9 Day 100-Hour Meditation and Breathwork Training in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

Costa Dulce is one of Nicaragua’s premier eco-lodges with a strong focus on building community and environmental awareness in the surrounding communities. Costa Dulce grew naturally in the middle of nature. Each of the bungalows and cabins has been designed with the surrounding trees and plants taken into account, and in some cases, the trees grow through the building. All have been built to take advantage of the local Papagayo winds to keep you cool without using too much electricity.

The eco-lodge's greywater is processed and used to water the garden and grow food for guests.

Rustic luxury describes Costa Dulce's bungalows and cabins the best. There are no televisions or air-conditioners, but there are stunning views, big beds, balconies with hammocks, and solar-heated hot showers.

Costa Dulce Nicaragua - A regenerating eco-lodge

Love the planet and all the life that it holds. Costa Dulce Retreat desires to enjoy Mother Earth’s bounty while simultaneously helping to regenerate what has been lost, creating a more abundant future.

Without an established set of guidelines, they feel that the ‘eco-lodge’ concept has become a bit of a cliche. They believe that to be ‘eco,’ they need to have a holistic understanding of the impact created by their actions. They can then strive to manage a net positive impact on the planet and society.

So what do they do at Costa Dulce to manage their impact?

They believe that it starts with connection, and therefore it is their mission to:

• “Help people deepen their connection with community, nature, and self by creating an open and nourishing environment that stimulates presence, curiosity, and growth.”

In addition, they believe that to achieve a positive impact, it is essential that their resources be managed responsibly to improve their collective, and thus, their vision is to:

• “Generate an inspiring community model where resources are leveraged to improve the collective well-being by nurturing a diversified and locally owned economy that shares the vision of social equality and environmental regeneration.”

Some specific examples of their initiatives to be eco-friendly and environmentally aware are:

• Low-impact construction: Costa Dulce Retreat has done its best to integrate its presence into the existing ecosystem. Most of the excavation was done carefully by hand. When building the lodge, they carefully selected their materials, first seeking organic, recycled materials, bamboo, stone, wood, and clay.
• Energy efficiency: The lodge is solar-powered and has been designed to take maximum advantage of cooling breezes, thermal mass, and natural lighting, along with the application of water and energy-efficient technologies.
• Offsetting impacts: Through supporting conservation projects such as Vital Actions' sea turtle nursery, investing in reforestation, and habitat restoration, they strive to mitigate their impacts.
• Foster local talent: They have trained their neighbors rather than recruiting people with existing experience.
• Conscious consumption of locally sourced products: By understanding the origin of the products they consume, they can support non-exploitative production practices and create opportunities for small local businesses to prosper.
• Avoid excess and minimize waste: Costa Dulce Retreat avoids the use of plastics and other disposable or single-use items and utilizes all that they can. All food scraps go into their compost facility.
• Create equity through empowerment: Through microfinancing and partnerships, Costa Dulce Retreat has had significant success.
• Educate to regenerate: They do their best to create educational experiences for visitors and locals, helping to promote a collective shift of awareness.

The surroundings

Costa Dulce is located within a tropical dry forest for half of the year, which transforms into a lush jungle during the rainy season. They are environmentalists at heart, and as such, do their best to minimize their impact on the surroundings, which they share with monkeys, sloths, snakes, iguanas, turtles, birds, and bugs.

Blessed with beauty on all sides, you will find a network of walking trails to explore, enjoy, and immerse yourself in nature. Find the secret lookout where you will be surrounded by the serenity of the environment, collect shells at the “mermaid cove,” or take a dip in the tidal pool. Costa Dulce's playground is full of places to discover!

Gather and unwind

In addition to the private bungalows and cabins, Costa Dulce consists of several inviting shared spaces. All accommodations are built around the central dining area, where something tasty is always being whipped up in the Dulce Cocina. Directly below, you will find Casa Ola, the lounge/bar with a library and beach view terrace, their awesome new pool, as well as the spa area.

The beach

Just steps away from the bungalows and cabins is a beautiful, public, but secluded, beach. You will find Costa Dulce's surf school stationed there, along with a little locally owned restaurant serving up fantastic margaritas and authentic Nica food. The beach is equipped with hammocks, sun chairs, and lots of shade.

Down the south end of the beach, the river Escameca Grande flows into the ocean. It is a great place to go standup paddleboarding (SUP), spot local wildlife, or enjoy a freshwater swim.

The beach is generally very safe, sandy, and without hidden rocks or a strong current, which makes it great for surfers and water enthusiasts of all levels.

The yoga shalas

Costa Dulce's main yoga shala is located directly above the dining area, with a stunning view. It is fully equipped with quality Manduka mats, wooden blocks and dowels, and straps. Their secondary yoga shala/lookout and favorite meditation spot is a short walk away, positioned on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Enjoy the stunning views, take a deep breath, and connect with yourself and your beautiful surroundings. Costa Dulce's team of professional yoga teachers offers yoga twice a day.

Environmental responsibility

Costa Dulce loves the planet, and they are aware that changes are needed in order to preserve the beauty of the surroundings. As such, they are constantly trying to evolve and adopt new measures to minimize their contribution to climate change and related problems. This is a challenging task, being a service provider in the tourism industry, as the business model is centered around guests traveling by plane to enjoy an experience with them.

Unfortunately, the airline industry is a significant contributor to human-based CO2 emissions. Therefore, Costa Dulce Retreat is committed to offsetting your air travel by donating half the value of your CO2 emissions towards a local reforestation project.

Your emissions will be calculated through myClimat, and Costa Dulce Retreat highly encourages you to offset the remainder of your footprint by contributing to the Collado Reserve (whereby all funds are donated directly to the project), or to one of their listed causes.