Your First Visit to Anamaya Resort: What to Expect
The Road Up and Checking In
Your taxi from Montezuma town will climb a steep dirt road into the jungle canopy, switchbacking upward until you wonder if you've taken a wrong turn. You haven't. Anamaya sits at the end of that climb, and when you step out of the vehicle, the first thing that hits you isn't the reception desk—it's the view. The entire Pacific horizon opens before you, framed by primary rainforest on both sides. Take a moment before you even think about your luggage.
Check-in is deliberately unhurried. You'll likely be greeted with fresh coconut water or herbal tea and invited to settle into one of the common areas while someone walks you through the week's rhythm. There's paperwork, yes, but also a genuine orientation to help you land. Staff members will show you to your room, point out the yoga shalas (there are two, both open-air), and explain meal times. This is when you'll learn that shoes are optional pretty much everywhere except perhaps at dinner, and that the bell you hear isn't decorative—it signals transitions throughout the day.
The Daily Rhythm
Most retreats here follow a loose but consistent pattern that your body quickly learns. Mornings begin early, often with optional meditation around 6:30 or 7:00 a.m., followed by the main yoga practice around 8:00 a.m. These morning sessions tend to be more vigorous—expect Vinyasa or Hatha flows while the air is still cool and the howler monkeys are warming up their own chorus in the trees.
Breakfast comes after morning practice, typically around 10:00 a.m., which means you're practicing on an empty stomach. (Bring a small snack if you're someone who gets shaky without breakfast—more on that below.) The middle of the day belongs to you. Some people book massage appointments, others hike down to the beach or into Montezuma, many simply nap in a hammock. This unstructured time is sacred; resist the urge to fill it with productivity.
Afternoon sessions—if they're scheduled—usually begin around 4:00 or 4:30 p.m. and tend toward gentler practices: Yin, Restorative, or specialized workshops in breathwork, sound healing, or the occasional biohacking talk. Dinner typically happens around 6:30 p.m., followed by optional evening programming: guided meditation, more sound healing, or simply informal gathering around the common spaces as the sun disappears into the Pacific.
Your Room
The accommodations at Anamaya range from comfortable to truly lovely, but they're not luxury-resort polished, and that's intentional. Expect open-air elements—screened windows that let in jungle sounds, ceiling fans rather than air conditioning, geckos on the walls (they eat mosquitoes; you want them there). The aesthetic is clean tropical minimalism: good beds, decent hot water, thoughtful details like mosquito netting and reading lights, but not a television or minibar in sight.
Some rooms have private bathrooms; others share facilities depending on your booking tier. What you're paying for isn't marble countertops—it's waking up to that view, falling asleep to waves and wildlife, and the particular quality of silence that settles over a clifftop jungle at night.
The Food
Meals here are consistently excellent and overwhelmingly plant-forward. The kitchen sources locally where possible, prepares everything fresh, and manages to make vegetarian and vegan food feel abundant rather than restricted. Think tropical fruit at every meal, creative salads, well-spiced grain bowls, fresh-baked bread, local fish when it appears. The coffee is Costa Rican and strong.
Portions are modest by North American standards—this is nourishment aligned with twice-daily yoga practice, not all-you-can-eat resort buffet logic. If you're coming from a high-calorie lifestyle, you might feel genuinely hungry the first day or two. Your body adjusts. That said, there are usually snacks available between meals—nuts, fruit, herbal tea—and staff are accommodating if you have particular dietary needs.
What to Pack (and What to Leave Behind)
Bring more swimsuits than you think you need; they don't dry quickly in jungle humidity. Bring a headlamp for navigating pathways at night. Bring reef-safe sunscreen, insect repellent, and a reusable water bottle. A light rain jacket is wise. Your own yoga mat if you're particular, though they have plenty.
Do not bring heels, formal wear, or expectations of nightlife. Don't bring your laptop unless you're prepared to discover that WiFi in the jungle is unreliable and that might be the point. Don't bring an agenda for every free hour. The greatest gift you can give yourself is spaciousness, and Anamaya's remoteness enforces that whether you initially want it or not.
Etiquette and Unspoken Rules
Silence isn't enforced, but there's a natural quietness that descends after evening practice. People speak in lower voices; phones disappear. Speaking of phones: they work (mostly), but using them in the shalas or common areas during programs reads as jarring. Step away if you need to take a call.
You're free to skip sessions—this isn't boarding school—but if you do, slip out quietly. Announcing your departure from the group creates weird energy. Similarly, showing up late to yoga with dramatic apologies disrupts more than just arriving quietly and setting up in back.
The Honest Tradeoffs
First-timers are often surprised by how genuinely remote Anamaya feels. Montezuma is close but requires a steep downhill walk (and an even steeper return). You're not popping out for coffee runs. The wildlife is real—expect insects, curious coatis, aggressive howler monkeys at dawn. Some people find this thrilling; others find it challenging.
The other surprise is emotional. Something about the combination of setting, practice, and enforced slowness tends to surface whatever you've been avoiding. People cry in Yin class. They have breakthroughs on the third morning. They also get bored, restless, and irritable on day two before something shifts. This is normal. The resort has held space for all of it for more than a decade; trust that your experience, whatever it is, belongs there.
