Blue Zone Studies in Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Perceptions Copy

Location icon
Montezuma, Puntarenas Province, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Users icon
Up to 6 in group
Date
December 5 - 10, 2025

Retreat Highlights

  • Learn from professional chefs as we prepare and celebrate delicious and nutritious gourmet organic meals.
  • We will dine together as a community with our friends, family, and guests.
  • Join us in our daily routines as we explore the Nicoya Peninsula and Pacific Coast.
  • Enjoy daily beach excursions at sunrise or sunset for walking, swimming, and body movement.
  • Daily energy healing and restorative practices: sound healing, yoga, meditation, reiki, and massage.
  • Engage with us as we play, be creative, and enjoy our horses, dogs, cats, and macaw.
  • Take time to appreciate the abundant flora and fauna of Costa Rica as we listen to and watch birds, butterflies, and monkeys who live in the jungle surrounding Casa Bellavista.
  • Partake in excursions into our community and explore artisans' shops, farmers' markets & live music.
  • Rest and Rejuvenate by the pool with afternoon refreshments, or nap in a hammock.

About this Retreat

Details of this retreat

with Chef David Smythe, Professor (R)
Culinary Institute of America 1983 - 2013
Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE)
Certified Culinary Educator (ACF)
Certified Executive Chef (ACF)
Food Industries Production Consultant
Nutritional Consultant to Hospitals

Course description
ϖ A concept driven 5-day holistic andragogic adult learning experience with a career professional.
ϖ The class sizes will always be small guaranteeing plenty of one on one with the chef.
ϖ Daily sunrise salutation and sweeping meditation starts each day with tea or coffee.
ϖ Breakfast is followed by Excursion Time until noon (getting hot).
ϖ Field trip excursions may be taken to fish market, farmer’s market, organic farm, organic goat dairy in the morning.
ϖ Return for Lunch at Casa Smythe or in an offsite restaurant.
ϖ Lecture after lunch deals with a wide variety of related topics: from global nutrition to food science to food as art.
ϖ Gather in the kitchen for demonstrations and tastings after lecture.
ϖ Hands on: class participants make dinner with and eat with chef Smythe and family.
ϖ Relax in the pool, hammock or walk in the jungle, go to the beach, go to town for shopping and watch Fire Dancing in the late evening, let your spirit soar.
ϖ Recipes, methods, formulas will be available in both hard copy and digitally.
ϖ Schedules will be issued soon after enrollment.
ϖ Knives, aprons, culinary equipment will be provided.

Course Objective
Through lecture, demonstration and hands on Individuals who take this course should expect to come away with:
• fresh perspectives on nutrition norms, trends, fads and myths
• a deeper understanding of cooking to improve health
• a better appreciation of the need to cook for connection to the Earth Mother
• improved culinary techniques and organization in food and meal preparation
• improved technique and confidence when the food meets the plate
• food as art and presentation; whimsical aesthetics is good for the soul
• macro understanding of global cuisines and the common denominators
• appreciation for Blue Zone ways and calming through nurture
• improved personal sustainability in diet and lifestyle
• understanding of simple “Balanced Meals”
• better understanding of flavor perception and flavor development
• more comfort in their bodies with better digestion and peace of mind
Blue Zone
Daily Schedule
• Sunrise Salutation 5:30-6:00 AM Coffee and tea
• Sweeping Meditation 6-7 AM (Decks, veranda around house, porches, walkways, around pool)
• Breakfast 7-8:00 AM Morning
• Excursions 8-Noon (beach, river, jungle, horse, boat, zip, hammock, pool – with Justine Smythe)
• Lunch 12:00 – 12:45 prepared by Chef David Smythe
• Class time 1:30– 3:00 PM Lecture / demo
• Break 3:00 – 3:15 PM
• Class time 3:30-6 PM Hands-on cooking with the chef to prepare and set up buffet casado
• Dinner 6-7:00 PM
• Cleanup and prep (Everyone pitches in blue zone style) 6:45 – 7:30 PM
• Storytime and / or drum circle 8-9 PM
• Bedtime 9 PM to 5 AM

Daily Lecture Topics
Day 1 Nutrition in Practice
Day 2 Hands in the Harvest
Day 3 Waking up the Senses
Day 4 The Delicate Balance
Day 5 Bringing It Home

Typical Class Day
(Example: Day 1 of 5)
Lecture 1: Theory: 1.5 hour with recipes and lecture handout.
Welcome to the planet, everything is ready for you.
What is Food?
What are Diets?
Perspectives / time line
What is Culture?
What are meal parts?
What is a Blue Zone? Blue Zone diet?
Casado, the reason to get married.
How should we proceed?

To the kitchen
Culinary Demonstration and Tasting (1.5 hour)
Sanitation in food handling
Knife parts, types, use, sharpening, handling
Culinary typical tools and equipment identification and use
Mise en Place, everything in place
Knife cuts to facilitate cooking and enhance presentation
Stock / broth preparation, light and dark
Soup types
Starch thickeners / stabilizers
Thickened sauces
Acid – oil balances: Vinaigrette dressings
Emulsifiers / lecithin
Mayonnaise / soynaise (with tofu)
Cultures: Sauerkraut, sour dough, (start for day 5): Yogurt made daily.

3:30-6:00 Hands-On: Using the Basics: Let’s Make a Casado (preparing dinner with the Chef)
Soup: Broth (or Brodo) with Garnishes
Salad: Greens with basic Herbed Vinaigrette and variations
Baked Fish with Olive Oil, Lemon, Capers and Rosemary
Aromatic Rice Pilaf
Green Beans and Mushrooms
Oblique Carrots Steamed in Butter
Vegetable Slaw Chiffonade

Schedule

Visit Casa Bella Vista micro retreats are private and limited to 6 people providing a safe and nurturing home away from home environment with private chefs with whom you will cook and dine. we will explore the jungles and beaches and take time to shop, and cook and dine together the blue zone way for longer happier lives. Pura Vida.

Join our community for a week of personal enrichment and satisfying interpersonal connections the Costa Rica way  - Pura Vida
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change

Getting Here

Location icon BellaVista Costa Rica - Curated Lifestyle Experiences, Montezuma, Puntarenas Province, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Directions

"Located in the Delicias area of the Nicoya Peninsula, BellaVista holds the true spirit of Pura Vida in every way! I was lucky enough to spend time at a Wellness retreat, at this beautiful place. Tucked away on a private and quiet acreage, with gorgeous views of the peninsula, while still close and convenient to many sightseeing attractions - beaches, jungle hikes, waterfalls, and the charming village of Montezuma. Hosts David and Justine Smythe, have taken their many years of expertise in the culinary and hospitality world and created a rustic yet elegant, paradise. My room was upstairs in the main house, with teak wood, big open windows and a balcony which was perfect to take in the view of the ocean, mountains and sky, and listen to the howler monkeys. Each delicious meal was thoughtfully prepared with locally sourced and fresh whole foods. I took special pleasure in a daily dip in the artfully tiled swimming pool each day, while contemplating the horses as they grazed in the field below. How much more relaxing and beautiful can you get?! Hammocks hung around the big veranda surrounding the house, invite you to unplug, read, or nap. Do you want to relax, have fun and unwind in a beautiful and magical place? Then BellaVista is your place"
Nico Luna

Accommodation

Casa Bellavista Montezuma Costa Rica Pacific Blue Zone will delight your senses with luxurious spacious spa pool, panoramic mountain and ocean views. Surrounded yourself with jungles and howler monkey tribes, wild parrots and exotic flora and fauna. Casa Bellavista is constructed of teak logs & river stones, spacious guest rooms are complete with hot water showers, WiFi, and large comfortable beds. Immerse yourself in sensual views of beautiful horses grazing in the meadow, panoramic mountain and Pacific ocean views. And enjoy close proximity to excellent restaurants and activities and attractions including endless beaches, pristine nature preserves, canopy tour zipline excursions, sea kayaking, refreshing hidden waterfalls, horseback riding, and more tropical adventures sure to delight and excite. Casa Bellavista Costa Rica 🇨🇷 is central to beaches and nature preserves right in between the villages of Montezuma and Santa Teresa. Owned and operated by two professional chefs from NY, David & Justine Smythe, you will find our home extremely comfortable and relaxing, with a engaging and reliable property manager available at a moments notice to help you create your perfect vacation in paradise. We chose the southern tip of the nicoya peninsula because it is one of the few blue zones in the world where people live longer, enjoy life more, and have more fun. The water, air, and food is pure and clean, the people are friendly, happy, and sincerely helpful. You will find no shortage of things to do, if you can pry yourself from the hammock, or out of the spa pool, guests have been known to linger at the house because it is so relaxing and enjoyable. Three tribes of howler monkeys live in the jungle surrounding the home, our Arabian horses gallop and graze in the meadows, tropical and exotic birds fly by and forage in the trees and unexpected wonders are commonplace at Casa Bellavista. We chose a home in the hills only minutes to many beaches for privacy, spectacular panoramic views, comfort, and cool ocean breezes year round.

Accommodation
Costa Rica Culinary Adventure

Venue & Amenities

Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms icon A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi icon Free Wifi
Spa icon Spa
Sauna icon Sauna
Pool icon Pool
Towels icon Towels
Free Parking icon Free Parking
Kitchen icon Kitchen
Tour Assistance icon Tour Assistance
Hot Tub icon Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea icon Coffee/Tea
Cafe icon Cafe
Restaurant icon Restaurant
Fitness Center icon Fitness Center
Yoga Studio icon Yoga Studio
Housekeeping icon Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent icon Bicycles For Rent
Get comfy, unwind, cozy in, enjoy outstanding cuisine and more. The beach is a short ride - if you even want to leave. Feel secluded yet you can walk to a few restaurants. We enjoyed sharing the lovely family area - including the company of all the paws, claws and hooves - yet felt private in our own space. Thank you family Casa Bellavista for making our stay extra special! See you again! Keri

Meals

Menu
Menu

Menu Types

What's Included

  • Pick up from and drop off at our local domestic airport in Cobano.
  • All local land transportation during our daily excursions and adventures.
  • Community - Pura Vida - settle into a curated "island lifestyle" experience.
  • Culinary instruction with professional chefs as we create our meals and dine together.
  • Daily energy healing and movement practice together with guidance and support.
  • Five nights accommodation in your private cabin with queen bed, A/C, Wifi, kitchenette.
  • Hot water shower in your personal bathroom. Linens and towels provided.
  • Two full meals daily, breakfast and dinner, and afternoon refreshments by the pool.
  • Healthy snacks and fresh local fruits available by request.
  • Safe drinking and bathing water from all taps.
  • Complimentary in-house daily laundry service and concierge service.

What's Not Included

  • International travel and travel to COBANO via hop flight.
  • Additional adventures not included in the offer such as zipline tour, snorkeling, surf instruction, etc.

Customer Reviews

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