THE RETREAT COSTA RICA EXPANDS ITS MAIN RESTAURANT AND RENAMES IT SOL TERRACE: NATURE’S GASTRONOMY
Natural Indoor/Outdoor Flow Overlooking Gardens, Quartz Mountain, Valley and Cascading Pool and Serving the Same Delicious Wellness Foods and Drinks
The Retreat Costa Rica — a tropical, luxury wellness boutique resort perched on a high vibrational crystal mountain in Atenas and recently awarded the #6 Preferred International Spa Resort by Condé Nast Traveler’s 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards, has expanded its main all-day restaurant and renamed it Sol Terrace: Nature’s Gastronomy.
Sol Terrace’s new expanded architectural and aesthetic design was created by The Retreat’s owner and creator Diana Stobo and her partner Enrique Herrera. Their goal was to expand the dramatically chic restaurant, bar and lounge to accommodate more guests in a light, sprawling indoor/outdoor space in sync with the resort’s motif of East meets West — highlighted by a Western minimalist flare while incorporating expressive natural elements, designs and a feeling of tranquility from the East.
Now, the restaurant is more than double in size to 2,421 square feet to comfortably serve 80 people. The new bar is a luxurious 20 feet long with eight bar chairs. The ceilings are various heights — from 14 feet rising upward to 18 feet high with glass ceilings draped in canvas. Sol Terrace’s color palette is one that reflects soothing natural tones and white with splashes of soft yellows, blues and greens — allowing bright sunlight and the surrounding greenery to stimulate the senses.
The impressive design motif and execution is in keeping with the resort’s focus on sustainability, localism, natural beauty, comfort and the Asian philosophy of feng shui living. Costa Rican furnishings are made from reforested laurel trees treated by local artisans to obtain an authentic, soft-toned wood finish, and the chairs are wrapped in dried banana leaf. The floors are a natural tone, recycled quartz mixed with resin for versatility in high traffic areas. Walls are covered in natural-colored porcelanato tiles.
Additional design features include a centerpiece focal attraction — a large hand-carved, white marble Hindu Ganesha sculpture that is known for the power of removing obstacles. The venue is adorned with beautiful Balinese pottery, lush plants, ferns, palms and indigenous tropical plants. The new bar features 50 large selenite mineral towers backlit to ignite its purification properties of cleansing and healing spaces, objects and people. The bar lighting is made of gold and silver washed metals handcrafted from Morocco. The pillows strewn on the large banquets in the inviting lounge are globally inspired by elegant and graceful designs imported from India, Turkey and Morocco.
“I am delighted with the visual and visceral appeal of our new Sol Terrace: Nature’s Gastronomy. Personally, one of my favorite artistic wonders in this space is an eight-foot painting of Tarzan, our mascot peacock. We placed it front and center in the restaurant where we have live peacocks roaming and interacting with our guests. Tarzan was commissioned for my birthday by my partner Enrique,” said Stobo, the brainchild owner, celebrity chef, bestselling author and health and wellness coach of idyllic The Retreat Costa Rica.
At Sol Terrace, the menus will continue to change daily under the guidance of Executive Chef Carolina Botero and are based on an anti-inflammatory diet incorporating organic produce, mostly grown on the resort’s farm. Breakfast and lunch are plant-based with dinner featuring local, sustainably raised fish, fowl, meats and produce. The kitchen is grain and dairy free and uses no refined sweeteners. Guests also enjoy healing house-grown herbs and other fresh ingredients in their drinking water and frescos, elixirs and hand-muddled, crafted mocktails and cocktails. There is a selection of rare teas and organic, biodynamic wines.
About The Retreat Costa Rica
The Retreat Costa Rica is a luxury wellness boutique resort and spa founded by celebrity chef, bestselling author and health and wellness life coach Diana Stobo in 2015. Located at the base of a quartz mountain outside the town of Atenas, Alajuela, in Costa Rica and 30 minutes from San Juan International Airport, the resort offers guests a transformational experience in a nurturing environment. The Retreat includes elegant accommodations, a spa and healing center, two farm-to-table restaurants, a yoga studio, two saline swimming pools, organic gardens, a coffee plantation, sweeping views and hiking trails. More information is available at www.theretreatcostarica.com.
