The first days of a new year carry their own quiet energy: a gentle invitation to pause, breathe, and choose how you want to begin again. Here on Costa Rica’s North Pacific Coast, these beginnings unfold softly.
Mornings arrive in layers. You hear the hush of Playa Danta before the day wakes. You watch warm light stretch across the water. You feel the calm rhythm of waves kissing the sand. It’s easy to imagine yourself in a place where time slows just enough for two people to find each other again.
At Santarena Hotel, a true beachfront retreat in the car-free heart of Las Catalinas’ Beach Town, these early moments of your year become something you can feel from somewhere deep within. When you step outside your door, the ocean is already there, open and welcoming, encouraging a quieter, more intentional start to your day and year. Behind you, the hills rise into tropical dry forest and warm greens and golds, offering their own form of welcome, both to this coastline and to whatever has brought you here.
Together, the Pacific and the forest form a rare dual-ecosystem sanctuary. Rather than resolutions, we invite you to begin with rituals: simple and sensory experiences that draw you back to place, to presence, and to each other.
Rituals matter because they anchor us; they turn ordinary moments into something memorable and intentional. When you begin the year together in a place where nature leads the way, those rituals become even more powerful.
Water has long symbolized renewal. Forests have always represented grounding. Wildlife reminds us that the world is bigger than our routines. When you experience these things with someone you love, they stay with you. Long after you return home, you’ll remember what it felt like to float side by side in quiet water or to stand on a warm hillside with a wide horizon ahead of you.
These rituals aren’t about dramatic gestures. They’re about presence. They’re about choosing to start the year with clarity, warmth, and connection.
There’s something unmistakably intimate about drifting side by side in the Pacific. Snorkeling feels less like an activity and more like a shared meditation or gentle adventure, a slow ritual of letting the world settle into the background as you settle into the moment.
Playa Danta’s waters are warm and remarkably clear during the first few months of the year, when the sun shines high and the rains are but a memory. When you slip beneath the surface, sunlight breaks into soft ribbons of gold that rock with the water. Schools of fish move in unhurried – or hurried, if startled! – patterns. Reef formations appear and fade as you float together, following nothing but curiosity.
The world above is muted by the all-encompassing Pacific; the rhythm of your breath through the snorkel is all you hear, creating a steadiness and presence in the here-and-now. The stillness around you creates space to reconnect without words. You’re simply there, exploring a quiet underwater world that feels worlds away from daily life.
Learn more about snorkeling and other on-water and underwater experiences from Santarena.
Where the ocean offers renewal, the tropical dry forest offers grounding.
This is one of the rarest and most striking ecosystems in the world, shaped by dramatic seasonal rhythms and remarkable wildlife sightings. In the dry season, which runs approximately from December through May, the forest slowly transitions from a riot of green into an amber landscape. Hillsides glow in warm tones. Sunlight moves unobstructed through the open canopy. Ancient trees, including our province’s eponymous Guanacaste, stand in sculptural silhouettes against wide skies.
Walking and hiking here becomes its own ritual. The trails around Las Catalinas weave through hilly, low-mountain terrain, rising toward viewpoints where the coastline stretches in both directions. These paths can be quiet and contemplative, ideal for couples who want to move slowly and take in the details of the landscape.
You might pause to listen to howler monkeys calling from the canopy, see a motmot flash its blue-green tail as it swoops between branches, or notice an iguana warming itself on a sunlit rock. If you’re lucky, you may even glimpse a white-tailed deer – Costa Rica’s national animal, chosen to represent the spirit of our wild places and commitment to conservation – stepping softly through the trees.
In the green season, from late May through November, the forest shifts again. Leaves return in a rush of color and shade-giving cover. The air cools. Everything feels fresh and alive. Because no matter the season, the tropical dry forest offers a kind of emotional spaciousness. The landscape invites you to slow your pace, look around, and share a moment of awe with the person beside you. And you’ll find a forest that renews itself just as you’re trying to renew something, too.
The one-of-a-kind town of Las Catalinas was designed with human connection in mind. Its car-free heart creates an environment where you can walk freely, explore naturally, and spend your days without friction. Everything you need is steps away. The ocean. The trails. Cafés and plazas. Slow mornings ease into soft afternoons, and evenings settle into gentle coastal quiet.
This sense of ease is part of what sets Santarena apart. There’s no need to plan heavily or rush between distant destinations. You simply step outside and follow what feels good. For many couples, that’s the essence of quiet luxury. Not opulence, but natural refinement. Beauty that’s effortless. Experiences that slow you down just enough to reconnect.
Santarena’s beachfront location also means you’re never far from what drew you here in the first place. You can begin the day with a sunrise walk, spend a morning snorkeling or floating in the rooftop pool, linger over lunch at Ponciana Restaurant, and wander into the forest trails before sunset. Everything unfolds at a pace that supports presence rather than distraction.
Here’s a simple way to shape your own three-day ritual-filled escape, with moments that invite you to slow down and reconnect.
Morning Intention by the Shore
Begin with a sunrise walk along Playa Danta. Let the sound of the waves set a quiet tone for the day and ease you into presence.
A Slow, Local Lunch at Ponciana
Settle in for a long lunch at Ponciana Restaurant, where Mediterranean-inspired dishes meet Costa Rican ingredients from land and sea. This is a meal meant to be lingered over, and if you’re looking for something even more intimate, you can elevate the moment with a Chef Table Service; turn lunch into a quiet-luxury ritual of its own, one centered on thoughtful flavors and shared discovery.
Beach Barbecue and S’mores at Playa Danta
If you’re traveling with another couple or a small group, consider ending the day with a beach barbecue as the sun sinks behind the headlands. Fresh seafood, meats, and vegetables are prepared over an open fire, and a long table is set in the sand under soft torchlight. As the night deepens, linger by the firepit with our s’mores pop-up, letting the evening settle in around you.
Shared Reflection at Sunset
For couples traveling on their own, or for a quieter close to the day, choose a beachfront dinner for two. The waves become your soundtrack, and a menu crafted from seasonal, locally sourced ingredients turns dinner into a sensory ritual. If you prefer something lighter, end the day with a private wine tasting, exploring nuanced flavors in a serene, intimate setting.
No matter how you shape these rituals, what matters most is the intention behind them. Create presence, warmth, and moments that stay with you long after you leave.
A new year doesn’t need to start with lists or goals. Sometimes it begins with a gentle walk, a moment by the water, or a shared experience of warm coastal air. At Santarena, we’re here to help you create the kind of rituals that bring you closer to each other and to the place around you.
Explore more ways to begin the year together in Las Catalinas and let our concierge help you design your own rituals for the year ahead.