What Traveling to a Blue Zone Can Teach You About Living Well

It’s just after sunrise, and I’m sitting in a barrel sauna watching howler monkeys devour mangoes in a tree. As one of the primates roars, I plunge into my private ice bath at Silvestre Nosara Hotel & Residences and spring out of the water a couple of minutes later—invigorated equally by the Costa Rican fauna and my suite’s health-focused amenities. In the wellness world, the topic of longevity has never been hotter. And in the surf town of Nosara, nestled on the Central American nation’s Nicoya Peninsula, healthspan-boosting practices like saunas and cold therapy feel especially apt.

The coastline of Nosara.Photo: Callum Morse

This rugged Pacific peninsula dotted with picturesque beaches isn’t just a magnet for surfers and yogis—it’s also one of the world’s original Blue Zones, where people live longer than anywhere else. These geographic areas (the others being Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; and Loma Linda, California) were identified in the aughts. There’s now a revived interest in exploring them, thanks to best-selling author Dan Buettner’s hit Netflix docuseries Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.

Traveling to a longevity hot spot isn’t always easy. Some Blue Zones have changed drastically due to modernization, and others require a level of discomfort that many travelers would find off-putting, Buettner explains. The Nicoya Peninsula, however, offers a sweet spot in the middle. He points to Nosara as a “gateway destination” to the Blue Zones, where it’s easy to embrace the “Power Nine” principles of centenarians, like moving naturally, eating plant-based foods, and socializing, all while staying at a nice hotel.

“Nosara happens to be in a Blue zone, but it’s an anomaly,” says Buettner. “It offers a remanifestation of a Blue Zone lifestyle in more of a 21st-century American format.”

At the sleek and community-focused Silvestre Nosara, living well is effortless by design. The property, which opened in February 2024 just steps away from the world-famous surf break at Playa Guiones, combines the amenities of a luxury hotel, the comforts of a private home, and the benefits of a health retreat. Days start with private surf lessons, Blue Zone-inspired breakfasts on the rooftop, and yoga classes in a cool subterranean wellness studio.

A bar area at Silvestre Nosara Hotel.Photo: Juan Tribaldos

“These are also great places to meet people and connect,” says Chris Ingham Brooke, co-founder of Silvestre Nosara. “If you’re surrounded by natural beauty and activities, services, and food that benefit your health, it’s very easy to live well.”

Designed in collaboration with local architecture and design firms, the property’s nine spacious residences are ideal for families and groups of friends (think full kitchens that can be stocked with ingredients from the region’s top producers). Most of the bonding happens at the serene rooftop bar and restaurant—complete with an infinity pool overlooking a canopy of reforested trees and craft cocktails featuring local ingredients like naranjilla and cactus juice.

The pool at Silvestre Nosara Hotel.Photo: Juan Tribaldos

It’s here I get a taste of Nicoya’s most tangible fountain of youth: its food—and the kinship shared over an inspiring meal by Silvestre’s private chef, Esteban Rojas. Between bites of cassava croquettes and “Grandma’s Glory” plantains with buffalo milk gelato, our group spends hours chatting and sipping wine (a Blue Zone-approved pairing) under the stars.

Rojas is one of the few chefs in Nosara specializing in high-end Costa Rican cuisine, though the area has a top-notch restaurant scene. For a truly local experience, he recommends Soda Playa Garza, where you’ll find a woman in her 90s cooking up casados (combo plates of rice, beans, plantain, vegetables, and a protein) by the ocean.

“This region has a lot to offer—beans, fresh seafood, clean air, and healthy crops—but more than food, it’s also the lifestyle,” says Rojas. “We can learn a lot from the locals. Life’s too short not to enjoy the small moments.”

Simple pleasures weave the fabric of Nosara’s tight-knit community. Watching the sunset is a daily downshifting ritual on Playa Guiones. The neighboring beach, Playa Pelada, offers an equally gorgeous vista, best enjoyed at La Luna restaurant. Between surfing and sound bathing, I explore the town’s fresh array of cafés and shops: Alberka and Love Nosara are go-to boutiques for elevated beachwear; Destiny Café and Organico Bakery offer fresh smoothies and salads; and a bustling farmers market happens every Tuesday.

On my final night in Nosara, we make the pilgrimage up to Coyol, a hilltop restaurant with a million-dollar view. A wall of photographs of wise Nicoyans greets us at the entrance of the rustic farmhouse-style building, which opens up to a spectacular 180-degree panorama over a valley and the ocean—and as we watch the sun plunge into the Pacific, leaving behind a lasting golden glow, time seems to stand still. Traveling to a Blue Zone won’t necessarily extend your life, but it might teach you a few lessons about living it to the fullest.