Wellness travel continues on a post-pandemic upswing, and mental well-being is now part of many excursions. Christian Tripodi and Kori Zornes, founders of Revamp Retreats, a company that organizes retreats and courses around the world for yoga teachers and other wellness experts, shared in a recent report that in 2024 there is more awareness and trust in the power of slowing down, along with more clients willing to pay for premium experiences that include connection, community and nature. Programs that spark people to lead healthier lives when they return home seems to be the priority.
From crashing waves on the Pacific Coast of Mexico to jungle sounds in the Costa Rican Rainforest, here are two newer destinations dedicated to modern wellness (with two unique uses for cacao) that can help you reach these goals.
ZihFit in Zihuatanejo, Mexico
When you think of heading down to Mexico for a break, tacos and tequila usually spring to mind, but this will be a different kind of journey, more of a physical and nurturing spiritual experience immersed in nature and Indigenous ceremonies, but no less fun and in many cases more rewarding.
ZihFit is nestled into an eight-bedroom cliffside villa overlooking the sleepy Zihuatanejo fishing bay. Almost two decades ago, J. Ben Bourgeois, the Los Angeles-based art collector and event producer for top global brands and institutions, such as The Wallis and the city of Beverly Hills, hired one of Mexico’s top architects, Zozaya Arquitectos, to create a private modern estate with sophisticated local artisan artifacts.
Blending his event experience with wellness to create a sanctuary that celebrates personal growth, Bourgeois opened ZihFit earlier this year. ZihFit’s six-night curated retreats weave in locavore cuisine and daily curated exercise regimens from LA-based fitness programmer, Brazilian-American Eduardo Penteado, who led Bourgeois on his own fitness transformation when he turned 60.
Penteado changed Bourgeois’ life and now he is sharing his story with the world. “The biggest surprise is how positively this [retreat] has affected our guests,” Bourgeois told the Courier. “That propelled us to do more, but this is not boot camp. We make it comfortable and luxurious, but you can really push your mind and your body here.”
Unlike other wellness retreats, this one embraces the ancient Mexican culture and authentic Indigenous traditions of the region with a sacred cacao ceremony and the transforming Temazcal “sweat lodge.” “These rituals are not just practices but are powerful means to inner healing, emphasizing the importance of having a connection with Pachamama, Mother Earth,” says Penteado.
The connection to nature can also be found in the property designs. Spanning 20,000 square feet, Casa Fiesta has sleek, modern lines, neutral palettes and locally sourced materials such as stone, tiles and wooden accents. Most of the eight rooms are separated by walkways and winding staircases leading to three different parts of the grounds for privacy—which you will need when taking an outdoor shower. The main open-air living-lounge area has an infinity pool and picture-postcard views, but if you are feeling adventurous, a “grotto” pool carved into the hillside on the lower level feels like a hidden secret once you find it.
Your time at ZihFit is split between two compounds or “Dos Fiesta,” and a staff of 12 between “the Casa” and “the Playa.” The private beach club, Playa Fiesta, was constructed by Andrés Saavedra who also designed the THOMPSON Zihuatanejo, and includes a dramatic cave-style entryway with a small water Labyrinth in the center of the polished concrete flooring, leading to an open-air vista right on the sand, with a large lap pool and plenty of hammocks hooked up to coconut trees swaying the salty breeze.
Mornings at Casa Fiesta begin with a 6 a.m. chime awakening at your door, followed by sunrise yoga sessions on one of the decks. After breakfast, the group is transported to “the Playa” where you will do most of your daily activities. This includes a two-hour beach walk, a range of fitness and dance classes from high-intensity Tabata and Zumba to bachata and salsa dancing, and an evening one-hour sunset beach walk.
Along the way, a private chef whips up a total of 1,500 calorie meals per day that were conceived by nutritionist Sara Verboonen, which include four electrolyte-heavy mocktails per day made with on-site coconut water, mango with lemon and rosemary and hibiscus-infused water to name a few.
This is not a deprivation diet either—you can drink caffeinated coffee or tea and have a few carbs along the way. The food is surprisingly filling utilizing fresh local fruits and veggies, along with seafood and Mexican favorites from mahi mahi ceviche and guacamole with baked tortilla chips to mushroom enchiladas in a green sauce topped with pico de gallo. Other satiating menu favorites included lentil soup, vegan paella, fish-stuffed Poblano peppers and shrimp skewers with red onion and zucchini.
Every afternoon, post-lunch, full-body massages take place in a private outdoor area that range from soothing head and neck treatments to lower back and hip adjustments or table stretching. This is a key element in the recovery process during your stay and a welcome break.
Experts from the local community are brought into the daily programs for the welcoming group drum-singing ceremony and a blissful, blindfolded floating pool sound bath that fosters both letting go and listening to your inner voice. “Now more than ever, individuals seek to reconnect with themselves,” said Penteado. “We have worked with the local community to create authentic shamanic and spiritual experiences.”
On the final day, the group gathers around one last time in a circle for a heart-healthy “drink of the gods” ceremony. A spiritual healer leads the group in a meditative chant while copal (incense for the gods) is burned. After a personal smudging, everyone drinks a concoction with cinnamon, chili, vanilla, sugarcane and pure cacao—a superfood with magnesium and calcium. The drink offers a bit of euphoria and an endorphin kick— especially after not having anything decadent for the whole week. The ceremony ends after more mindful practices lying on a yoga mat, then awakened by chimes.
This is a great program for people wanting to kick-start a wellness plan, or to add a little spice to your existing one. It is also a great team-building retreat for corporations who are looking to whisk away C-Suite executives. “We are on this journey together,” said Bourgeois. “This is not competitive and it’s a boutique setting where we can all gather around the table for meals.”
“We are open to all levels of fitness, and we encourage everybody to be a better version of themselves each day they are here,” said Penteado. “Come with an open heart and an open mind and let the retreat guide you. Everyone has a different experience.”
If you do push it too far out of your comfort zone, there is a doctor on call and Penteado can always guide you through personal stretches to work out any kinks – or whip out the Theragun. “This is a safe place,” Penteado told the Courier. “We encourage you to show up, and maybe you will break through some fears.”
Rates for the six-night sojourn are $7,900 per person (meals, massage, yoga and activities, laundry and round-trip airport transfers included). Private four-night retreats can be customized as well. zihfit.com
Photos courtesy of Origins Lodge
Origins Lodge in Costa Rica
Another Latin American spot that takes wellness—and cacao—seriously is at Origins Lodge in Costa Rica. This sustainable holistic haven is enshrouded in the dense jungle setting of Upala with only seven luxury villas amidst 111 acres of verdant rainforest and the cascading Oro waterfall. All this can be reached in just 1 1/2 hours from Liberia Airport in Alajuela.
Each accommodation is an eco-lux tree house featuring a private deck with a warm plunge pool heated by a wood stove. As you soak or lounge on the daybed, the expansive jungle view is the closest thing to an African safari you will experience on this side of the world. Cicadas lull you while colorful Toucans perch on trees that also swing with howler monkeys, against a chorus of croaking frogs.
For another type of submersion, the Lake Tii Spa Suite offers a traditional cacao treatment where the actual beans grown on the property are used. You start by sipping a hot ceremonial cacao beverage to cleanse the chakras and let the energy flow before the body exfoliation with cacao and coffee beans for detoxification. Then you are covered in volcanic clay and wrapped in anisillo leaves. The finale is a soothing cacao-coffee moisturizing massage.
As for dining, your multi-coursed meals will be served at the open-air El Sato restaurant overlooking the infinity pool and jungle vista. The kitchen staff can pluck much of the fruits and veggies for the seasonal menus from the on-site organic gardens where 250 different species of local plants and medicinal herbs grow freely. Costa Rican chestnuts and l’araza, a fruit used in juice or marmalades, are among the bounty. Fifteen beehives provide Mélipona honey that is considered the best in Costa Rica surrounded by 10 lakes where fish such as tilapia and sardines are sourced.
This is the only culinary program in the region that is overseen by European Chef Yann Berger, who has worked in many Michelin-star restaurants from France to Norway. While this area is not typically known for its cuisine, Chef Berger is changing that with his vision of sustainable, healthy fine dining and Central American cuisine blending Portuguese and Spanish influences. His traditional carnitas pork dish is influenced by Nicaraguan cooking, and he is also a master of soups made with fresh veggies from the garden, plus his showstopping mushroom risotto is made without cream. “I think we should go to the forest, not the pharmacy,” he told the Courier. “You can bring me any produce and I know what to do with it after I taste it.”
Beans, rice, and corn are grown locally in abundance and can be found in many of the dishes, but signature staples include sweet potato pancakes, coffee ground smoked trout, roasted pumpkin with papaya, avocado and grilled pistachio, roasted rack of lamb with plantain puree and lemon grass braised chayote, and quinoa stuffed tomato, cooked cabbage in ginger and red wine with passion fruit sauce. You can have wine with dinner, but rum is the national drink of choice, and the rustic wooden bar also overlooks the jungle where drinks are mixed with fresh mint from the garden.
While the dining here is a draw, there are plenty of trails to hike on the property after a meal, including a nocturnal walk near the pond. At sunrise, head to the yoga pavilion surrounded by jungle flora for a class. During the day, a trek to the waterfall on the property, followed by horseback riding, paddle-boarding, kayaking, or rafting on the Nicaraguan River will keep you active.
This property is great for a group buyout or anyone looking to escape with a digital detox and plenty of natural distractions. Due to popular demand, Origins is expanding to add a family-friendly second location on the grounds for group travel in 2025.
Double rates start at $2,416 for a two-night minimum. originslodge.com
