Resorts work for some people. They do not work for the people we plan trips for. Our guests want the surf, the chef, the late afternoon swim, the dinner that lasts four hours, and a house that feels like theirs by Tuesday. They want the place to slow down without them having to ask. That kind of week does not come off a menu. It is built piece by piece, with local operators we have worked with for years and a villa we have walked through ourselves. This is what a week of that looks like.
The plan below is a template, not a script. We move pieces around the weather, the swell, the wildlife windows, and the way your group is feeling on any given morning. But the bones hold for almost every guest. Read it the way you would read a friend's travel notes. Edit it down to what you actually want.
Day 1: Arrive slowly
Most of our guests fly into Liberia. It is a smaller airport with shorter immigration lines, and the drive to Nosara takes about two and a half hours through ranching country. We meet you with a private transfer and a cold drink. By the time you reach the villa, the sun is usually low. The team has already stocked the fridge with what you asked for, set fresh flowers on the kitchen island, and chilled a hand-picked bottle for your arrival.
Drop your bags. Walk to Playa Pelada for sunset. Dinner on the first night is at the villa with a private chef who built a light menu around your flight day. Ceviche, grilled fish, a sharp green salad, a small dessert. You will be in bed by ten.
Day 2: Surf at sunrise, slow afterwards
Howler monkeys wake you up around five thirty. Coffee on the terrace by six. Walk down to Playa Guiones for the early session. We match you to the right surf instructor for your level and the tide that day. Two hours in the water, breakfast at the villa, and the rest of the morning is yours.
We keep the afternoon open on purpose. Most guests think they want to fill the schedule. By day two they want to sit by the pool with a book and a fan and let the heat pass. Around four the light softens. Walk the beach barefoot. The sunset at Guiones in dry season turns the water gold. We do not schedule anything formal in the evening. The chef can come back, or you can wander down to one of the open-air kitchens in town. We send a short list of three places we like that night.
The thing a resort cannot do: leave you alone all afternoon without someone trying to sell you a spa upgrade.
Day 3: The jungle day
Mid-morning we pick you up for an ATV ride into the back hills above Nosara. The route winds through cattle pasture and gallery forest, drops into a shallow river crossing, and climbs to a waterfall pool you can swim in. Lunch is on the way back at a place that does grilled fish, plantains, and rice cooked over a wood fire. We are home by mid-afternoon.
The evening is for the villa. We arrange a private chef cooking class for guests who want one. The chef brings the day's market haul, walks you through three Costa Rican staples, and then you eat what you made. Children love this. Couples love this. The kitchen smells like garlic and lime for the rest of the night.
The thing a resort cannot do: hand you the knife.
Day 4: The ocean day
We use Monkey Head Adventures for every ocean trip. They run two boats out of Garza harbor about fifteen minutes south of Nosara. Depending on your group, we book one of three days.
- Snorkel and Pink Island. A three-hour boat ride to a stretch of pink-sand coast you cannot reach by road. Fresh fruit and ceviche on the boat. Good for families and mixed groups.
- Half-day sportfishing. Seven am pickup, coffee, fruit, and snacks waiting on the boat, off the water by early afternoon. Tuna and mahi go to the villa kitchen the same evening.
- Sunset cruise. A late-afternoon trip with cold drinks and dolphins on the way home. Best in green season when the sky turns lavender.
We help you pick the right day for your group on the call before the trip. We do not stack two boat days back to back. The ocean is bigger than it looks.
The thing a resort cannot do: send you out on a private boat that the captain owns, not the brand.
Day 5: The wellness day
Sunrise yoga on the villa deck with a teacher we trust. An hour on the mat, water and fresh fruit afterwards, then a slow breakfast. Mid-morning is for the beach. A long walk on Pelada at low tide, swim back at the villa, and then a treatment from a local therapist who comes to the house. Most guests choose a deep tissue massage or a reformer pilates session. We can also book a sound bath in the open-air shala at the villa or under the canopy near Playa Guiones.
Dinner is intentionally simple. The chef makes a vegetable-led tasting menu with everything from the morning's market. Five small courses, paired with a hand-picked bottle. The night ends in the pool with the speakers off.
The thing a resort cannot do: send the teacher to you instead of you to a fluorescent gym.
Day 6: Wildlife window
What this day looks like depends on the season.
August through November. If the moon and tide line up, we drive twenty minutes north to Playa Ostional for one of the largest sea turtle nesting events on the planet. We book an authorized guide, hand you red-filtered lights, and walk the black sand at dusk while Olive Ridleys come ashore by the thousand. We wrote about this in detail in the journal post on the Ostional arribada.
December through July. A canopy and waterfall day in the hills above Nosara. Zipline cables strung between tall ceibas, a guided hike down to a swimming hole, and a chilled picnic at the bottom. Howler families overhead the entire morning.
Evening is for celebrating the week. A long table dinner at the villa, the chef back, a local guitarist as the light goes. We have seen Tuesday strangers turn into a tight group by Friday dinner. This is the night that happens.
The thing a resort cannot do: route your week around the moon.
Day 7: Soft departure
Final morning. One more sunrise surf for the people who want it. Coffee, breakfast, and a slow pack. Our team comes by mid-morning to handle the bags, sweep the villa, and check that nothing was left in the safe. The private transfer to Liberia leaves on a schedule we set together so that you arrive at the airport with time, not stress.
We send a short message about a week after you get home. Photos we took without you noticing, a recipe from the chef if you asked, and an open door for the next time the family wants to come back. When the season turns, we will send word if you want it.
The thing a resort cannot do: notice what you left behind, and remember it the next time you come.
What the week costs
Every Avela trip is custom-quoted because every group is different. A seven-night villa week for a family of four to six generally runs in the high four to low five figures all in, depending on villa choice, season, and how heavy the experiences sit. Holiday weeks and the dry-season peak run higher. Green season runs lower. We reply within a day, and after a short call we send a tailored proposal with a clear breakdown of villa, chef, transfers, and experiences. No hidden line items.
If you want to do this
Send us your dates, your group size, and the rough shape of the week you have in mind. We will come back with two or three villa options, a draft schedule, and a real person on the email to answer questions. The shape above is a starting point. The week is yours.