There are certain innate health benefits that accompany the decision to spend time in Playa Grande. Located on the golden coast of Guanacaste on the Nicoya Peninsula, Playa Grande is a community, family, and surfer-oriented beach town that offers an almost effortless wellness escape. Whether you come alone, with your family, your friends, or with the love of your life, the time that you spend here will greatly benefit your overall health. Here’s how…
IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS SUNNY
There is an 80% chance of sunshine throughout the year in Playa Grande. While excessive sun exposure can lead to severe sunburns, premature signs of aging, and skin cancer, moderate sun exposure actually has some pretty incredible benefits. It has been proven that fifteen minutes in the sun causes your skin to produce vitamin D, which is critical for calcium absorption and strong, healthy bones. Make sure that you always wear sunscreen though, especially while in Costa Rica.When you are out in the sunshine, your brain also releases serotonin, the hormone responsible for your mood. When your serotonin levels are elevated, you tend to feel calm, happy, stress-free, and focused.
EAT WELL, FEEL EXTRAORDINARY
While Playa Grande might be small in size, there are quite a few exceptional dining options. What’s amazing about the restaurants here is that they all use fresh, locally-sourced, and oftentimes organic ingredients. Typical staples in the Playa Grande restaurant collection include whole grilled snapper, seared ahi tuna, fish tacos, homemade corn tortillas, freshly made ceviche, rice and beans, crisp veggie-packed salads, and even açaí bowls. The smoothie and fresh juice scene here is a health-fanatic’s dream come true; Costa Rica is home to an abundance of exotic super fruits. It is easy to eat well in Playa Grande because most things are made completely from scratch and don’t include a long list of preservatives and ingredients that you can’t even pronounce.
THE SECRET TO WELLNESS IS EATING REAL FOOD | © JORGE A. RUSSELL/ SHUTTERSTOCK
PERPETUAL MOVEMENT, PERPETUAL BLISS
Part of living a well-balanced and healthy life includes being physically active. Popular activities in Playa Grande include surfing, beach walking, riding bikes, practicing yoga, and taking a beach fitness class. Most places in Playa Grande are also within walking distance of where you are staying or residing, so you are also more likely to walk rather than always hop in the car and drive. In one day you might go for a surf, take a yoga class, set off on a pre-sunset jaunt on the beach, watch the sunset, walk to dinner, and then enjoy a nice digestive stroll home underneath the stars.
THERE’S SOMETHING TO BE SAID ABOUT SIMPLICITY
Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It is a place of unimaginable biodiversity, a dozen different unique ecosystems, photograph worthy sunsets almost every single night, and an atmosphere conducive to leaving all of your worries, stresses, and every day responsibilities behind. It is a place that inspires the return to simpler times when we weren’t always connect to the Internet and our devices. Between the action-packed adventures and activities, the space to relax and rejuvenate, and the unbounding natural beauty, spending time in Playa Grande reminds us of what’s truly worth-while in life.
LIVE ART EVERY NIGHT AT THE BEACH | COURTESY OF JENN PARKER
QUALITY CONNECTIONS
It is easy to get caught up in our everyday lives and routines. It is important though to not forget about our most important connections in life and the intrinsic value of making time for those connections. Connecting with family, friends, nature, and yourself is beneficial to not only your wellness, but your happiness and longevity too (stay tuned for Costa Rica’s Blue Zone secrets).
Playa Grande offers the space and places to make such rewarding connections. Whether you find yourself sitting on the beach for one of Playa Grande’s famous sunsets with the friends or family you came with and the new friends you’re likely to make here; out in the surf; at one of the many mellow happy hours or live music events; or just in your hammock listening to the distant calls of the Howler monkeys, watching hundreds of dragonflies dance on the offshore breeze, or breathing in the scent of the sea, the connections you make here will have a lasting and positive effect.