Why Bodhi Sessions Are Not All-Inclusive

Bodhi Sessions are a Costa Rican surf and yoga camp that’s between a vacation and a retreat. While we want you to focus on learning how to surf and perfecting your yoga practice, it’s also very important to us that you get out into the community, see the sights, hear the sounds, and taste the flavors of our small, coastal Costa Rican town. We believe that one important part of travel is spending quality time outside of your hotel/rental home/lodge, interacting with the locals, and immersing yourself in the Tico culture!

Why we opted not to be all-inclusive

It was a big decision for us at Bodhi Surf School as to whether we wanted our pinnacle, “best of the best” Bodhi Sessions to include all meals, some, or none. We decided to go the balanced route, offering some meals but not all. But why not? It would probably be more convenient for our guests if we included all meals: they wouldn’t have to make those big decisions of where to eat, how to get there, and could avoid some of the hassle of figuring things out on their own. However, we at Bodhi Surf don’t subscribe to the type of tourism whereby one entity or business monopolizes a person’s time, attention, and capital. It should come as no surprise that we are not fans of the classic all-inclusive style of vacation, though we understand that many individuals don’t get a lot of time off, and therefore don’t want to to spend too much of it figuring out these sorts of details; they appreciate the convenience of having everything provided and simply having to pay a single fee.

However, to us, it’s so very incredibly important that you as the traveler have a holistic experience within our town. Perhaps a good business decision would be to provide everything, yet that just doesn’t sit right with us as we want to help our fellow businesses and our local economy to thrive as well. We understand that it can be tricky walk the line between what’s convenient and what’s worthwhile. For the traveler who is interested in getting out of their element and perhaps their comfort zone, who understands that some of the best experiences are unplanned, and above all, who wants to try new things, Bodhi Sessions are right for you.

So what meals are provided during Bodhi Sessions?

We want to foster a sense of community and sharing within the Bodhi Sessions, and what better a way to do that than over a good plate of food? In addition, one of the the best ways to get a sense of the culture of a place is to try its local cuisine. With that in mind, we opted to provide both of those experiences, and take the balanced route of providing a welcome dinner to introduce one another, a mid-week dinner to catch up, and a goodbye dinner to share one last experience together and to reflect, as well as daily breakfasts at the lodge. From past experiences, nearly everyone who has stayed at the Bodhi Surf Lodge has tended to eat breakfast and some lunches and dinners in, and the other lunches and dinners out. So the compromise is we share some meals at the lodge, and you the rest of your meals on your own. As for the daily Bodhi breakfasts, they are healthy, delicious, as local and organic as possible, and served buffet-style. They always include Costa Rican coffee or tea, fresh fruit, homemade yogurt, granola, and eggs, as well as different options every day (banana bread, pancakes, bagels, french toast, crepes, ciabatta bread, gallo pinto, etc).

Where can I eat my additional meals?

Each of our rooms and bungalows has some option for cooking and storing your own food if you prefer to make your own meals:

• Bungalow Gratitud: has a large kitchenette with a fridge, a countertop stove, a toaster oven and a blender
• Bungalow Espiritu: has a small kitchenette with a mini-fridge, toaster oven, and blender
• Room Armonia: also shares the large and fully-operational Common Area Alegria kitchen
• Room Amistad: has a large, fully operational shared kitchen in Common Area Alegria below

In addition, the Costa Ballena area has many restaurants and eateries that serve both local and international cuisine with differing price ranges to suit people on all types of budgets. Many of these are accessible either on foot or bike from the Bodhi Surf Lodge.

Bodhi Sessions: A Costa Rican surf & yoga camp

Bodhi Sessions are neither the classic retreat nor are they the prototypical vacation; rather they are a surf and yoga camp that combines those two concepts. We sincerely believe that one of the best ways to experience a culture is by delving into its cuisine and taste-testing your way around what a particular area has to offer. While budgetary constraints may prevent some from doing that, we have left the option open by making our prime surf and yoga camp vacation option semi-inclusive. One of our main tenets at Bodhi Surf School is the concept of balance, and you will be getting the “best of” with Bodhi Sessions!