Nayara Springs and Nayara Tented Camp 

Trey and I were forced to postpone our honeymoon, like so many others were during the pandemic. We also had to pivot many more ways, including the destination. After planning for a trip to Africa, we chose to go to Costa Rica. Ironically enough, we chose to go to Nayara prior to launching a career in travel. If I do say so myself, we did an extremely good job in choosing a unique, romantic, one-of-a-kind place. 

Nayara is located in La Fortuna near Arenal National Park in central Costa Rica. The hotel is about 3 hours from both the Liberia and San Jose airport. While 3 hours is a relatively long transfer, the drive is stunning and every part of it is worth it. 

Nayara is made of three distinct properties, though they are all connected and have reciprocity (for the most part) between the three. Nayara Gardens was the first property, more family-friendly and slightly less luxurious (the only part of the property without in room plunge pools, though they do still have hot tubs).  We spent the first part of our trip at Nayara Springs, the adults-only section of the hotel. A trademark of the entire property, the plunge pools in both Nayara Springs and Nayara Tented Camp are heated by the natural springs from the nearby Arenal Volcano which you can see throughout the property. 

The last three nights of our trip were spent in the incredible, new Nayara Tented Camp. Each room has views of the volcano and is modeled after some of the stunning tented safari camps in Africa. These rooms are truly jaw-dropping. They are huge, over 1500 square feet with indoor and outdoor showers, a huge outdoor patio with a plunge pool and have a sort of old-world glamor about them. 

The property is lucious, green and full of hills (with impeccable staff who will golf cart you anywehre you want to go). There are a variety of restaurants on property ranging from fine dining with live music to sushi to casual italian, all laced with traditional Costa Rican cuisine. There are tons of pools, secret saunas, and natural hot springs to explore and enjoy so that you can always make new friends or find a quiet, secluded place for some privacy. 

The activities are a testament to everything that Costa Rica has to offer, from hiking to wildlife viewing to ATVs to ziplining and everything in between. There is something for everyone to enjoy in this unqiue destination, and no matter how stunning the hotel, you are missing out if you choose to spend all of your time there. If you have any interest in nature, you will most likely see sloths on your way to dinner, coatimundis creating mischief and toucans flying high overhead. It is rare to find a hotel where you are able to be in such close proximity to such a beautiful, natural ecosystem. 

As someone who has always loved nature, Nayara made me fall in love with Costa Rica and everything that it has to offer. Sometimes an overlooked destination depending on the kind of trip, Costa Rica has something for everyone and Nayara is a stunning example of the complexity of this destination.