In mid 2019, our Costa Rican hotel remodel had been fully complete for just about 4 months.
Although we were busy marketing the hotel to fill our reservation calendar, I could tell Mark was getting a little restless.
He needed something to build, and I had an idea.
I wanted a yoga space.
Costa Rica is known for wellness, nature and an overall Zen-vibe. Many hotels in Costa Rica have their own yoga platforms.
And I am a yoga and fitness instructor!
I pitched the cost of the build as a money-maker for the hotel to Mark. Now that the hotel was beautifully remodeled, I envisioned making yoga a frequent activity for our guests, and I wanted to plan some wellness and yoga retreats.
I was already offering yoga to guests, but we’d usually practice in the spa or in villas on outdoor terraces. That wouldn’t work for larger groups.
After spending so much money to remodel, refresh and update the hotel, Mark wasn’t completely on-board. He liked the idea, and I’m pretty sure he wanted to appease me, but he wasn’t quite ready - except for the fact that he likes a challenge and a project!
So, I started marketing wellness on our website. We created a wellness package that included yoga sessions, massages, healthy smoothies and more. Our hotel also had a small gym with equipment, and with our hotel spa, we had a whole wellness package! Guests coming to Costa Rica could come to us to get their Zen on, relax and refresh.
Perfect!
My yoga mentor and I started planning a yoga retreat for the next summer, and I planned to host 2 wellness retreats. I also reached out to people in my wellness network to host yoga retreats at our hotel.
But to do any of that, we needed a dedicated space for yoga. Planning is great, but we hadn’t booked anything yet.
By the grace of God, in July, I was contacted by a couple wanting to host a couples yoga retreat. In November!
When they asked if we had a yoga platform, my answer was YES OF COURSE! What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, but it would us if we didn’t get a platform built – and quick!
Off we went!
We knew where we wanted to build the platform. Mark asked me how many people I wanted the platform to hold and what the typical amount of space was needed per yoga participant. When we figured that out, he was able to mathematically determine the square footage of the platform we needed. (Dang it’s great to be married to an engineer!) 😉
Now for the design.
I had been practicing yoga with my friend Karolina at her house once a week. They had built their house and their yoga platform a year before, and I loved that platform. It was simple, situated to capture the breezes and had a wonderful ocean view.
I asked Karolina if she would mind if we copied the design of her platform for ours. She gave me the go-ahead, but she said that there were a few things about her platform that they didn’t like. Didn’t like? How could that be? It was a flat wooden deck, 3 feet off the ground with 4 posts and a roof.
So, Mark talked with Karolina’s husband, Ragnar and asked what they liked and didn’t like about their platform. Mark went to their place and took lots of photos and measurements. (Engineer, remember? 😉) Then he started making design sketches in his notebook.
We joked with Karolina and Ragnar that we’d have their yoga platform, but better!
After completing our design, Mark made a list of materials, and he and AJ started to source everything we needed. Now we needed someone to build it. We hired a local guy who had done some work for us before to build and pour the concrete foundation. For the steel framing, we hired the brother of one of our employees who was experienced with steel erection and welding. He completed the frame in about 2 weeks.
AJ found the wood for the decking. According to Costa Ricans, the wood we got was supposed to ‘last longer than your grandchildren’s grandchildren’! The wood was so heavy it felt like stone. Mark put a small piece in the pool to see if it floated. Sure enough, it sank like a rock.
Now we needed to stain it all. Oh, crap! We were smack-dab in the middle of rainy season. Our maintenance team constructed a big tarp over an area so that we could stain each floorboard and ‘try’ to keep them dry while the stain set. Each day, we stained boards on one side and set them to dry. Next day, we’d flip them over, stain the other side and set them to dry. About 100 boards, 2 coats of stain, 4 sides. Our 2 maintenance guys, Flaco and Alex, and I worked all day for days.
We had to get it done by November!
We decided that the ceiling was going to be made of bamboo. We needed to source the bamboo, so as usual, we called on AJ to find that. He found a supplier about an hour away. We placed our order and then Mark and I had to go buy the bamboo. Not pick it up, just go pay for it. Strange? Not really. Costa Rican.
We drove to the bamboo farm, asked around until we found the “office”, and then paid the lady for our order. She said it would be delivered in a few days.
With the bamboo purchased and the floorboards drying, the rest of the platform was coming along. We had about a month to go before the yoga retreat group rolled in.
Like everything else we encountered while building in Costa Rica, the yoga platform construction process was threatened by rain, humidity, and delays in getting materials.
But finally, finally, the work was done with not a day to spare before the yoga group arrived mid-November. Phew!
We successfully held this yoga retreat, and I offered yoga to many guests on the platform over the next few years. Unfortunately, circumstances would change again by the next summer so that our planned retreats never happened.
Mark and I would use the platform for our weekly yoga practices together. More than once, troops of monkeys passed by while we were practicing. Mark also found it to be an ideal spot for his bird photography (more on that later).
The platform also came in handy as a venue for surprise engagements and elopements that we hosted at the hotel. We even used it as a space to offer sound baths for guests – something I had never experienced before.
If I was overwhelmed and needed a moment, I would simply make my way to the yoga platform, sit quietly, take in the beautiful surroundings, and breathe.
It was so peaceful.
Of all the things we built during our time at the hotel, I was most proud of this space. It was very simple. It’s one thing I really miss now that we are done with our hotel journey. Although it never became a money maker, it brought me a lot of joy.
I’d found my happy place.
Do you have a happy place? Can you appreciate having an engineer for a husband? Can you believe we built something else after completing our huge remodel?
Thanks for reading What an Adventure! 💜
I innerstand why this is was your happy place, Marlo! One day I will have something like this in my life as well. The wood and bamboo are absolute perfection!
A yoga wellness retreat in Costa Rica sounds amazing. The platform turned out great as well. This was my first time reading your posts, Marlo! I enjoyed it.