Sustain and Release
A new eco resort in Costa Rica, a nostalgic-ation in Texas, “The Mother” of all hot springs, an ocean love song, and next-level retreats for solo travelers.
Today's post highlights what we’ve been doing lately:
Embracing pura vida at a lush new eco resort in Costa Rica
Enjoying life in the face of grief at a beautifully restored resort in Texas
Free diving, paddling, and catching waves in Waikiki
Cold and hot plunging into Colorado mineral magic
Horsing around at the world’s greatest party in Seville
Vibing with vortexes, sound baths, and deep massages
But first, just for subscribers, we’ve updated our Best New Hotels 2024 Preview with news from Italy that we learned this week at the Duco travel conference in Milan.
Meet the First-Time Hotelier Behind Nosara's Hottest New Beachfront Hotel
The surfer's paradise of Costa Rica, Nosara's Playa Guiones, has welcomed a newcomer in town this year with the opening of Silvestre (A Fathom Best New Hotel.) Tucked within the lush jungle and steps from the beach, the boutique hotel hosts nine resident rooms, each designed to embrace the ultimate pura vida lifestyle. It was founded by two best-friend, first-time hoteliers interested in building a renewable-first, sustainable property that protects the beautiful ecosystem of Nosara.
A Nostalgic (Sad, Loving, Unforgettable) Texas Homecoming
As I was checking in at the beautifully restored and renovated Grand Galvez Resort, Autograph Collection in Galveston, Texas, the desk clerk asked if this was a business trip or a vacation. I wasn’t sure how to answer. How do you classify a weekend in a place where you spent a lot of time as a kid and that you’re revisiting with your mother, sister, and brother-in-law to scatter your dad’s ashes? Is it … a nostalgication?
Happiness Springs Forth in Colorado
My Warrior Plunge was scheduled on a day when the temperature dropped 20 degrees in 24 hours. We dipped into 49-degree water and stayed in for almost three minutes. (If this number doesn’t resonate, please know that even the staff was impressed.) I won’t lie: the first step is a total shock to the system. But that’s the point. Better to go all in with no hesitation. With a few quick breathing techniques that I found very helpful, I experienced a transformation from tense and slightly miserable to relatively serene and still. A guided version is available every day at noon, and as a reward, every guest who conquers the cold gets a commemorative beaded bracelet to welcome them to the esteemed club of warriors.
The Ocean Needs a Love Song
To write Underjungle, I spent a lot of time underwater — scuba diving and free diving, so I could sink down, and think about what it’s like to live in the ocean, where everything in your world — minerals, food, mates, ideas, and songs — would surround you. They’d flow to you, just like the currents, saturating and engulfing you, until you became a part of their movement, too.
Seville's Feria de Abril Brings the Party
It’s one of the greatest parties in the world, and we bet you’ve never heard of it. You’re not the only one. Until we were invited to attend last year, we didn’t know a thing about Feria de Abril, the spring festival that sees the gorgeous city of Seville explode into a giant, weeklong celebration of dancing, drinking, and horses. This stunning photo tour brings it all into focus.
Love Yourself, Treat Yourself: 8 Retreats For Solo Travelers
Forest bathing rituals, energy vortexes, next-level massages, and surf retreats.