Activity: Surf Lesson
Lunch: Not included
Afternoon: Relationship Strengthening Group Session
Dinner: Included – Sunset Cocktails and Dinner at the Lagarta Lodge
Day 3
Enjoy an early breakfast and we’ll hit the road early to explore the Costa Rican forest on the longest, most exhilarating canopy tour in the world. We’ll be traversing majestic mountain ridges and valleys, soaring high above multiple ravines, with breathtaking vistas of rivers and the Pacific Ocean.
Miss Sky Canopy Tour’s put safety above all. All lines are double wired, 200% of what is required by the Costa Rica tourist board specifications which results in a completely smooth ride with no spinning – ensuring a smooth stop at the arrival pads. They also use double harnesses, secondary oversized, sturdy cables and all redundant equipment of the highest quality and standards.
After the canopy tour, we’ll grab lunch nearby and then head back to the hotel. The rest of the evening is yours to explore beautiful Nosara.
Breakfast: Included
Morning: Canopy Tour
Lunch: Included
Afternoon: Free Time
Dinner: Not Included
Day 4
Enjoy breakfast and join us for our second relationship strengthening group session in the morning. Enjoy the afternoon relaxing by the pool, talking a walk on the beach beach with your sweetie or catching some waves with Chase and Sarah. Meet us back at the hotel in the afternoon for a two hour horseback riding tour.
We will start the tour on the jungle trails that flank the Nosara River, then pass through the wildlife reserve on our way down to the Boca and catch our first glimpse of the ocean. Next we will pass through another jungle trail up and over to Playa Pelada, then head over to Playa Guiones.
After the tour, we’ll head back to the hotel for a quick clean up then make our way to El Chivo for Taco Tuesday!
Breakfast: Included
Morning: Relationship Strengthening Group Session
Lunch: Not Included
Afternoon: Horseback Riding Tours
Dinner: Included – Taco Tuesday at El Chivo
Day 5
Fuel up before we hit the beach for your second surf lesson!
Don’t worry, if you’re sore from all the activities so far, you’ll be able to enjoy a relaxing couples massage in the afternoon. In the evening, explore one of our recommended restaurants in north or central Guiones for dinner.
Breakfast: Included
Morning: Surf Lesson
Lunch: Not Included
Afternoon: Couples Massage
Dinner: Not Included
Day 6
After breakfast, we’ll depart on an ATV excursions. Enjoy the variety of birds along the enchanting riversides, dreamlike beaches, typical cattle and horse ranches, as well as the breathtaking views from Nosara’s mountains onto the beaches and waterfalls. Get an unforgettable impression of Costa Rica’s tropical flora and fauna and discover Guanacaste with a comfortable ATV. We’ll grab some lunch nearby after the tour.
Once we get back to the hotel, take a dip in the pool, relax and join us for our third Relationship Strengthening Group Session in the afternoon. For dinner, head to north or central Guiones for dinner at one of our recommended restaurants.
Breakfast: Included
Morning: Quad Tour
Lunch: Included
Afternoon: Relationship Strengthening Group Session
Dinner: Not Included
Day 7
Grab some breakfast before we head out for the San Juanillo Snorkeling Tour. The tour includes a journey to the crisp blue waters of the secluded San Juanillo cove. Beautifully colored fish and coral await you alongside octopuses, lobsters, starfish and other marine life. A lunch stop is also included.
In the afternoon we’ll have our final Relationship Strengthening Group Session followed by our farewell sunset dinner at La Luna Restaurant.
Breakfast: Included
Morning: Snorkeling
Lunch: Included
Afternoon: Relationship Strengthening Group Session
Dinner: Sunset/Dinner at La Luna
Day 8
Enjoy breakfast and we’ll say our goodbyes. Until next time… 🙂
Breakfast: Included
Depart
Relationship Strengthening Group Sessions
No relationship can thrive without some intentional work on it. The Costa Rica Couples Retreat features fun and informative daily relationship exercises led by Chase and Sarah. These exercises come straight from the most qualified and popular guests of I Do Podcast. Get ready to follow the path to better communication, greater trust, deeper intimacy and an all-around better relationship!
Our group sessions will be focused on:
- Relationship Detox: Learn which bad habits couples typically have in their relationship that can lead to disaster and learn how to replace these bad habits with strategies for greater happiness, better communication and greater empathy for your partner.
- Communication: How to disagree respectfully, how to solve solvable issues in your relationship easily and how you can cope if you can’t find compromise.
- Intimacy & Sexuality: Strategies for turning up the heat and reigniting excitement, lust and passion.
- Mindful Loving: Learn how to celebrate your micro-culture and relationship vision and ways to build and strengthen it.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Olas Verdes Boutique Hotel
Set back from the coastline by a jungle forever preserved by a national nature preserve, Olas Verdes Boutique Hotel is a small Costa Rican boutique hotel that provides immediate access to the beach and the serenity you crave.
All luxury suites include:
- Wi-Fi in suite and public areas
- Bathroom with solar heated water
- A/C in bedrooms; Big Ass Fans® in bedrooms and living rooms
- Wet bar and couch with pull out bed in the living rooms
- Coffee machine, toaster oven, safety box, and mini fridge
- Wi-Fi in suite and public areas
- Car parking space
- Refillable water bottles
- Beach cruisers use (subject to availability)
- Complimentary laundry service
- Concierge service
FAQ
What Others Have Asked Before Saying “Heck Yes!” To The Costa Rica Couples Retreat
We don’t recommend renting a car in Liberia or San Jose and driving to Nosara (Directions are not easy, especially when it’s dark.) If you choose to rent a car, we recommend renting one once you’ve arrived in Nosara.) There are also ATVs and golf carts that can be rented in Nosara.
Nosara is a 4 hour drive and a 1 hour flight from San Jose. You can also fly from San Jose to Nosara on Nature Air and Sansa Air. Liberia is a 2.5 hour drive from Nosara.
No, transportation to and from Costa Rica is not included. However, ground transportation from the Nosara airport to the hotel is included.
Accommodations, transportation to and from Nosara airport, local transportation when you are with the group to activities and restaurants, all activities, all breakfasts at the hotel, 3 lunches, 4 dinners and all Relationship Strengthening Group Sessions.
If you cancel on or before February 1, 2018, you will receive a 100% refund. After February 1st, all payments will be non refundable. We recommend purchasing travel insurance from Squaremouth.com for coverage for any last minute cancellations.
A 50% deposit is due to reserve you and your partner’s spot in the retreat. Full payment is due February 1, 2018.
You do need a valid passport to visit Costa Rica. A tourist visa will automatically be issued to you upon entry to the country. No need to visit the consulate!
Yes! Costa Rica has a crime rate that is lower than most US cities. Nosara is a particularly sleepy beach town with so little crime we can’t even find stats for it! Like anywhere, there is a risk of petty theft, but likely no more than in your hometown.
Who is the Costa Rica Couples Retreat For?
We designed this retreat with knowledge from the world’s leading therapist, psychologist and relationship experts who we’ve interviewed on our show. If you want to improve your relationship, reignite the spark, create more intimacy and passion and have a great time in a beautiful setting, the Costa Rica Couples Retreat is for you!
This retreat is not for you if you are having serious relationship problems that include:
- Infidelity
- Verbal/physical abuse
- Major trust issues
- Disrespectful communication/actions
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